The personality of the Cornish Rex is unique and endearing.  They have an inquisitive and outgoing nature.  They are extremely intelligent, requiring a close relationship with their owners.  Cornish Rex are very people oriented and are happiest when they are included in all of their owners activities.  It is extremely hard to ignore Cornish Rex cats because they try to help with everything that their owners do.  They are active cats whose kitten-like antics last for their lifetime, and who can be inventive in their play.  They exhibit great agility and fantastic quickness.  Favourite Cornish Rex games are fetch, catch and even discus, in which the cat uses its hand like paws to pick up and toss a small object.  They are perfect pets for owners who want active cats to participate in family life.  After a hard day at play, a Cornish Rex loves nothing more than to curl up on their owners lap.

The personality of this breed is one of the reasons it is increasing in popularity.  Most owners buy their first Cornish Rex because they are looking for something different, but they get their second Cornish Rex because they have fallen in love with the personality.  Their active, playful and affectionate
nature make them ideal companions.

   The Cornish Rex is a slender, elegant cat with long well muscled legs.  The entire cat is a study of curves, with its arched body, rounded hips and slim almost prehensile tail  The head is a medium wedge, eyes are oval shaped.  The whiskers are short, curly and very brittle.  Huge sparsely haired ears stand high on the head, which resembles an ancient Egyptian statue.  Of course the most striking feature of the Cornish Rex is the tightly marcelled coat which covers the entire body.  The Rex coat is extremely soft, unlike other cats which have coarse guard hairs.  The Cornish Rex appear in all colours of the cat world, solid colours (, tabbies, tortoiseshells, bi-colours, calicoes and the siamese patterns.

The head is of good length, about one third longer than its maximum width. From the front, it is of medium width across the skull, narrowing to a medium wedge and a strong chin.  The Cornish Rex, has a "Roman Profile" rather than a "Roman Nose".  A curve extends from the top of the skull over the forehead to the end of the nose.  There should be no dips, bumps or plateau.  A strong muzzle break is essential for the proper head type.  High cheek bones are also very important.

EARS - large and angled slightly outwards, set rather high on the head, neither low nor  flared. They are wide at the base and tapering to rounded tips, well covered in fine fur.

EYES - medium-sized and oval in shape, angled slightly down to the nose.

EYE COLOUR - any colour acceptable, clear and bright, in harmony with coat colour. It MUST be blue in pointed Rex. Odd-eyed Whites are permissible.

CHEEKS – chiselled, marginally broader than the line of the wedge.

JAWS - strong, of medium width and not blunt or pointed.

CHIN - firm. In profile, of good depth and in a vertical line with the tip of the nose.

NECK - elegant, of medium fineness and flowing smoothly into the body.

BODY - slender, hard and well muscled/muscular. It is medium long, with a slight tuck up of the stomach, which creates a very slight arch in the back rather than a straight spine line.

TAIL - long, fine and tapering, in proportion to the body and is well covered with wavy fur. Often refered to a rats tail.

LEGS - long, slender, straight and in proportion to the body, with the hind legs being slightly longer than the front, giving the appearance of being on tiptoes.

PAWS - small and oval.

CONDITION - Alert, lively and well muscled

COAT TEXTURE AND LENGTH - short, soft and plushy, without guard hairs and should wave, ripple or curl.  The whiskers and eye brows are crinkled, rather coarse and of medium length. All colours and patterns are accepted. There are no points for coat colour.  Bare patches are a fault in kittens and a serious fault in adults.


There are no pionts awarded for coat colour. All coat colours are acceptable. Eye colur any eye colour is acceptableand must be, clear and bright, in harmony with coat colour. It MUST be blue in pointed Rex. Odd-eyed Whites are permissible.

NSW CFA Inc Approved Breed and Colours for Devon and Cornish Rex Cats for 2003 Show Year

SOLID DIVISION
Solid colour – no white, no markings

BROKEN DIVISION
All tabbies – no white
All tortoiseshells – no white
All blue-creams/lilac-cream – no white
All tortoiseshell tabbies – no white

PATCHED DIVISION
Any solid colour & white
Any tortoiseshell & white
Any blue-cream/lilac-cream & white
Any harlequin
Any tabby & white
Any pointed/masked & white
Any smoke & white

SILVER DIVISION
Smokes, Tipped, Goldens only – no white

POINTED DIVISION
All pointed (ie Himalayan patterned)/masked – no white

Classification of Coat Colour and Patterns

SOLID OR SELF COAT PATTERN
Describes a cat that is evenly covered in hair of one colour and includes the colours of White, Black, Blue, Brown, Chocolate, Cinnamon, Fawn, Lilac, Caramel, Red, Apricot and Cream.

BROKEN COLOUR COAT PATTERN
Consists of a series of striped, blotched, spotted or ticked patterns and also includes softly intermingled colours. This coat pattern is used to describe the Tabbies, Tortoiseshells, Torbies, Blue creams and Lilac-creams.

PATCHED
Have coat colour which consists of a pattern or a solid colour and white. These patterns or colours are arranged in clearly defined areas on the coat and includes Tortoiseshell and White or Calico, Bi Colours, Tri Colours and Harlequin.

SILVER COATED CATS
Posses an inhibitor gene which suppresses the development of pigment or colouring matter in the coat, removing most of the yellow in agouti areas, but leaves the base colour. Colours classified in the silver colour include the Chinchilla, Shaded Sliver, Cameo or Tipped cats, the Smokes and Goldens. Silver tabbies are not included in this group but are classified by the coat pattern into the broken group.

POINTED
Is often described as the Himalayan Coat Pattern where the coat pattern is confined to the extremities, ie the mark, ear, legs, paws and tail. The body colour should be pale in contrast to the point colour. Shading is allowed on the back but should be of paler tone. The eye colour should be any shade of blue. The pointed pattern is not acceptable in non pedigree exhibits, Maine coon, Norwegian Forest Cats or Burmese. Pointed cats included Siamese, Balinese, British, Rex, Persian and Exotics.

Refer to general lisT covering all breeds, plus;

  FAULTS
    - guard hairs, shaggy, coarse or too short a coat, too little coverage.
    - not waved, bare or bushy tail.
    - straight coat along spine line.
    - lack of muscle tone.
    - small ears.
    - incorrect eye shape.
    - dip in profile.
    - whisker break or muzzle pinch.
    - lack of  stomach tuck.
    - marked arch in back.

  WITHHOLD - baldness, bare patches or straight coat.
  - body which is too fine or too short and thickset.


SCALE  OF  POINTS
 
Item Sub total total
Head and neck  15
Ears 10
Eye shape and set  5 30
Body 15
Tail  5
Legs and Paws  5 20
Coat coverage, wave,
texture  and length 		 35
Crinkly whiskers
and eyebrows 		 5 40
Condition   5  5
Total 100

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