Four things need a calendar in a Selkirk Rex: kidneys, heart, coat, and ears. The kidney track starts with a one-time PKD1 DNA test plus an ultrasound at 12 months, the heart track with an echo at 12 months, and the coat and ear tracks with a fixed grooming interval rather than a reaction to a smell. The breed's curly, dense coat holds oil and traps warmth in the ear canal, so skin and ear problems are managed by schedule, not by shampoo advertising. Year one costs about 450-750 USD, and the single most useful number you can own is a creatinine trend.
The calendar
Most practitioners accept this cadence for a clinically normal adult. Shorten every interval by half for a cat with a known affected parent, and never skip the 12-month kidney ultrasound just because the DNA test came back clear.
| Age | Screen | Repeat (months) | Typical cost (USD) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 mo | PKD1 DNA test, once | once | 80-160 |
| 12 mo | Renal ultrasound, both kidneys measured | 12 | 150-300 |
| 12 mo | Echocardiogram plus blood pressure | 12 | 200-380 |
| 12 mo | Chemistry with SDMA, urinalysis, UPC | 12 | 110-220 |
| 24 mo | Ear cytology, both canals | 6 | 40-90 |
| 24 mo | Coat and skin scoring, whole body | 3 | 0-60 |
Kidneys: PKD1 first, imaging second
Polycystic kidney disease in this breed traces to a single dominant variant, so one DNA test at 12 months is decisive for breeding and highly informative for management; a clear result does not license skipping ultrasound, because cysts from other causes still happen and because a baseline kidney length and cortical thickness is what future films get compared against. From age 1, run creatinine, SDMA, urine specific gravity, and a urine protein:creatinine ratio every 12 months. Read them as IRIS stages: stage 1 is creatinine under 1.6 mg/dL with inadequate concentrating ability, stage 2 runs 1.6-2.8, stage 3 runs 2.9-5.0, and stage 4 sits above 5.0. An SDMA above 14 micrograms per deciliter, a UPC above 0.4, or a systolic blood pressure above 160 mmHg each earns a recheck in 4-8 weeks rather than a year. Kidney diets, phosphate binders, and blood pressure drugs are by veterinary prescription only.
Heart: the same echo logic as other heavy breeds
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy appears in this breed often enough that a 12-month echo belongs in the first year regardless of auscultation. Request wall thickness at end-diastole in millimeters, the left atrial to aortic ratio, and a comment on dynamic outflow obstruction. A wall at 5.0-5.9 mm gets a 6-month recheck; 6.0 mm or more, or a ratio above 1.5, means a cardiology review and a 3-6 month interval. Because a stiff heart tolerates fluid loading badly, any dental or surgical plan should include a current echo, not one from 2 years ago. Count the sleeping respiratory rate 3 nights a week: 30 breaths per minute is the line, and 3 days above it is a call. All cardiac drugs are by veterinary prescription only.
Coat: seborrhea is a schedule, not a shampoo
The rex coat is dense, greasy at the base, and poor at shedding, so sebum builds up and turns into seborrhea: yellowish flakes, a waxy feel, and a sour smell behind the shoulders and at the tail base. Bathe every 2-4 weeks with a degreasing shampoo, leave it on for 10 minutes, rinse for twice as long as feels necessary, and dry completely, because a damp undercoat at 68 F is a skin infection waiting to happen. Between baths, wipe the chin and the tail base 3 times a week with a damp cloth. Score the coat monthly on a 0-3 scale (0 is clean and separate, 3 is greasy with debris) and photograph the same 3 spots. Never shave a rex to fix grease; the coat grows back unevenly and the skin loses its barrier. Medicated shampoos and any antibiotic or antifungal for skin are by veterinary prescription only.
