Appearance and Personality

Unlike the Devon and Cornish Rex, the Selkirk Rex was bred to be a heavy-set cat who can weigh up to 7.5 kgs. Their life expectancy is around 10-15 years.

Selkirk Rex cats are said to be placid and sociable. They don’t tend to be very vocal and get along well with people and other pets if introduced early.  Although they may not be as active as some other cats, they still need plenty of toys and cat trees for them to climb on and scratch. Because they are quite sociable, they can become lonely if left for long periods of time. They may therefore be better suited to a household where someone is home to keep them company, or perhaps adopting two could be a way to ensure they have suitable company if you are out a lot. They are well suited to apartment living if they are given plenty to keep them occupied. Keeping your Selkirk Rex cat indoors or in a cat friendly enclosure helps keep them safe from roads, other cats, snakes as well as helps to keep wildlife safe from your cat.

The coat can be wavy or curly and there are also long and short coated varieties. They don’t need a lot of grooming, but a gentle brushing once or twice a week helps keep the skin and coat healthy and help remove loose hairs as the Selkirk Rex does shed. Keeping up with yearlong parasite control will help keep your Selkirk Rex tick and flea free.

Common Health Concerns

The five most common reasons for a Selkirk Rex to visit the vet (excluding routine care visits) according to PetSure claims data from 2016 to 2020, included gastrointestinal problems like vomiting and diarrhoea, as well as constipation, megacolon, eye problems and urinary tract disease.   

Traumatic accidents including cat fight abscesses and claw injuries were also noted in the top five reasons for a Selkirk Rex to visit the vet from 2016 to 2020. It may be possible to lower the risk of your Selkirk Rex from having a traumatic accident by keeping them indoors or in a cat safe enclosure.

Note, this data may not be representative of the breed due to the low number of this breed that are insured

RankConditionAverage cost for single treatment
(average pet insurance claim amount)
Highest cost for single treatment (highest pet insurance claim seen for this condition)
1Gastrointestinal problems$283$1,249
2Constipation and megacolon$365$1,363
3Eye problems, including conjunctivitis and corneal ulcers$103$198
4Urinary tract disease$376$2,076
5Traumatic accidents, including fight abscesses and claw injuries$379$876

Disclaimer: Reimbursement for these claims would be subject to limits, such as annual benefit limits or sub-limits, benefit percentage, applicable waiting periods and any applicable excess. Cover is subject to the policy terms and conditions. You should consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement or policy wording available from the relevant provider.

For the same five-year period (2016-2020), the top five highest single vet treatments (or highest pet insurance claims) for Selkirk Rex cats from PetSure data were:

RankConditionHighest Cost of treatment for condition 
(average pet insurance claim amount)
1Wound$876
2Cat bite abscess$750
3Cat bite wound$656
4Claw injury$499
5Cat bite wound$339

Disclaimer: Reimbursement for these claims would be subject to limits, such as annual benefit limits or sub-limits, benefit percentage, applicable waiting periods and any applicable excess. Cover is subject to the policy terms and conditions. You should consider the relevant Product Disclosure Statement or policy wording available from the relevant provider.

Most popular Selkirk Rex names (PetSure data, 2015-2020)

Most popular names:

  1. Louis
  2. Bambi
  3. Frankie
  4. George
  5. Rocky
  6. Audrey
  7. Chai
  8. Cricket
  9. Dobby
  10. Florence

Most popular female names:

  1. Bambi
  2. Frankie
  3. Rocky
  4. Audrey
  5. Chai
  6. Cricket
  7. Dobby
  8. Gracie
  9. Kitty
  10. Lily

Most popular male names:

  1. Louis
  2. George
  3. Florence
  4. Frank
  5. Monkey
  6. Nugget
  7. Ollie
  8. Oscar
  9. Phoenix
  10. Sunny Winston

Did you know?

All Selkirk Rex today are ancestors of the rescued cat Miss DePesto who started the breed in the 1980’s.

References

  1. Wikipedia, Selkirk Rex, accessed 11/03/2021, available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selkirk_Rex
  2. The Cat Fanciers Association, The Selkirk Rex, accessed 11/03/2021, available at: https://cfa.org/selkirk-rex/
  3. VetStreet, Selkirk Rex, accessed on 11/030/2021, available at: http://www.vetstreet.com/cats/selkirk-rex

Pet insurance can help by covering a portion of the eligible vet bill if the unexpected happens. Because it is difficult to predict the costs of veterinary care, it can help to have measures in place to help prepare for the unexpected. Check out our partner network and explore our policy tools to find a pet insurance policy.

Not all conditions or items are covered by Pet Insurance. Refer to the applicable Product Disclosure Statement for information about coverage and exclusions.