Devon Rex is our breed of the month for April 2019!
We recently saw 2 of these little guys in our Russell Ridge Location and thought they were such a unique breed, we had to share! Here are the little guys, Carson and Truckee.
The Cornish Rex, Devon Rex, and Sphynx are three hairless and semi-hairless breeds that often get mistaken for each other. We wanted to highlight the little less known of the three, the Devon Rex. But first here's a little bit about the Cornish Rex and the hairless Sphynx!
Cornish Rex:
The Cornish Rex was the first cat with curly hair to be bred into a successful breed. One lone kitten out of a small litter in Cornwall, UK was born with this fine, curly coat. The farmer then bred the kitten with the same mother and produced 2 more kittens with this same mutation. Unlike its cousin, the Cornish Rex lacks all hair except the undercoat. Normal cats actually have three layers, the undercoat, awn hairs, and guard hairs. Because the Cornish Rex has only the undercoat, they shed much less than normal cats, however, they are not hypoallergenic and often get mistaken as so. Pictured is Simon with one of our front desk staff at Russell Ridge, Erika.
Fun Fact: Did you know that the use of the word 'Rex' as used to define curly or unnatural fur came from an even where King Albert of Belgium entered a pair of curly hair rabbits into a rabbit show. They didn't meet the breed standard for the show, but not wanting to offend the King, entered them with the word Rex, King in Latin, after their names.
Sphynx: 
Another Genetic mutation caused this breed of hairless cats to first appeared in Tronto in 1966. Much like the Cornish Rex, these kittens were backward bred and produced more hairless kittens. Then again bred to the Devon Rex helped to establish what we know now as the Sphynx Cat! Compared to the similar downy coat of the Cornish Rex, the Sphynx Cat's coat is much smaller and less apparent giving it the illusion of being completely hairless. Unlike other cats and even the Devon Rex, Cornish Rex and Sphynx's require frequent baths to avoid grease build up on their skin. Pictured is Lulu, a Sphynx kitten with one of our Registered Veterinary Technicians, Anna, at our Russell Ridge Location!
Devon Rex:
The Devon Rex, also found in The UK, is very similar to the Cornish Rex but actually has all three layers of hair instead of one. The first Devon Rex was found in Buckfastleigh, Devon, UK in 1959 as a stray. This stray was bred to a Cornish Rex but they produced all kittens with straight hair. However, when one of those kittens was bred back with the original Devon Rex, they produced a curly hair kitten.
Recent testing showed that the Cornish Rex and Devon Rex mutations are caused by two different, recessive genes. The Devon Rex still has all three layers of hair like a typical cat, but have very little guard hairs, the longest of the three layers.
Devon Rex's are commonly referred to as "Pixie Cats" or "Alien Cats" due to their appearances and playful personalities. These guys feature high cheekbones, long legs, slender bodies, and loose curls. These stand out features on the Devon Rex came from the breed being bred with a Siamese when a kitten was brought over to America.
The Devon Rex is an active, emotive, people loving cat. They love high places and small spaces. They have been known to find their way into draws, closets, and baskets as well as high shelves. They also tend to devote themselves to one or two central people in their homes and are very affectionate to said person/people. They are very active and love to play and will do so well into their old age. They are very intelligent and can be taught a number of tricks such as walking on a leash, how to play fetch, and other commands such as sit, stay, and heel. Tricks mostly reserved for dogs are no problem for the Devon Rex! Devon Rex's are also known to be affectionate and will follow their owners around waiting for the opportunity for snuggles. They don't do well alone. They are also prone to sunburns. Due to the protective layer of their coats being almost non-existent, they do not do well outside.
The Devon Rex is certainly a unique breed of cat! Medically they have very few issues as they are a hardy breed. Know health issues are Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, Hereditary Myopathy, Patellar Luxation, and Sunburns.
If you have one and would like to share, we'd love to see them!
Russell Ridge ~ Hamilton Ridge ~ Apalachee Ridge ~ Georgia Veterinary Associates