Character:
Cornish Rex cats are BIG personalities. To sum it up, they are
permanent kittens that just never seem to grow up. Always playful and
seeking out company (both human and feline), a Cornish Rex will
certainly keep you entertained and amused with its endearing ways. This
boundless energy is fuelled by a very healthy appetite as these cats
certainly do appreciate their food. |
Donillium Moose exploring the living room for the
first time
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They also
appreciate very clean litter trays so prospective owners be warned - no
slacking when it comes to litter hygiene. After a hard day playing,
climbing the curtains, chewing the houseplants and eating you out of
house and home, a Cornish Rex likes nothing better than to have a quick
nap on your knee or on a warm fleecy radiator bed. But remember, a
snooze only - there are always places to go and things to do!
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Donillium Kimini's kittens one week old |
Care:
Cornish Rex are generally healthy cats who suffer from few problems.
Their care is essentially the same as other felines but because of their
very short coats, they are more susceptible to feeling the cold.
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While most are kept as house cats, those
given access to the outdoor world prefer to venture out on warm summer
days and not during the coldest winter months - their coats offer little
protection from the elements. Grooming, other than stroking by hand, is
not really necessary for Cornish Rex.
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Appearance:
A medium sized cat with a wedge-shaped head; strong chin; ears which
are large and set high on the head and eyes which are oval in shape. In
profile the nose should form a straight line from the centre of the
forehead to the tip of the nose. These features distinguish it from the
Devon Rex. The body should be hard and muscular but slender, with long
slim legs, and dainty oval paws. The coat of a Cornish Rex does not
contain any guard hairs and is consequently extremely soft to the touch.
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Donillium Mavros watching new friends |
Rexing (curls and waves) should be all over
the body giving an overall rippled and plush appearance. Whiskers and
eyebrows can be crinkled; quite frequently they are missing, since they
are brittle and can easily break or be chewed off. Cornish Rex cats
exist in all colours and coat patterns: tabby, self coloured (black,
white, blue, red cream etc), bi-colour, pointed, tortoishell to name but
a few. Out crossing to other permitted breeds has, over the decades
introduced all these colours whilst at the same time helping to ensure
the vigour of the breed by bringing in fresh blood to what was otherwise
quite a small gene pool.
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Donillium Kimini (left) with her father, Adquash
Xanten |
More about the Cornish Rex coat:
The rexed coat is an important characteristic and bareness is a fault.
That said, Cornish Rex cats do not usually suffer from baldness to any
extent although the degree of rexing and length and thickness of the
coat varies from one individual to another ranging from loose waves to
fine curls to deeply rippled waves. |
They are born fully rexed but
tend to lose the curls within the first week taking on a velveteen
appearance that normally lasts for a few weeks before once again the
curls and waves grow in. Kittens can therefore be excused for being
somewhat lacking in the coat department on occasion but it should be
borne in mind that although a breeder may have a good idea of how a coat
is going to develop, it is never a certainty! The full adult coat is
normally complete by the time the cat is a year old but again this can
vary between individuals and with the seasons. Some Cornish look their
best in summer, while others are at their best in winter.
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Allergies and Rexes:
Both Cornish & Devon Rexes are often recommended as being suitable
for people with allergies. This is not necessarily so. Rex cats may suit
some people with allergies if the allergy is to the guard hairs. They
will not suit people who are allergic to cat saliva or dander. The only
way to find out is to try. |
Donillium Dillbert holding court |
| Find a Rex-only house (we can
help) and stay at least 1 hour with Rexes all over you - rub eyes and
mouth while there. Go home and see how you are over the next few hours.
If no reaction then fine - go ahead. If you had a mild reaction go back
and repeat the visit a few days later. A few people with mild allergy
take antihistamine when they are bad. Having asthma does not
automatically rule out cat ownership but much thought is required.
Regular bathing or wiping the cat with damp cloth or hands may also
help. Keep your bedroom strictly a cat free zone, at least in the
beginning. While any good breeder would take back a cat/kitten of their
breeding it is not fair to the cat/kitten to get it and have to return
it if it does not work - so be very sure. |
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Origin and breed development:
In 1950 on a farm near Bodmin in Cornwall, a tortoiseshell cat named
Serena gave birth to five kittens. Amongst this otherwise normal litter
was a male with a very distinctive curly coat. This cream coloured
kitten, named Kallibunker, was the original Cornish Rex and it is his
descendants who now grace our homes and are exhibited at cat shows some
50 years on. |
| In the early years, British
Shorthair and Burmese cats were used as out crosses to widen the gene
pool and to ensure vigour in the breed. Eventually there were sufficient
good quality curly coated cats to allow the Cornish Rex to be formally
registered and achieve full breed status in 1967. The gene pool is still
small, and many breeders continue to outcross to other breeds (not the
Devon Rex which is a different mutation). The first generation kittens
from such a mating are 'normal' straight coated cats. This is because
the rex gene is recessive to the normal coat gene. These straight coated
kittens are known as Cornish Rex variants and they 'carry' the rex gene.
When these first generation variants are mated back to a Cornish Rex,
half the kittens born will be Cornish Rexes, often with very good coats.
It is because of the extensive out crossing that there is such a range
of colours and patterns in the Cornish Rex today. |
| Authors: Bill Lee & Don Dickson, Donillium Cornish Rex. |
Conen Valeria's kittens in an unusually well
behaved mood
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More information:
The Scottish Rex Cat Club is a friendly club. If you want to know more,
just ask.
Our website contains lots of useful information about Rex Cats,
including a kitten list and any Rexes which need to be rehomed. If you did not reach this page via the SRCC website, please use the
button below and explore our site further.
The Authors and the SRCC have copyright. While you are welcome to print and/or download this material for personal use, none of this material is to be published elsewhere without the permission of the copyright-holders.
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