Selkirk Rex - The Cat in Sheep's Clothing

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Allowed Outcrosses for Selkirk Rex

The assets and liabilities of each breed allowed as an outcross and the reasons for selecting an outcross for the Selkirk Rex are discussed below. These selections are made primarily on the basis of improving the individuals, as no lines of Selkirks have enough generations behind them to make a very predictable assumption on the basis of pedigrees. If breeders know a particular outcross breed well, pedigrees can be helpful.

At this time, Selkirk breeders are primarily outcrossing. When a cat with a long pedigree is added to a breeding program, we can work with a known and refined quality and thus progress much faster to producing Selkirk lines that throw somewhat predictably.

All Selkirk Rex breeding started with Miss DePesto, an 11-pound, blue-cream and white short hair who is known to carry colorpoint and longhair. She has a narrow muzzle with a very strong "pinch" or whisker break, prominent cheekbones, very slanty eyes (green) and a wide, wide very flat spot between her ears. Jeri Newman has often said that she looks like the world's worst Devon with a Chartreux body. The first breedings with cats with rounder heads produced cats that looked like better Devons except they were much too big bodied (size and boning), the heads were too massive and there seemed to be a large amount of hair.

The breeds below were picked for their possible contributions to the "look" of the Selkirk Rex, but individuals need to be evaluated as to whether they truly suit the Selkirk Rex. These are suggested reasons for selecting or not selecting a particular individual cat for use in a Selkirk Rex breeding program. A breeder must develop an "eye", not only for Selkirks but for outcrosses that may be used in developing that look.

Persians

We select for:

Smooth, round skull (not all Persians have this). Persians seem to produce wonderful curly coats. Cats with quite a "break" can be used, but Persians with a nose that slants downward from the break will not only improve "stop", but will throw the proper wide muzzle and correct nose slant. We look for heavy to moderately heavy boning, but guard against Chartreux-type legs. We look for round eyes with level set.

We avoid:

Extremely short and cobby bodies, tiny ears, very short tails, cats with a break above the eyes. We also avoid flat heads, flat spots above the eyes, slanty eyes, poor tear ducts, extremely hairy faces (too much hair close to the eyes can be bad when that hair is curly), narrow hips, cow hocks, cats that don't want to stand with back legs fully extended, pedigrees known to have heart problems, cryptorchidism or polycystic kidney disease.

Exotics

We select for:

Basically the same characteristics as in Persians. We check out the parents to make sure that parents and offspring have the correct coat length for the shorthair (medium, not extremely long or short), and plenty of undercoat.

We avoid:

Again, basically like the Persians. Be aware that some Exotic lines have a somewhat "stiff" texture to their coat, which seems to decrease the curliness of the Selkirk coat.

British Shorthairs

We look for:

Roundest head and broadest muzzle available. This tends to work better in a Selkirk that has at least some Persian in the background. The best British bodies are right on target. There are at least two major muzzle styles in Brits; we choose the one with "corners" on the muzzle - very prominent whisker pads, as opposed to gently rounded. Most Brits have the right nose angle.

We avoid:

Flat spots between ears, lack of any nose stop, slanty eyes, light boning, unfriendly personalities, receding chins, blood type B, extreme whisker pinch.

American Shorthairs

Note: The American Shorthairs are no longer allowed outcrosses for Selkirk Rex in CFA as of 12/31/97

We select for:

Roundest head available, broad chests, a proper (for a Selkirk) muzzle, good boning, a soft, fluffy coat (undesirable in an American, but correct for Selkirks). In other words, excellent quality except with an incorrect coat. What is considered excellent in an American for Selkirks is considered quite extreme by some American Shorthair breeders. We use Americans to correct type when it is becoming too "Persiany".

We avoid:

Flat heads, slanty eyes, narrow muzzles, correct (for an American) hard coats, light boning, small size, and the other obvious things - bad tear ducts, bad hearts, cow hocks.

Experience of breeders has determined that the use of the American Shorthair has not improved the type we are looking for in the Selkirk. Use of this breed has been discontinued by all members of the Selkirk Rex Breed Club by a majority vote.

Outcross cutoff dates:

Persians - 12/31/2010

Exotics - 12/31/2010

British Shorthairs - 12/31/2015

American Shorthairs - 12/31/1997

Why not use "domestic shorthair/longhair" cats for outcrosses?

Unpredictability of type
We are attempting to develop a large, heavy boned cat with a particular type of coat, which includes correct texture, density and curl. If we use random-bred cats as outcrosses, we won't be able to predict type on the offspring produced. Plus, few if any random bred cats have the large size and correct head, body and coat type we need to improve our breed. Consistency requires that we use a known quantity - by using breeds that have the qualities we are looking for, we can assure the predictability of type.
Acquiring non-pedigreed animals - shelters or breeding "random bred" cats?
As an organization dedicated to the purebred cat, and one that promulgates the "spay and neuter pets" idea, to require use of "random bred" cats would mean Selkirk Rex breeders would have to become "household pet" breeders, an oxymoron. The lack of unspayed or unneutered animals could mean acquiring animals from humane shelters and not neutering them or getting very young animals from accidental breedings of neighborhood cats. Not the healthiest or best way to acquire breeding stock. See also comment #1, above.
Use purebreds without indicating what breed they are from:
In order to assure consistency and the correct type, we could use the purebreds we are currently using, but list them as "domestic shorthair/longhair" cats - thereby limiting the usefulness of a pedigree, since there would be nothing listed. This is an immoral choice to make, since we would be "faking" pedigrees and the breeder who acquires one of these "domestic" crosses would be unable to know the background and thereby be unable to predict type.

Pedigrees are useful for predicting type, health and keeping track of lines to limit inbreeding. Since consistency, health and genetic "purity" are important criteria for CFA, the only option is the use of pure breeds for outcrossing, with careful consideration of the breed requirements set down by the various breed councils.

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