Selkirk Rex
Discover the Selkirk Rex, the only cat breed named after a person, featuring a plush curly coat, a placid nature, and unique genetic traits.
The Selkirk Rex is a medium-to-large cat with a plush, curly coat and a placid, social temperament that distinguishes it from other Rex breeds. This American breed, developed in the late 1980s, traces its entire ancestry back to a single foundation cat named Miss DiPesto, making it the first and only cat breed named after a real person.
History and the unique gene
The breed originated in Montana in 1987 from a litter born to a rescued cat, where one unusually coated kitten was identified by breeder Jeri Newman. Newman named the cat Miss DiPesto after a curly-haired character in the TV series Moonlighting, and subsequent breeding to a black Persian tomcat proved the trait was autosomal dominant, producing both curly and straight-haired kittens. All modern Selkirk Rex cats descend from this single foundation, a lineage that has been carefully managed through outcrosses to American Shorthairs, Persians, Himalayans, Exotic Shorthairs, and British Shorthairs. The breed gained official recognition in 1992 by The International Cat Association, followed by the American Cat Fanciers Association in 1998 and the Cat Fanciers' Association in 2000. Recent breeding standards have tightened, with the CFA discontinuing Persian outcrosses in 2020 and British Shorthair or Exotic outcrosses in 2025, requiring all registered kittens to have Selkirk Rex parents.
Appearance and coat mechanics
Unlike the sparser coats of the Devon or Cornish Rex, the Selkirk Rex possesses a thick, plush coat that can be either shorthaired or longhaired, with loose, random curls that are most pronounced around the neck, tail, and belly. The breed standard describes a solid, muscular body with heavy boning, where adult males typically weigh between 12 and 15 pounds and females are slightly smaller. Their head is round and full-cheeked with medium-sized ears set well apart, complementing their round eyes. The hair shafts themselves are tightly curled due to a specific genetic abnormality, and unlike other Rex breeds, the Selkirk Rex is not hypoallergenic and is not recommended for those with cat allergies. Their whiskers are notably curly and fragile, often breaking off, and the breed accepts all colors including pointed, bicolor, cinnamon, silver, smoke, and chocolate.
Genetics and health implications
The curly coat is caused by an autosomal incomplete dominant woolly rexoid hair (ADWH) abnormality linked to a splice variant in the KRT71 gene, which is crucial for keratinization. Heterozygous cats exhibit the full, randomly curled coat, while homozygous cats display a tighter, softer wave and a more slender body with larger ears. While the breed has no known health problems specific to the Selkirk Rex, the curly fur can irritate the inside of the ear, leading to increased wax production. Homozygous individuals may also suffer from excessive greasiness, requiring more frequent bathing. Potential owners must be aware that health issues can be inherited from outcross breeds, such as polycystic kidney disease from Persians or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy from British Shorthairs, though UK breeders now mandate genetic testing for these conditions.