There are many breeds of cat and our feline friends boast a variety of coat colours, lengths and patterns. Siamese cats are very different in appearance to Persians and Ragdolls bear little similarity to British blues. We are all used the various different looks and everyone has their favourites. What you might not expect to see, however, is a cat with long curly hair!The breeds that you are familiar with may have their differences but probably all have a straight coat. Recently, however, the internet was taken by storm when pictures of cute curly-haired cats started to appear. The adorable moggies attracted attention immediately when use @meanplastic posted pics of a cute ginger kitten with a coat which resembled that of a poodle! The kitten even had curly whiskers. Devon Rex and Cornish Rex cats also have curly coats, but their fur is short. The little star which recently appeared online possesses much longer fur.
Is it a Perm?
It is tempting to think that the moggie's owner had given it a perm, but it turns out that the little internet sensation really does have curly hair. The tweet, which went viral, quickly attracted over 18, 000 likes. The cute subject of the post turned out to be a Selkirk Rex which is a relatively new breed originating from a single pet cat called, rather brilliantly, Miss DePesto of Noface! She was discovered in a shelter in Montana in 1987.
A New Breed of Cat
A local breeder, Jeri Newman, adopted her and bred her with a Persian. The resulting litter of six kittens featured three little lovelies with curly hair. This demonstrated that the curly hair gene was dominant as opposed to the recessive gene which gives the Devon Rex and Cornish Rex their curls. The Selkirk Rex breed became officially recognised in the 1990s. The name was inspired by Jeri Newman's Stepfather and the Rex mutation, a genetic mutation which results in soft curly hair. The breed is the first to be named after a person. The cats tend to be reasonably large and have round heads and gorgeous curly coats. The curls are particularly amazing when the cats have longer fur but Selkirk Rex cats can also be shorthairs.
The Selkirk Rex Cat
Selkirk Rex kittens boast curly coats from birth. The adult cats are friendly and playful but do require a great deal of grooming and they shed profusely. Their coats and eyes may be any colour that you see in other breeds of cat.
The Selkirk Rex in the UK
If you like the idea of a curly-haired cats, Selkirk Rex kittens are available in the UK. A Selkirk Rex is a pet which is bound to attract a great deal of attention and could become something of a celebrity. However, it is a very furry friend which will be place more demands on your time than your common or garden moggie. Have you ever seen a Selkirk Rex?