Selkirk Rex Care Guide

The Selkirk Rex is the curly-coated cat that looks less like a rex and more like a plush toy — its nickname is "the cat in sheep's clothing," and it earns it. The breed traces to a single kitten found in Montana in the 1980s: a rescued female with curly whiskers and a coat that looked, in the Cat Fanciers' Association's own words, as if it "had had a perm." Persian breeder Jeri Newman adopted her, bred her to a black Persian, and got curly kittens — proving the mutation was dominant. She named the breed after her stepfather's family, Selkirk, making this the only cat breed named after a person (CFA). The CFA accepted it for registration in 1992 and granted championship status in 2000.

What sets the Selkirk apart from the other rex breeds is that the curl affects all three hair types — guard, awn, and down — so the coat is thick, soft, and full rather than thin or close-lying (CFA). The curl is random and unstructured, falling in loose clumps and ringlets instead of a tidy wave, and it comes in both a shorthair and a longhair version. Underneath the coat is a substantial cat: the CFA standard calls for medium-to-large size with heavy boning and a round, full-cheeked head, giving the breed real weight and a powerful, teddy-bear build.

Temperament is the other half of the appeal. Selkirks are patient, tolerant, and famously cuddly — PetMD's veterinary-reviewed profile calls the breed "a living, purring teddy bear." They are people-oriented lap cats that stay playful and interactive without the frantic energy of the finer rex breeds.

The counterintuitive rule for a Selkirk Rex is that more brushing makes the coat worse. Those loose curls are the whole point of the breed, and over-brushing pulls them straight and leaves the coat frizzy — PetMD's vet-reviewed profile warns directly that overbrushing can damage the signature curls. The CFA is gentler still: no special tools are needed, and running your fingers through the coat "in a gentle scratching motion" is often enough.

A light comb-through once or twice a week is plenty to lift dead hair and stop tangles, and the CFA notes a monthly comb helps prevent matting. Skip the daily-brushing habit some longhairs need — this coat wants to be left mostly alone.

Bathing matters more here than the brush does. The dense, curly coat traps oil against the skin, so many Selkirks need an occasional bath every few weeks to stay fresh (PetMD). Let the coat air-dry rather than blow-drying it smooth; heat and a brush together will straighten the curl you just washed in. The whiskers deserve a mention too: the CFA standard notes they are curly, fragile, and prone to breaking off, so short or sparse whiskers are normal — leave them be. Finish with routine nail trims, weekly ear checks, and regular tooth brushing.