The Cornish Rex, Devon Rex & Selkirk Rex
Cat Breed

The Cornish Rex, Devon Rex and Selkirk Rex cat breeds are known for their waved coat pattern. This is due to the fact that the rex fur grows at a much slower rate than other cat fur and is therefore not so developed. Even the whiskers are shorter than in other cat breeds.

The Rex breeds are also known for their athleticism and have a very compact, muscular bodies that are very agile. Because of this the cats should not be confined to small areas and then require lots of activity.

The name Rex came from the Rex rabbit whose fur has a similar genetic makeup to the cat breed. The three types of Rex cats are very distinctive and were developed completely independently to each other.

picture by P J Lewis

The Cornish Rex

This breed was first recorded in 1950 in Cornwall, England and was officially recognised in 1967.

This cat breed has an elongated wedge shaped head with a rounded muzzle. They have very large ears and have very strong, hard muscular bodies and long legs. Their tail is long and tapers.

The coat of the Cornish Rex is short and silky and has no guardhairs. It can either curl, wave or ripple along the body especially on the back and tail.

They require only gentle grooming and require the use of the fingers to reset the waves along the coat, but this is not essential.

They have a very intelligent temperament and enjoy the company of humans.

picture by Astique

The Devon Rex

The Devon Rex coat is less thick than the Cornish Rex and can appear almost bald. It has a very distinctive look and has a very broad chest, with a flat wrinkled forehead and prominent cheekbones but shares the muscular build and long whip like tail with the Cornish breed.

The coat does not require brushing but does benefit from gentle stroking with a soft mitt.

They are very mischievous by nature and love to play. So you would have to be prepared for lots of activity and possibly a few mishaps too if you owned this breed of cat.

The Selkirk Rex

The Selkirk rex has a much denser coat than the others and also has guardhairs. The cat has a more Persian look about them and so has a much rounder fuller face.