Devon Rex

Origin Devon Rex
In 1960 a cat with a curly fur was found in the English county Devonshire. Ten years earlier a similar cat was found, the first Cornish Rex. The newly found cat and his offspring were initially crossed with Cornish Rexes, since people thought that it concerned an identical fur mutation. Soon, it appeared to concern another type of curly fur and it was decided to breed with the second fur mutation separately and to call this type the Devon Rex (found in Devonshire). 

The very first Devon Rex type, a black tomcat with the name Kirlee, was very strange and was characterized by a funny, kobold-colored head and a moderate elegant body.

This cat represented the desired breed image. With the help of many other cat breeds and house cats the Devon Rex was developed as a breed.    

Character.
The Devon is an intelligent cat with a good-natured affectionate character. He is very people-oriented and cannot be alone well. He prefers to be around people all day; it isn’t therefore wise to place the Devon Rex in a run, the animal would pine away and become sick due to loneliness.

Since they are so intelligent and so focused on their caretakers, these cats can learn all kinds of tricks, like fetching balls of paper or walking with a leash. Devon Rexes can usually get along well with other cats and most of them also like to be around dogs. Since they hardly moult, they need little care and are ideal pets for many people.

Their fur feels harder than the fur of the German and the Cornish Rex, since the Devon Rex has cover hairs. The fur can be treated with a baby brush.

Appearance
The Devon Rex is a rather small cat with a rangy, solid muscled body.

The breast is wide and the rangy paws are long compared to the body. The hind paws are always longer than the forepaws. The feet are small and oval and the long thin tail is pointed. On the rangy neck the wedge-shaped head is located with wide cheekbones, a strong chin and a short snout. The nose has a clear stop and the forehead bends back to the flat skull. The large ears are located rather law. They have a wide basis and are tapering in a rounded point. The large almond-shaped eyes aren’t close to each other and are located slantingly in the skull. The Devon Rex may have all available colors.     

Details
Since a Devon Rex hardly moults, he is recommended as pet for people who are allergic to cats. Not all people however will react well on a Devon Rex as a pet. Kittens don’t have many hairs in general; the curly fur is developed later on.