General Type Standard

The Selkirk Rex is the result of a dominant gene that causes each hair (guard, down and awn) to have a

gentle wave or curl giving the coat a soft feel. This is a medium to large cat with heavy boning that

gives the cat surprising weight and an impression of power. Females may be less massive than males

but not dainty in appearance. The coat occurs in both long and short haired versions. The curliness of

the coat is variable due to age, gender, climate, time of year and hormones particularly in the female.

Kittens are curly at birth, may lose their curl, and develop a curly coat again at about 8-10 months of

age. The coat continues to develop until about 2 years of age, so kittens and young adults should be

judged mainly on head and body type. The Selkirk Rex has an alert and active personality with a sweet

and endearing disposition, and should be in perfect physical condition.

Head – Round, broad and full-cheeked with round underlying bone structure. The head should be

set on a short thick neck. Forehead rounded, with a slightly curved top of head. The muzzle is of

medium width with well-padded whisker pads giving a rectangular impression, and is clearly visible

beyond the cheeks when viewed in profile. The whiskers are curly or broken.

Nose – The nose should be short, broad and straight with a downward slant. In profile the nose can

appear to have a convex curve. The nose break is neither too pronounced or too shallow.

Chin – Firm and well developed. The bite must be level, the tip of the chin should line up with the tip

of the nose in the same vertical plane.

Ears – Medium sized, broad at the base and may be tufted at the tips, set well apart on the broad

head. Should fit into (without distorting) the rounded contour of the head. Internal furnishings, if

present, are curly.

Eyes – Large, round and well-opened. Set wide apart with no tendency to Oriental shape nor squint.

All eye colours allowed.

Body – Cobby type with a level back and may have a slight rise to the heavy hindquarters. The

muscular torso is more rectangular than square, but not long. The body is equally broad across the

shoulders and the rump, medium to large but not rangy.

Legs and paws – Legs are of medium length and substantially boned. Paws are round and firm.

Tail – Thick, medium length, thicker at the base with a rounded tip.

Coat – The coat is thick and dense, with no bare or sparsely covered areas on the body. The coat

stands out from the body and should not appear flat or close-lying. It is a random, unstructured coat

arranged in loose individual curls giving an overall soft and plush feel. Ideally the entire coat should

show the effect of the rex gene, but curliness may be most evident on the neck, belly and tail.

Allowance may be made for less curl on kittens and younger adults especially females.

Selkirk Rex Longhair – The coat is semi-long, the tail curls are plumy and stand out away

from the tail. The ruff hairs are longer and frame the face.

Selkirk Rex Shorthair – The coat is a fairly uniform length over entire body. The ruff and

tail fur being a similar length to the rest of the coat, with tail curls that are plush and lie compactly

round the tail.

Colour – All coat colours, patterns and colour combinations are acceptable, including any white

markings on any coat pattern.

SELKIRK REX SCALE OF POINTS

Head (35)

Skull 15

Muzzle 5

Ears 5

Eyes 5

Nose 5

Body (30)

Torso 10

Legs/feet 10

Tail 10

Coat (35)

Density 15

Curl 10

Texture 10

Total 100

Withhold certificates, or first prizes in kitten open classes, for:

1. Uneven bite

2. Lack of curliness

3. Any other defect as listed in the preface of the SOP booklet

Faults:

1. Pronounced nose stop, flat face, snub nose, excessive cobbiness, or sleek Oriental

appearance

2. Excessively weak chin