Ears: 7-14 days, with cytology before product
A folded, hairy ear canal holds moisture and wax, and the breed's oily skin feeds yeast. Check both ears weekly with a light, clean with a veterinary ear cleaner every 7-14 days, and never push a cotton bud past the visible canal. Cytology, not color, decides treatment: brown wax can be yeast, bacteria, or simply wax, and the 3 look identical to the eye. A head shake that continues for 48 hours, a tilt, or a swollen pinna pinpoints a hematoma that needs drainage within 24 hours. Flushing a ruptured eardrum with the wrong product causes permanent damage, which is why any ear drop beyond a plain cleaner is by veterinary prescription only.
Four things to check at home each week
- Water and litter: 24-hour intake once a month; above 45 ml/kg/day for 3 days is a kidney call.
- Ear: 10 seconds per ear, smell and color noted; discharge or head shaking logged.
- Coat: run a finger along the spine; grease on the finger after 1 pass means the bath interval is too long.
- Weight: monthly, same scale; 5% loss in 60 days triggers bloodwork and a UPC.
Hour-level thresholds
Triage numbers, not diagnoses. They decide whether you drive now or book a slot.
| Signal | Threshold | Act within |
|---|---|---|
| Open-mouth breathing at rest | Any, even 30 seconds | 0 h, go now |
| No urine | 12 h with a palpable bladder | 2 h |
| Vomiting | 3 times in 12 h, or any blood | 4 h |
| Ear hematoma or head tilt | Any new swelling or tilt | 24 h |
| Creatinine on recheck | Rise of 0.5 mg/dL in 60 days | 48 h |
Money, in the order it gets spent
Year 1 with PKD1, renal ultrasound, echo, and 2 lab panels lands near 450-750 USD. Stable years run 280-500 USD. A renal ultrasound is 150-300 USD, an echo 200-380 USD, a full panel with SDMA 110-220 USD, ear cytology 40-90 USD, and a dental with full-mouth radiographs 450-900 USD. Insurance rarely covers the DNA test but often covers the ultrasound, so read both lists. Put the creatinine, SDMA, and UPC values into one table with dates; the trend is the diagnostic test you get for free. For weight trends alongside renal values, use a chart like /health/health-cat-weight-trend-chart/; for the echo protocol in detail, see /health/breed-maine-coon-heart-screen/; for plants and drugs that damage kidneys, check /tools/toxic/ first.
First 12 months, 5 steps
- At 12 months, book PKD1, renal ultrasound, echo, and bloodwork in one 75-minute visit.
- Photograph the coat at 3 fixed spots and the ear canals, so month 3 has a baseline.
- Set the bath every 21 days and the ear clean every 10 days as repeating reminders.
- Start the monthly weight and water log; 6 rows per half year is enough to see a trend.
- At the 12-month review, plot creatinine, SDMA, and wall thickness against baseline before agreeing the next interval.
Terms mentioned in this article
Frequently asked
If the PKD1 test is negative, do I still need kidney ultrasounds?
Yes. A negative PKD1 result removes the inherited cystic disease this test covers, but cysts have other causes and every kidney value needs a baseline. Keep the 12-month ultrasound and the annual creatinine, SDMA, urine specific gravity, and urine protein:creatinine ratio, because a rise of 0.5 mg/dL over 60 days or a UPC above 0.4 is a signal that a DNA result cannot give you.
How often should a Selkirk Rex be bathed?
Every 2-4 weeks for most adults, with a degreasing shampoo left on for 10 minutes and rinsed thoroughly, then dried to the skin. Bathing more often than every 14 days strips the barrier and makes greasiness worse; bathing less often than every 4 weeks lets sebum build into seborrhea with flakes and a sour smell. Medicated shampoos belong to a vet plan, by prescription.
When does an ear problem stop being routine cleaning?
Routine cleaning handles wax. Cytology is needed once there is discharge, a smell that returns within 7 days, head shaking that lasts 48 hours, a tilt, or a swollen pinna. A swollen ear flap suggests a hematoma that should be drained within 24 hours, and any drop beyond a plain cleaner needs a diagnosis first, because treating a ruptured eardrum blindly can cause permanent damage.