The first Selkirk Rex cat, Miss DePesto, originated in Montana.
Miss DePesto was born in 1987 at a shelter in Sheridan, Montana. Her unusual curly coat attracted the attention of breeder Jeri Newman, who recognized that the trait differed from the mutations behind other rex breeds. Newman bred Miss DePesto with a Persian, helping establish the Selkirk Rex line.
Unlike the fine, close curls of some other rex cats, Selkirk Rex coats are often plush and may have a more tousled appearance. The breed can be short-haired or long-haired and may have curly whiskers as well as curly body fur.
The name Selkirk Rex refers to the breed, not to a city in Montana. The breed’s history is also separate from that of the LaPerm, Cornish Rex, and Devon Rex, each of which developed from a different foundation and mutation.