Breed: Devon Rex
Body: Slim
Limbs: long
Feet: small and oval
Head: wedge-shaped, with broad cheekbones
Ears: large and pointed
Eyes: large and oval
Mouth: short and small
Tail: Long tapered tail covered with dense curly hair
Coat: short and close
Color: full color/full pattern
The Origin Of Devon Rex
The origin of Devon Rex is closely related to the Cornish Rex. In the early 1950s, Cornish Rex became a sensation in England as it was the first domestic cat that had been founded with a curly coat. This unique breed generated a lot of curiosities through exhibition in cat shows and its popularities spread with more frequent appearance in the newspapers. In Devonshire, England, a lady named Beryl Cox, read one of the papers and wrote a letter to the news department explaining that she adopted a kitten, named Kirlee, which also has the curly haired. Shortly after, the team that bred Cornish Rex went to Devonshire and bought the cat for 25 pounds. Kirlee was put into the breeding program by the breeding team, who believe Kirlee might be related to Cornish Rex. However, only straight-haired kittens were produced after attempting to breed the curly coated cats. It was later found that they were genetically different. Consequently, Kirlee was determined to be a distinct breed by the breeders and they decided to separate the two lines to create a new breed, the Devon Rex. The first Devon Rexes arrived in the United States in 1968. They were accepted by every major cat breed registry, including the Cat Fanciers Association and The International Cat Association.
More facts about Devon Rex
Unique characteristic
Devons are a highly intelligent breed. They are said to be the “most dog-like cat because of their ability to learn variety of unique tricks.
Devons are consider to be medium sized cats, weighing at 6-9 pounds in adulthood. Although they look petite, Devons have a voracious appetite and can eat up to 6oz of wet food per meal.
Devons’ wavy coat can take up to 8 months to fully develop. This development period predominantly depends on their bloodline.
Devons are “shoulder cats”. They love resting on shoulders and will even sleep on it. They are people oriented and will purred into your heart.
Devons may have a pet peeve that owners need to pay attention to. They are very curious creatures and will eat all kinds of human food, snacks, cookies, cakes, you name it.
Feeding Precautions
Digestive disorders are rarely seen in Devons. This means less vomits and throwing up hairballs!
Unlike cats with double layered coat such as the British shorthairs and Ragdolls, Devon cats' coat is only single layered. Therefore, they shed very little, but are more prone to skin diseases in infancy.
Devons are sensitive to cold weather condition. Their living condition needs to be kept at 20-25 degree celsius to prevent getting a cold
Devons curly hair can accumulate oil and grease more easily than other cat. Towels and pet tissues wets can be used to clean Devons but not as a substitute to bathing.
Devons are very hyper active and playful. They need climbing trees, scratching boards, and toys to provide mental stimulation.
How to distinguish American bloodline from European bloodline
American Devons has a slight larger body frame with more curly coating. European Devons, on the other hand are more petite and energetic.
Common hereditary disease
Congenital myasthenia syndrome: Devon kittens can show signs of CMS at 3 to 23 weeks of age. The main symptoms are ventroflexion of the head and neck, scapulae protrusion, and generalises muscle weakness and fatiguability. Kittens with this condition have a poor chance of survival
Burmese Hypokalemia: Devons with Burmese hypokalemia will show signs of muscle weakness, difficulties with walking, ventroflexion of the neck. This condition is usually not fatal, and can be controlled by potassium supplementation.
The above two common genetic diseases can be detected by genetic testing. Please take the initiative to check the genetic testing results of your Breeder to exclude the possibility of kitten disease.