A curly coat over a mixed family tree
The Selkirk Rex Longhair's plush, curly coat sits on a cat built from several foundation breeds, which historically included Persian, British Shorthair, and Exotic lines alongside domestic cats. That mixed ancestry cuts both ways: it broadens the gene pool, but it also means breed health discussions borrow topics from the foundation breeds. Understanding a Selkirk's risks is therefore less about the curl and more about knowing which family lines your cat descends from and what screening those lines received.
Start with the breeder. Ask which breeds sit behind your kitten, what health testing the parents had, and whether kidney screening in particular was done, because that question leads directly to the breed's most discussed inherited topic.
Kidneys: the screening conversation to have early
A form of inherited kidney disease involving cysts in the kidneys has been associated with Persian-derived lines, and because Persians contributed to the Selkirk Rex, responsible breeders have treated screening as relevant to their programmes. The condition can progress quietly, which is precisely why screening breeding cats and early veterinary awareness matter more than waiting for signs.
For an owned cat, the practical steps are simple: pass the breeder's screening information to your vet, keep up routine senior blood and urine testing, and report the classic kidney clues if they appear: drinking more, urinating more, gradual weight loss, and reduced appetite. Those signs have many possible causes, and only testing separates them.
Skin, ears, and the long curly coat
The rex coat changes how skin behaves. Curly coats can trap oils against the skin, and Selkirk owners should watch for greasy patches, flaking, or a sour smell from the coat, any of which merits a vet conversation about skin health and bathing frequency suited to this coat type rather than a generic shampoo routine.
Ears deserve the same attention. Wax and debris can build up in curly-coated breeds, and persistent head shaking, scratching, or dark discharge in the ear means an examination, not home probing. In the longhaired version, mats form in the friction zones behind the ears, under the legs, and along the belly; a cat that suddenly resents grooming may be sore from a tight mat or from the skin beneath it, and either way the cause should be found.
The general cat list still applies
Underneath the breed specifics sits the standard picture: dental disease advancing with age, weight management for indoor cats, and urinary signs treated as urgent at any age. A Selkirk's solid, cobby build can carry extra weight discreetly under all that curl, so trust the scale and the vet's hands over the mirror.
Screening papers and surgery notes in one place
This breed generates paperwork that matters: parental screening results, your cat's own test results, dental grades, and skin treatment notes across a long life. When those records sit together in a KinsLe Pet Passport, a Selkirk Rex Longhair's vet can connect a new skin flare or kidney value to everything recorded before it.