Editing Selkirk Rex

{{short description|Breed of cat}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2012}}
{{Infobox Catbreed
| name = Selkirk Rex
| image = PolloSelkirkRex.jpg
| imagecaption =
| country       = [[United States]] 
| altname =
| ticastd = https://www.tica.org/phocadownload/sr.pdf
| acfastd = 
| acfstd = 
| ccastd = 
| fifestd = http://www1.fifeweb.org/dnld/std/SRL-SRS.pdf
| gccfstd =https://www.gccfcats.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SELKIRK-Rex.29October2022.pdf
| cfastd= https://cfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/selkirk-rex-standard.pdf
}}
The '''Selkirk Rex''' is a breed of cat with highly curled hair.<ref>{{cite book |title=The cat encyclopedia : the definitive visual guide |date=2014 |publisher=London : DK |isbn=978-1-4654-1959-0 |pages=174–175 |url=https://archive.org/details/catencyclopediad0000unse/page/174/mode/1up |access-date=3 September 2023}}</ref>

==Background==
{{update|date=May 2023}}
The Selkirk Rex is distinct from all other Rex breeds. Unlike the [[Devon Rex]] and [[Cornish Rex]], the hair is of normal length and not partly missing. There are longhair and shorthair varieties.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Edwards |first1=Alan (Writer on cats) |title=The ultimate encyclopedia of cats, cat breeds & cat care |date=2016 |publisher=London : Hermes House |isbn=978-1-84681-655-0 |page=209 |url=https://archive.org/details/ultimateencyclop0000edwa_p6y7/page/209/mode/1up}}</ref> It differs from the [[LaPerm]] in that the Selkirk Rex coat is plusher and thicker. While the LaPerm gene is a simple dominant, the Selkirk gene (Se) acts as an [[Dominance (genetics)|incomplete dominant]]; incompletely dominant [[allele]] pairs produce three possible [[genotype]]s and [[phenotypes]]: [[heterozygous]] cats (Sese) may have a fuller coat that is preferred in the show ring, while [[homozygous]] cats (SeSe) may have a tighter curl and less coat volume.

The Selkirk Rex originated in [[Montana]], USA in 1987, with a litter born to a rescued cat.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Helgren |first1=J. Anne |title=Rex cats : everything about purchase, care, nutrition, behavior, and housing |date=2001 |publisher=Hauppauge, NY : Barron's Educational Series |isbn=978-0-7641-1568-4 |pages=35–39 |url=https://archive.org/details/rexcatseverythin0000helg/page/34/mode/1up |access-date=3 September 2023}}</ref> The only unusually coated kitten in the litter was ultimately placed with breeder Jeri Newman, who named her Miss DiPesto (after a curly-haired character in the TV series ''[[Moonlighting (TV series)|Moonlighting]]'' played by [[Allyce Beasley]]). This foundation cat was bred to a black Persian tomcat, producing three Selkirk Rex and three straight-haired kittens. This demonstrated that the gene had an [[Autosome|autosomal]] dominant mode of inheritance. All Selkirk Rex trace their ancestry back to the cat Miss DiPesto. Jeri Newman named the breed after her stepfather, "Selkirk," making this the first (and currently only) breed of cat to be named after an actual person.<ref>{{cite web |title=Selkirk Rex breed history |url=http://www.selkirkrexcatclub.co.uk/ |website=www.selkirkrexcatclub.co.uk |access-date=3 September 2023}}</ref>

The breed has been developed in two coat lengths, long and short. It is a large and solidly built breed, similar to a [[British Shorthair]]. The coat is very soft and has a woolly look and feel with loose, unstructured curls. The head is round, with large rounded eyes, medium-sized ears, and a distinct muzzle, whose length is equal to half its width. An extreme break, like that of a Persian, is a disqualifiable fault.

