"The Devon Rex Cat"

History

Devonshire, England is the home of the Devon Rex breed. Around 1960, Miss Cox adopted Kirlee, a brown-black curly-coated kitten, son of another unnamed curly-coated feral cat. The wavy coat was caused by a spontaneous recessive mutation.
Kirlee is considered to be the ancestor of the Devon Rex breed and all Devons can be traced back to him. The curly coat was not his only peculiar trait, Kirlee also had a remarkable pixie face and a lovely character.
It was soon confirmed that Kirlee's Rex mutation was different to the already existing Cornish Rex, and the Devon Rex breed was developed from him by lots of outcrossing.
Today's Devon Rexes remain very close to their origin, with the same body and head type, coat and wonderful temperament.

Appearance

When showing off your Devon Rex pictures, " it's ET" may well be the first reaction you get. With their pixie face, Devons often get compared to this other extraterrestrial creature. (You may also get asked if you have shaven your cat, but just ignore that one J)

The Devon head is a modified, wedge-shaped with prominent whisker pads, broad cheeks and a strong chin. The eyes are oval and large, so they don't miss anything. The cheeky elfin face is topped off by their large ears, which are low-set and wide at the base. On profile view, there should be a break and strong stop with the forehead curving back to a flat skull between the ears. They have crinkled whiskers and eyebrows, which can be missing since they are brittle and break off easily.
The body is medium-sized, hard and muscular but slender, with a broad chest and an elegant slender neck.
Devons come in all colours, from solid colours to tabbies, smokes, pointed and minks to torties and bicolours. A litter of Devon kitten can therefore be a very colourful bunch.
Devon coats contain all 3 types of hairs, but in a modified way. Their coat is short and wavy, soft to the touch. Kittens are usually born with beautiful ringlets but loose them at the age of 5-12 weeks, when they go through a kitten moult. They can take anything from 2 months to 3 years to grow back a full coat. Patience is the key when you want a nice Devon coat, especially on show cats (since they seem to drop all coat when that word is mentioned). Not all but most kittens go through this moult. Coats can vary in their density. Some adults can remain thinly coated and there are even some bald Devons. Kitten coats are generally a good indication of the coat they will end up with as adults. Their hot bellies are generally covered with soft down. Devons shed minimal amount of hair compared to other breeds, so hairballs are never a problem.

Personality

The Devon Rex is a cat with Personality-Plus, for those people who don't won't a couch decoration, but an involved member of the family.
Some people have described Devons as monkeys or dogs in cat suits. They are a people-oriented, fun-loving, extrovert cat, who invariably become the centre of attention. Devon Rexes don't want to miss out on anything and will stick their inquisitive noses into whatever you are doing, whether it be sewing, cooking (their favourite), folding clothes, typing on the computer, reading the paper or even going to the toilet. They are always around and will follow you from room to room.
They are extremely loving and have plenty of cuddles to go around for the whole family and visitors. They love warming up laps, chests or draping themselves around shoulders.
Devons are a fairly active breed and love their playtimes. Most Devons will learn and love to play fetch, just like dogs. Another one of their dog-like traits is that they wag their tails when happy. They are intelligent but stubborn and will try to get away with as much as possible.
They are definitely not loud cats, but like to have a meaningful conversation with their humans or let you know when they think it is time for some interactive play. They don't sound like ordinary cats, but like to communicate with chirps, chortles and thrills and of course lots of high-decibel purrs.

Live with one of these lively in-your-face Devons is never boring, once you have been owned by a Devon, you'll never want to live without one again.

Care

Don't let their fragile look fool you! Devons are sturdy muscular cats, which live to a very respectable age. An adult Devon male averages 3.5 to 4.5 kg, while the slightly lighter female averages 2.5 to 3.5 kg.
They are a low-maintenance cat: hand stroking is all they need for grooming. Regular nail clipping is recommended and their ears may need to be cleaned occasionally (just use a baby wipe). The ears can sometimes look quite waxy. It may be useful to point this out to vets who are not familiar with the breed, since this is normal and nothing to worry about. It is not a rare occurrence for a confused vet to mistakenly suggest ear mites or other ear problems.
Devon Rexes can be real piglets and will devour almost anything. They will out-do most dogs with their begging abilities. Because of their great food-stealing skills, they may leave you wondering where your piece of ham or buttered toast has gone, or who has nibbled the top of the freshly baked bread. Even though they are not fussy eaters, they will do best on a mixture of fresh meat and high quality dry food.
Devons make great lap warmers. Their body temperature is no different to that of other breeds but because they have less fur, and thus less insulation, they give off more of that heat. Their down-covered bellies can be especially toasty warm.

One or more?

Devons are not usually destructive but if left by themselves a lot they should have plenty of toys to make sure they don't get bored. Or even better… get them a companion! They crave company, so if you're away from home a lot, you may want to consider getting them a companion, devon or otherwise.
Let's face it, after you have had one Devon Rex, you will want another soon anyway, so why not get 2 to start of with! Be warned, they have been proven to be addictive!

By Hilde De Smet, Rosabel Devon Rex Cattery