Poodle Cats Are A Thing And I Need One Immediately

As an animal lover, I’m a sucker for all things cute and fluffy. I can’t help myself! I generally think all living creatures are cute in their own way, but the Selkirk Rex cat, also known as the poodle cat, may just take the cake as the weirdest and most precious little thing ever.

Scroll down to find out more about the breed and see more photos!

1. They’re a rather recent breed. If you’ve never heard of the Selkirk Rex before, that would make perfect sense since the first one wasn’t born until 1987 in Montana. Its mom was a rescued cat, so this wasn’t (originally) a case of messing with genetics, thankfully. Soon after, the Selkirk, who was unique among its litter, was placed with breeder Jeri Newman and the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna declared the Selkirk Rex as its own unique breed of cat.
2. It’s all about the curly hair. The reason the Selkirk Rex is known as the poodle cat is because of it’s very curly, very fluffy coat. There are long and short hair varieties, with the short hair cats having less voluminous (but still pretty fabulous) coats. The long hair Selkirks can have pretty wild coats!
3. Even their whiskers are curly. Newman discovered that the curly hair gene was dominant when she bred the original Selkirk with a Persian black cat and the offspring still had curly hair. Impressive! So powerful is the curly hair gene that it even extends to the cat’s whiskers!
4. It’s not a great choice for people with allergies. If you’re tempted to get a poodle cat, maybe think again if you suffer from allergies. Because of its lustrous coat, it has a high tendency to shed and will likely cause issues to anyone who has asthma, pet allergies, or other issues with dander.
5. They’re really expensive. If you were to buy a Selkirk Rex from a reputable breeder, it could cost you up to $800. I love poodle cats and think they’re adorable but I also don’t believe in buying animals when there are so many that need adopting, so if I saw one in the local shelter, I’d definitely bring it home. Then I could spend that $800 on lots of catnip and toys for my new pet. See? Win-win.