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History of
the Devon Rex:
In
1959 a lady by the name of Miss Beryl Cox was aware of a stray
tom cat to be living in a deserted tin mine near
Buckfastleigh in Devon. This tom had an unusual short curly
coat. At this time, Miss Cox happened to take in a straight
coated tortoishell & white female stray who was pregnant.
In September 1959 she delivered 4 kittens at the bottom of
Miss Cox's garden, one of which had the same curly coat as
she'd observed in the stray tom. She named the male kitten
Kirlee & planned to keep him as a pet.
In
1960, Miss
Cox read a newspaper article which included a photo of a
curly coated Cornish Rex (discovered 10 years previously). The
article was for an up & coming cat show & included in
the article was a photo of a curly coated kitten by the name
Du-Bu Lambtex. It went on to say that she was the only curly
coated cat in Britain. Miss Cox wrote to the breeder of the
kitten (Agnes Watts) explaining that she too had a curly
coated cat. It was presumed that Kirlee carried the same gene
as that of the Cornish Rex. Mr Brian Sterling-Webb who had
been working on a breeding programme with the "Rex"
cat purchased Kirlee from Miss Cox, feeling that Kirlee could be
used as an outcross. Much to their surprise when mated with several Rex
females all the offspring had straight coats. Repeated
attempts to mate Kirlee to Cornish Rex queens continued to
produce straight haired offspring & it was concluded that
Kirlee's genotype was different to that of the Cornish
Rex. The two recessive genes were named: Gene 1 (Cornish
Rex) & Gene 2 (Devon Rex).
Work
began to establish both the Cornish Rex & the Devon Rex as
unique breeds. Kirlee went to live with a member of the
Cornish Rex group by the name of Mrs P. Hughes. She mated
Kirlee to one of the straight coated females by the name of
Broughton Purley Queen. The litter comprised of three kittens,
two were straight coated & one female (Broughton Golden
Rain) was curly coated
like her father. And so the Devon Rex breed began...
All
Devon Rexes can trace their ancestry back to Kirlee. Sadly
Kirlee was killed in a road accident in 1970. Appearance
of the Devon Rex:
Pixie
like in appearance, the Devon Rex is a small to medium sized
cat. It's body is muscular, with hind legs longer than the
forelegs. It has modified wedge shaped head with
large eyes, broad cheekbones, strong chin & a short
muzzle. The ears large & low set.
The
coat is short, soft & curly. It contains all three types
of hair guard, awn & down. Whiskers & eyebrows are short &
crinkled. Devon
Rex Temperament:
The
Devon rex is an intelligent, mischievous & active breed of
cat. While they are a very busy breed they also thrive on
human companionship & love to be close to their owners.
They enjoy sitting on your lap, snuggling up with you in bed
& even riding on your shoulder.
They
have been described as a "monkey in cat's clothing".
Devons
aren't particularly talkative cats but they do like to
chirp. Devon
Rex Colours:
The
Devon Rex comes in all colours. A few examples of which are...
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Blue
Bi-Colour |
Seal
Mink & White |
Seal
Point |
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Chocolate
point at the back, Silver Tortie and White, Seal
Point and White and Seal Point |
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Special
requirements:
Devon
Rexes can produce more ear wax than other breeds which may
require cleaning. Their coats are more prone to picking up
dirt, so bathing may be needed. Lifespan:
10
- 15 years. Suitable
for:
Active
households. Devons thrive on company & can become
destructive if left for long periods on their own. They get
along with other family pets including dogs & are great
with children. Because of their high activity levels, they are
not recommended for people who want a quiet & docile
cat. Are
Devon Rexes hypoallergenic?
In
truth, a rex cat is no different from any other cat and
produces allergen like all other cats. They are not
hypoallergenic by any means, as claimed by some. Then why do
some people seem to have no allergic reaction to rex cats?
There is no simple answer to this question at this time, and
more research is required to get the answers needed. One
possible hypothesis is that as rex cats have less hair to
shed, they simply deposit less allergen-laced hair around the
home. But, whatever the reasons some allergic people seem to
tolerate them. From personal studies and observations by
Margaret Lawrence in the UK, she found that around 10% of
people allergic to cats tolerate rex cats. Please, before you
race out and look for a rex cat, remember you should always
test your allergies by visiting home or catteries that only
own rex cats, and test continuously over several weeks or
months. As you don't want the poor little kitten to be
re-homed if you find out you are allergic to him or her. Don't
let your new cat become another statistic at a shelter. Special
thanks to:
Tonia
& Nicole of Rextreme
Devon Rex for the use of their beautiful Devon Rex
photos.
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