Is this a selkirk rex?

Hi everybody!

I haven't had a cat since my teenage years and now that I am more settled in my life, I am considering getting a new cat

For various reasons, I have decided that I want a selkirk rex and it happens that there is a breeder in the country I live in. The problem is that she is not a reputable breeder and I am not sure what I am getting...

Here is the ad:

http://www.chiens-chats.be/magnifique-british-selkirk-1871804_2101.shtml

The male kitten looks like a genuine silkerk rex but he is unfortunately taken I wouldn't mind getting the female kitten but she doesn't seem like a selkirk to me and I wouldn't want to give 600€ for a "fake".

If you look at her hair, it is straight, so I have my doubts...

Any help/advice would be more than welcome!

Thanks!

I am not personally acquainted with the breed, though I have heard of them. But on principle, I would not buy any kitten from a breeder I had any doubts about. It is quite possible that one parent might be a pedigree, the other not, and the resulting litter might have kittens who resemble mother or father. Have you tried contacting the breeder to ask for photos and documentation on the parents to see if they are both Selkirk rex? If you do that and there is any hesitation in supplying them, then I would run a mile. Similarly, any reputable breeder would welcome a visit so you see the kittens 'en famille', and if this is refused or excuses made it is a very bad sign. It is one thing to fall in love with a kitten of any or no breed and buy it 'as found', but to pay a lot and not get what you need or expect is devastating and encourages bad and false breeders.

The other thing to do is to see if there is a Breed Society for Selkirks in Belgium, and see if the breeder is registered with them. I suspect, from what you say, there is not. You might be better finding a breeder in another country, maybe France or Pays-Bas, who is registered and getting a kitten that way. Lots of breeders do ship internationally. Good luck, I hope you find what you want.

Further to the post above, I have just done some online research. Sorry if I am duplicating what you have already done, but I cannot find any affiliated registered Selkirk Rex breeders in either Belgium or France. The best I can do is the UK, and here is the link to the Selkirk Rex UK Cat Club.

http://www.selkirkrexcatclub.co.uk/

You could contact them and send them the link for their opinion, or they might help you find a reputable breeder. Again, good luck.

Thank you so much for your help!!! I will actually contact the British breeder in your link and ask whether I can get a kitten delivered in Belgium (there are some very cute ones)

It is true that the Belgian breeder might have mixed a Selkirk rex with some other breed, and that is why the kittens look like that.

I will let you know how it went with the British breeder.

Best regards, Nick

You are welcome! At least the UK is not too far to go if you want to visit a breeder and see the kittens or parents. Sometimes with popular breeds you have to reserve kittens even before they are born. I have no idea how it goes with Selkirks, they are a very new breed so maybe it is easier to get kittens. Anyway, I look forward to hearing good news.

Straight hair offspring can occur in any curly-hair breed. It doesn't necessarily mean one of the parents was not a Selkirk Rex, but it does mean that the kitten is not show quality. Most breeders will sell pet quality kittens/cats for considerably less than the show quality cats, and they will also tell you why they're not show quality.

I agree with JennyR, your best bet is to go with a different breeder if you can find one who will work with getting the kitten to you. If you're looking at a breeder in the UK you might want to consider making a trip their to meet the breeder and kitten. That way you could bring the kitten back with you instead of having it shipped.

Good luck with your search.