[[Image:Selkirk Rex.jpg|thumb|right|200px|A white Selkirk Rex]]

[[American Shorthair]]s, [[Persian cat|Persians]], [[Himalayan cat|Himalayans]], [[Exotic Shorthair]]s, and [[British Shorthair]]s have been used as [[Outcrossing|outcrosses]] to develop this breed.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Alderton |first1=David |last2=Henrie |first2=Marc |title=Cats |date=1992 |publisher=New York : Dorling Kindersley ; Boston : Distributed by Houghton Mifflin |isbn=978-1-56458-073-3 |pages=180–181 |url=https://archive.org/details/catsalde00alde/page/181/mode/1up |access-date=3 September 2023}}</ref> The American Shorthair has now been discontinued as an outcross, except in [[The International Cat Association]] (TICA). The breed was accepted by The International Cat Association in 1992,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Petrie |first1=Kristin |title=Selkirk Rex cats |date=2014 |publisher=Minneapolis, MN : ABDO Publishing Company |isbn=978-1-61783-866-8 |page=7 |url=https://archive.org/details/selkirkrexcats0000petr/page/7/mode/1up}}</ref> the American Cat Fanciers Association in 1998, and the Cat Fanciers' Association in 2000. In [[Cat Fanciers' Association]] (CFA) and in Australia, all outcrosses are scheduled to be discontinued in 2015.

The breed is accepted in all colors, including the pointed, sepia, and mink varieties of albinism; bicolors; cinnamon; silver/smoke; and the chocolate and lilac series. This breed has an extremely dense coat and high propensity for shedding. Unlike other Rex breeds with reduced amounts of hair, the Selkirk Rex is not recommended for those who might be allergic to [[Allergy to cats#Cat allergens|cat allergens]].

The temperament of the Selkirk Rex reflects that of the breeds used in its development. They have a lot of the laid-back, reserved qualities of the British Shorthair, the cuddly nature of the Persian, and the playfulness of the Exotic Shorthair.

There are no known health problems specific to the Selkirk Rex breed. They are a robust breed. Breeding towards proper head structure is necessary to prevent kinking of the [[tear ducts]], resulting in tear run down the front of the face, or muzzle creases that can result in [[dermatitis]] on the face. Like other Rex breeds, irritation of the inside of the ear by curly fur can occur, increasing the production of ear wax. [[Homozygous]] cats (with two copies of the dominant Selkirk Rex gene) may have a tendency towards excessive greasiness of the coat, requiring increased frequency of bathing. Other health problems may be inherited from the outcross breeds used, including [[polycystic kidney disease]] from Persians and [[hypertrophic cardiomyopathy]] from British Shorthairs. Responsible breeders screen their breeding cats for these diseases to minimize their impact on the breed.

In the UK, all Selkirk Rex registered with the [[Governing Council of the Cat Fancy]] (GCCF) for breeding are genetically tested for Polycystic Kidney Disease or are from two genetically tested parents.<ref>{{cite web |title=Selkirk Rex |url=https://www.gccfcats.org/getting-a-cat/choosing/cat-breeds/selkirk-rex/ |website=GCCF cats |access-date=3 September 2023}}</ref>

== Genetics ==
The Selkirk Rex is defined by an [[autosomal]] dominant woolly rexoid hair (ADWH) abnormality that is characterized by tightly curled [[hair]] shafts.<ref>Gandolfi B, Alhaddad H, Joslin SE, Khan R, Filler S, Brem G, Lyons LA. A splice variant in KRT71 is associated with curly coat phenotype of Selkirk Rex cats. Sci. Rep. 2013;3:2000. {{doi|10.1038/srep02000}}.</ref> A splice variant in the gene KRT71 was found to be associated with the curly coat [[phenotype]]. KRT71 is a crucial gene for [[keratinization]] of the hair follicle. An [[allele]] of this [[gene]] is also responsible for the hairless (hr) [[Sphynx]] and the [[Devon Rex]] (re) hair.<ref>Gandolfi, B. et al. The naked truth: Sphynx and Devon Rex cat breed mutations in KRT71. Mamm Genome 21, 509–515 (2010)</ref> Three [[mutation]]s in KRT71 have now been identified in cats, forming the allelic series, KRT71SADRE > KRT71+ > KRT71re > KRT71hr,<ref>Gandolfi B, Alhaddad H, Joslin SE, Khan R, Filler S, Brem G, Lyons LA. A splice variant in KRT71 is associated with curly coat phenotype of Selkirk Rex cats. Sci. Rep. 2013;3:2000. {{doi|10.1038/srep02000}}.</ref> where SADRE is the suggested locus designation for the Selkirk autosomal dominant rex
21 [[allele]].

== References ==
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{{Domestic cat}}
{{Library resources box|lcheading=Rex cat}}

[[Category:Cat breeds]]
[[Category:Cat breeds originating in the United States]]
[[Category:Rex cat breeds]]