Best Food for Selkirk Rex (2026 Guide)

A breed-specific food guide for Selkirk Rex owners — what to look for, what to avoid, and our top picks based on this breed's size, energy and known health profile.

Photo: Chen EdisoN / Pexels

The Selkirk Rex is curly-coated "sheep cat" with a calm, family-friendly temperament. Their nutritional needs reflect their 4–7 kg body weight, 14–17 years lifespan, and the breed-specific health considerations covered below.

Why feeding a Selkirk Rex is different

Feeding the Selkirk Rex well is mostly about avoiding the classic mistakes: overfeeding (especially in food-driven breeds), cheap fillers, and inappropriate life-stage food.

Cardiac issues are common — discuss taurine + L-carnitine supplementation with your vet, and be cautious about grain-free + legume-heavy diets (the FDA has linked them to dilated cardiomyopathy in some lines).

The Selkirk Rex's coat needs omega-3 + omega-6 in roughly a 5:1 ratio for skin + coat condition. Fish-oil supplementation or a salmon-first food are the cheapest ways to get this right.

Below: a specific list of what to look for, what to avoid, plus our daily-calorie estimate for an average Selkirk Rex.

What to look for in food for a Selkirk Rex

A complete-and-balanced food labelled for cats that meets FEDIAF or AAFCO nutritional standards.
Named animal protein as the first ingredient (e.g. "chicken", "salmon"), not "meat derivatives" or "animal by-product".
A urinary-supportive formula or low-purine recipe — your vet can recommend a prescription line.
Foods with adequate taurine. Be cautious with grain-free diets — the FDA has investigated a possible link with DCM.

What to avoid

Foods with high organ meat content (purines) and excess minerals.
Untested boutique grain-free brands without taurine in the analysis.
Anything containing onion, garlic, raisins, xylitol or chocolate flavouring (common kitchen toxins for pets).

To keep your cat at a healthy weight, check their shape with our body condition score tool, then follow the feeding guide on your chosen food and adjust the portion for your cat's age and activity level.

Feeding a Selkirk Rex: common questions

How much should I feed a Selkirk Rex?

A Selkirk Rex typically weighs 4–7 kg, but the right daily amount depends on age, exact weight and activity — not the breed average. Start from the feeding guide on your chosen food, weigh the portion rather than eyeballing it, and adjust to keep your cat lean enough that you can easily feel the ribs.

How many meals a day should a Selkirk Rex have?

Two meals a day suits an adult Selkirk Rex; puppies need three to four smaller meals until around six months, then settle to two.

What should I look for in food for a Selkirk Rex?

Choose a complete-and-balanced food formulated for cats that meets FEDIAF or AAFCO standards, with a named meat as the first ingredient rather than "meat derivatives", and match the life stage — puppy, adult or senior — to your Selkirk Rex's age.