Devon Rex

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Devon Rex

History:
In 1960, Miss Beryl Cox was living in Buckfastleigh, Devon England, near an old abandoned tin mine. A
curly-coated feral tomcat was known to live around the mine, but no one had been able to capture the
wild cat. Miss Cox, a kind woman who had been crippled as a result of a war injury, gave shelter to a
feral tortoiseshell and white female behind her house. When this female gave birth to kittens in her back
garden, Miss Cox was not surprised to find that one of them was a beautiful, brownish-black male with lots of curls, some of which even cascaded in ringlets on his tail. It is believed that this mother was an offspring of the unnamed and untouchable tin mine troubadour, and that this litter was sired by him as well. Miss Cox, being
a cat lover, decided to keep this lovely kitten who was the spitting image of his father as her own pet. She named him Kirlee.

Ten years to the day following the birth of Kallibunker, that first rex-coated kitten, an article was published in The English Daily Mirror, an English newspaper. It featured a picture of a lovely curly cat that had one eye closed and appeared to be "winking." He was touted as the only curly-coated kitten in the country. This kitten was Du-Bu Lambtex, the first rex-coated kitten to be born as a result of the concerted breeding efforts with Kallibunker. Miss Cox saw the article and wrote a letter to the breeder group stating that "Lambtex" was not the
only curly coated kitten in the country, as she also had one - Kirlee. It is interesting to note that Kirlee and Kallibunker shared identical histories. Both were born from tortoiseshell and white feral cats, both had fathers that could not be positively identified above rumor, and both were single curly-coated kittens in litters of all straight-coated siblings.

Kirlee was mated to several Rex queens and the group waited in anticipation for the kittens to arrive. The days rolled by and one by one the litters were born, but there were no curly kittens to be had in any of them. Breedings were repeated and still no curly kittens. It was a large discouragement to all. It became apparent that
Kirlee did not carry the same genetic makeup as the other curly cats. After breeders accepted the knowledge that he was a definite separate genetic variation, the first rexed cats which we now know as Cornish Rex were referred to as "Gene I Rex," while the cats which we now know as Devon Rex became known as "Gene II Rex."

General Information:
Devons NEVER sit upon a window sill looking elegant or bored. Devons are seldom elegant and never bored
(or boring). They sit upon your shoulder or they lie across the back of your neck and investigate your ear. They lie in stacks like untidy cordwood in front of heat vents or pile one upon another until they lie six deep in a
cat bed designed for one or two. They MAY sit upon a window sill but only to chatter excitedly at squirrels or other passersby.

Devons never meander, they favor a purposeful trot. They know WHERE they are going and WHAT they are going to do when they get there. They are skilled food bandits with asparagus high on their list and grapes,
cantaloupe and artichoke leaves only just a whisker behind.

Devons, like puppy dogs, follow you from room to room and just like puppies, they wag their tails when happy or praised. They chat gaily in subdued chirps, chortles and trills but purring can drown out polite conversation.

Devons bring another meaning to “wash and wear.” A quick shampoo, rinse, towel pat and hang over the shoulder to dry or place in a sunny window. Most Devons do not object to the Saturday night bath and some will join their human companions in their tub uninvited. This behavior reflects the Devon’s deep concern for their beloved person’s safety and comfort although many suspect it is also a measure of their refusal to be left out of ANYTHING.

Devons love to play but their natural preference is to sit cozily in your lap. Devons are, above all else, people oriented. Their human companions are the focus of their boundless interest and love.

Description:
Devons sport a variety of coats that range from a full-rolling loose uneven wave through lessening degrees of density that support a tighter rippling effect all the way to a thin suede-like cover. Kitten coats usually thin out (molt) at about eight weeks of age. Although some kittens escape this molt phase, many juveniles sport a suede look until the adult coat begins to come in. Further molts are sometimes witnessed at about six months and ten months of age, although these tend to be less dramatic and of shorter duration. Selective breeding is required to produce the beautiful show Devon with its unique pixie face, bat-like ears, and a coat with just the right amount of density, length and texture to display a rippling wave when stroked with the hand.

Happily, Devons shed their coats at a rate that is only barely perceptible to the human eye and nose. And as they are quickly and easily bathed, many people with allergies to cats discover they can live comfortably and intimately with a Devon Rex. The absence of cat hair in the air, on pillows and on furniture is a definite plus to the allergy sufferer and to the one who cleans the house. The ideal Devon coat is soft to the touch, for while the Devon has guard hair, it is mutated into a weakened form and vastly reduced in density relative to the soft down and awn hairs that make up the Devon coat.

When you handle a Devon, you will be surprised at the density of muscle and the sense of weight in such a small animal. The mature Devon female averages six to seven pounds and the slightly larger male averages eight to nine pounds. You will also be surprised by the pleasant warmth of the Devon body. The Devon has the same body temperature as other breeds but has less fur to insulate your hands from its natural body heat. They make superb bed warmers. Devons are patient and nurturing mothers and fathers. The average litter size is
three to four kittens with an average weight of about three ounces. Kittens are strong and highly mobile at birth, frequently nursing before the umbilical cord is severed. They open their eyes early, at about five to seven days and not just a few breeders report eyes open at or on the first day after birth. Devons DO dislike missing ANYTHING!

EYES: large and wide set, oval in shape, and sloping towards outer edges of ears. Any eye color is acceptable, as no points are assigned to eye color (although colorpoints generally will have blue and minks generally will have aqua eyes).

EARS: strikingly large and set very low, very wide at the base, so that the outside base of ear extends beyond the line of the wedge. Tapering to rounded tops and well covered with fine fur. With or without earmuffs and/or ear-tip tufts.

BODY: hard and muscular, slender, and of medium length. Broad in chest and medium fine in boning, with medium fine but sturdy legs. Carried high on the legs with the hind legs somewhat longer than the front. Allowance to be made for larger size in males, as long as good proportions are maintained.

COAT: Density: the cat is well covered with fur, with the greatest density occurring on the back, sides, tail, legs, face, and ears. Slightly less density is permitted on the top of head, neck, chest, and abdomen. Bare patches are a fault in kittens and a serious fault in adults; however the existence of down on the underparts of the body should not be misinterpreted as bareness. Sparse hair on the temples (forehead in front of the ears) is not a fault. Texture: the coat is soft, fine, full-bodied, and rexed (i.e., appearing to be without guard hairs). Length: the coat is short on the back, sides, upper legs, and tail. It is very short on the head, ears, neck, paws, chest, and abdomen. Kittens may have very short fur all over; even if not long enough to wave, it must cover the kitten evenly, so that no bare patches are evident. Waviness: a rippled wave effect should be apparent when the coat is smoothed with one's hand. The wave is most evident where the coat is the longest, on the body and tail.

COLORS: black, white, blue, red, cream, chocolate, lavender, cinnamon, chinchilla, and fawn.

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