The British Shorthair is a large cat and will require approximately 70 Kcals per kg bodyweight per day of food. However, many British Shorthairs are prone to obesity, particularly neuters, and some restriction on their diet may be necessary.

British Shorthairs usually have  between three and five   kittens in a litter, though   one of my girls successfully reared  eight kittens  not just once but twice.  Generally British Shorthair queens make good mothers, being placid by nature, they are very content with their brood.

Cats being cats there are occasionally  some cats who  do not like the shows, or do not take to  breeding, this is no reflection on the breeder,   it is  part of the cats'   charm  that  they are individuals and we  as cat lovers have to accept this.

******************************

Selkirk Rex

BREED ORIGINS

The Selkirk Rex originated in the USA.  In 1987, a breeder in Sheridan, Montana, was asked to look at an unusual kitten that was in a local shelter. It had slight curls and waves in the coat. The breeder, Jeri Newman, was interested in feline genetics, so she adopted the kitten and later bred it to one of her Persians, Photo Finish of Deekay. On July 4^th 1988, the stray, wavy “kitten”, now named Miss DePesto of NoFace (!) gave birth to six kittens. Three of them had a curly coat and three were straight coated.

Jeri knew this 50% ratio was exactly what would have been expected from a dominant gene for curl. She was fascinated with this concept and decided to explore the development of a new breed based on the curly coat. She gave the breed the name “Selkirk” rex to keep the same theme as the Cornish and Devon regional names, after the Selkirk Mountains and a stream near to her house.

After several years of showing the Selkirk's on exhibition, the breed was admitted to Championship status by TICA in 1994.

GENERAL BREED DESCRIPTION

The Selkirk Rex is produced by a dominant gene affecting the guard, awn and down hairs. The curls are more prominent around the neck, underside and rear in both coat lengths. Guard hairs tend to have a coarser texture, especially over the back, but the coat is very dense and the overall texture is soft and plush. The whiskers and eyebrows are curly.

Kittens are curly from birth, especially the whiskers. They may lose the curl as they develop but the adult curly coat should be there again from 8 – 10 months. The coat continues to develop until about 2 years of age.

The Selkirk Rex is similar in type to the British shorthair. It is a medium to large cat with solid muscle tone and substantial boning. This gives surprising weight and an impression of power.

The breed has an alert and active personality coupled with a sweet, endearing disposition that is very appealing. They are friendly and affectionate, mix well with other breeds and make wonderful family pets.

THE SELKIRK REX IN THE UK

February 8^th 2002 was a very exciting day! The first foundation Selkirk Rex imports arrived in the UK, accompanied by their breeder, Christiana Aichner of the Courtleycats prefix. The first breeders in the UK were Linda Davison (TORESKA); Angela Mann (KRESANT) and Lisa Peterson (TRUEBLU). Then, in 2003 Dee Marsland-Round (CATBALU) imported Dahozo Cody of Catbalu from the USA. There was a seminar to present the breed to the Cat Fancy, curly kittens were born and Selkirks appeared at shows on exhibition. The Selkirk Rex had started its long haul towards recognition!

Selkirks were recognised by GCCF in June 2004 and could be shown in Assessment Classes at Preliminary Level. By 2006 we had more than the 15 cats with at least 4 Merits each, plus evidence of success in competition with other breeds in side classes, as well as at least 20 GCCF breeders working with Selkirks and more than 50 examples registered in order to gain promotion to the Intermediate level!

Our application was accepted; our Selkirks had achieved all the necessary criteria and were promoted to Provisional status from 1^st June 2007. During 2007/2008 show season the breeders and club worked hard to gain the required 20 qualifying cats with 4 Intermediate Certificates to enable us to apply for Championship status in 2009. This was achieved by August 2008 and the GCCF Executive Committee granted Championship status in their October meeting to start from 1^st June 2009.

Meanwhile Selkirks have also enjoyed wonderful success showing with TICA with several gaining multiple titles and Regional / International placings - Our curly cats can really captivate those judges!

3 of the first Selkirk Rex imported into the UK in 2002