Devon Rex Cat

The members of the Devon Rex cat breed are curly-furred, generally playful cats, with distinctive, large ears.

Devon Rex Behavior/Personality

Source: Wikipedia

People often say that Devon Rex cats are quite playful, even to the point of being mischievous. These cats also have a propensity for jumping quite high.

Note that despite their short fur coats, Deven Rexes are not quite hypoallergenic, since they do produce dander and do shed (though perhaps not in the same quantities as other cats).

Devon Rex Breed Standard/Physical Description

Here are some facts on the Devon Rex breed based on information in Wikipedia.

Devons are often called "pixie cats," but that's not because of their small size. Rather it's because of how unique they look: their ears are very large, and set low on their broad heads. They also have large eyes and slightly upward-pointing noses. They are also slim and light in body. Another name for these unusual-looking cats is "alien cats."

Note that though the Devon Rex cat breed may resemble the Cornish Rex and German Rex breeds, the gene that produces the "rexed" or curled fur is different in each breed. Therefore, these different breeds of cats cannot be bred together, since they will not produce the same curled fur if interbred.

Devon Rex History

Source: "Elfin Magic...the Devon Rex" by Terri Jorgensen

The first Devon Rex cat was a male named Kirlee, born in Buckfastleigh, Devon, England, in an area near an abandoned tin mine, and kept by a woman named Beryl Cox. Kirlee was taken into the breeding program of another curly-furred breed, the Cornish Rex cat breed. However, after several attempts there were no curly-furred kittens: the gene responsible for curling in Kirlee was apparently different from the relevant gene in the Cornish Rexes. The breeders decided to start a new breed of curly Rexes, the Devon Rex. In 1968, a North American breeding program for Devon Rexes was established and the breed was fully established in North America by 1980. The breed has been outcrossed with the American Shorthair and British Shorthair, to avoid several horrible genetic defects which appeared in the 1970s as a result of severe inbreeding.