2023 Author: Alex Livingston | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-11-26 11:39
Those who love cats know it: each breed is different both in appearance and in personality and very often there are some that, for various reasons, remind us of other animals due to a trait that distinguishes them and that does not go unnoticed even by less experienced. For example, there is the Abyssinian, often associated with the dog for its exemplary loyalty to its human. Yet it is not about him that we will talk about in this article but about a breed of cat with a rare and particular appearance, the Selkirk Rex, also called Sheep cat “: Let's find out because.
Here is the mystery: the Selkirk Rex is a rather recent cat breed, endowed with an extraordinary curly and woolly coat throughout the body; even the whiskers are wavy. Precisely for this reason it has earned the nickname of "Sheep cat", "Poodle cat", "Teddy bear cat" (in the shorthair version) and even "80s cat"!
The perm has nothing to do with it here: this trait is due, as in the case of Devon Rex and Cornish Rex, to a genetic mutation single and spontaneous. Contrary to what happens in the latter, however, the gene responsible for the wavy nature of the hair is dominant and non-recessive.
As a result, these cats have thicker, three-layered fur than them, which is thick but not too soft. The consistency is precisely that of sheep's wool, which makes his nickname perfectly fitting.
Most kittens are born with curly hair, but there may be some in the same litter both curly and straight. At about 6 months of age, they lose their curls and develop a rather sparse fur which then reaches its standard consistency once the animal reaches maturity.
Such a rare hair, we could say unique, obviously requires more attention on your part compared to the classic longhair and shorthair. If you brush it too often you will lose the curls, if you brush it too infrequently it will take very little to get knotted and dirty.
Similarly, too frequent baths will wash away the natural oils that keep its coat soft, but if you spend too much time between one bath and the next, it is likely to be oily to the touch.
To find the right balance it is necessary to invest in right accessories grooming, such as wide-toothed and long-toothed combs so that all three layers of hair can be penetrated. You may also benefit from the degreasing shampoo when too much time has passed since the last bath.
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