Information about the Devon Rex cat

The Devon Rex, a breed with a very curly and smooth coat, resembles the Cornish Rex in many ways. In fact, it was discovered just ten years after the latter, in the British Isles themselves. Devon Rex was first seen in a litter of kittens in Devonshire. The cute baby was thought to be a Cornish Rex and was initially raised with Cornish females to supplement its limited population at the time. However, it soon became clear that the gene responsible for Devon’s hair was different. In addition, Devon had protective hair that Cornwalls lacked, though they were often rare and broke easily. Devon Rex cats moved to the United States in the late 1960s, after their discovery in the early 1960s. By the mid-1980s, they had gained widespread acceptance among cat fans. As part of their development, they interbred with Burmese and short-haired Americans and British. Today they are still one of the less common feline breeds.

Devon Rex cats have a deceptively light body. They are well muscled and strong, weighing between six and ten pounds on average. The head is triangular and flat on top. The ears are large, set low on the skull and rounded at the tips. The large bright oval eyes are widely spaced and slant towards the ears. The nose is slightly turned up. The coat is soft and curly and is seen in a number of colors and patterns including brindle, tortoise, calico, smoky, and solid. Hair is easily shed and bald patches are often seen on the body. Even the whiskers are curly and sometimes completely absent. In general, they are slender cats with an ethereal appearance, leading them to be called ‘goblin’ or ‘alien’ cats.

Devons often accumulate oil on their skin due to their stunted hair that does not absorb it. This, along with the accumulation of dust, can lead to skin problems and therefore requires periodic grooming and bathing of the cat. Also, their large ears catch dirt easily and need to be cleaned frequently. Short hair is beneficial in the sense that it does not produce much shedding and is suitable for people who are allergic to cats. However, they do mean that cats catch colds easily and seek warmth in the winter by sleeping on electronic equipment and snuggling under blankets. Due to previous inbreeding, some Devon lines have occasional inherited diseases, including cardiac myopathy.

The Devon Rex personality is often considered a combination of the attributes of a cat, dog, and monkey. They are more inquisitive and inquisitive by nature than most cats, they are affectionate and easy to train like dogs, and they are athletic and possessive with an unusual fondness for high places like monkeys.