What is a Devon Rex?

Sometime in the late 1950’s a curly coated tom cat that frequented an abandoned tin mine in Devon, sired a litter to a feral cat in the care of a Miss Cox.

One of the kittens in the litter had a curly coat, elfin features and captivated his owner who named him Kirlee. From this one kitten developed the unique and wonderful breed of cats known today as the Devon Rex.

Considerable outcrossing was required to develop a breed from one kitten and this goes on today, usually with American and British Shorthairs in order to enlarge and strengthen the gene pool.

Appearance of the DevonRex

The Devon Rex has been aptly described as a cross between a dog, a cat and a monkey.

A very unique looking cat, with features similar to the Alien movie star E.T.

A somewhat new arrival on the feline scene with a pixie like face and an elf ish, inquisitive nature to match. He is a mischievous and playful cat.

If you know anything about folklore, you know that pixies are mischevious little troublemakers which fits perfectly how to describe a Devon Rex (DRX).

The Devon is often described as having an elfin appearance, with their large ears, high cheekbones and striking eyes. Their outstanding characteristic, however, is their soft, wavy fur.

Their curvy body starts with their head, a modified wedge shape with convex curves forming the outer edge of the ear lobes, the cheekbones and the whisker pads. The Devon has large, wide-set, oval-shaped eyes and strikingly large ears set low on the head. Sometimes the tips of the ears are tufted with fine fur.

They comes in any genetically possible color, pattern or combination of colors and patterns, including solid white, black, blue, chocolate, cinnamon, lilac and red; smoke patterns, which are a white undercoat deeply tipped with a specific color; and various calico, tabby, tortoiseshell and pointed patterns.

Their body should feel hard and muscular. The legs are long and slim, supported by small, oval paws. A long, fine tail covered with short fur tapers at the end. Devon’s life span is 9-15 years.

Personality

The Devon Rex’s favorite place is right at head level, on the shoulder of their favorite person.

They take a lively interest in everything that is going on and refuse to be left out of any fun activity.

They are smart cats with a moderate activity level. They will play fetch as well as any retriever, learns trick easily and loves the attention they receive from children who treats them politely and respectfully.

To insure safety and friendliness, we always recommend to introduce pets slowly and in controlled circumstances, never unattended.

At mealtime, the Devonrex will try to seat themselves at the dining room table with the rest of the family, just to make sure that the food you have prepared is just for them. They loves to eat and can gain few extra pounds if their diet is not carefully monitored.

They also love heat, so they will cuddle up to anything warm and soft to fall asleep and under the covers is where they prefer to hide for a nap.

These cats are not for those who enjoy their own personal space. They will insist on sleeping with you, sitting on you, eating with you, working with you at home (mostly on top of your keyboard or paper you are writing on) avidly supervising everything you do and will follow you around the house like they are your new shadow.

These cats are the best companion animals out there. They always want your attention and will never ever turn you down for some cuddle time.

They have an outgoing nature, they are excellent pet for families with children, good pal for other pets and are good travellers.

Thing to know

It is said that once you have a Devon Rex, you will never enjoy another breed of cat again. These cats will ruin it for all other breeds of cat with the incredibly high bar they set as far as being a companion goes.

They are great with pretty much all people and families as well as the other pets in the home. Devons have this magical gift to make everyone and everything fall madly in love with them within no time at all.

Not surprisingly they love warmth and so are great bed warmers.

Allergies

Low to non-shedding, Devon Rex cats are considered to be hypoallergenic to most cat allergy sufferers.

You may hear that the Devon Rex coat is hypoallergenic because of its texture, but that is not correct. Allergies can be caused by dander ( dead skin cell), saliva, hair or the protein feld1.

There is no scientific evidence that any breed or crossbreed is more or less allergenic that any other. Some people with allergies tend to react less with Devon Rex but no reputable breeder can guarantee that their cat are hypoallergenic.

Taking care of your DevonRex

Litter box training

Devon Rex have good hygiene and learn litter box habits from their mother. All kittens are 100% litter box trained prior to leaving the cattery.

Keep in mind that kittens are like “toddlers” and if given a big space with lots of freedom they could have accidents. They can get so caught up in playing and forget that they need to go until its too late.

So in the beginning frequently take them to their litter box and tell them to go potty. They will learn real quick where the box is.

Start them in a small room or bathroom so they can get used to their new space and then give them more freedom once you feel they are comfortable with their space but keep reminding them few times a day where the litter box is until they are fully settled in their home.

If a kitten has litter box issues there is probably a reason, like a bladder infection or something that keeps him from doing his potty safely.

Keep the litterbox spotless clean. Like all cats Devon Rex are very particular about bathroom hygiene

Do they require vaccines like any other cats?

Kittens should receive their first veterinary visit and set of vaccines by 10 weeks of age. Devon Rex tends to be smaller than your usual kitten so we love to vaccinate a bit later to insure their immune system is strong enough to cope with the vaccines.

It is the responsibility of the owner to get the remaining boosters. We recommend the 3 ways vaccines, live modified .

Here at Dragonflycats we prefer the live modified, we had great success with it and not many adverse reactions or side effects.

We don’t vaccinate against feline leukemia or aids since our cattery is tested negative. It has been reported these vaccines have a lot and violent side effects in our breed, so for all these reason we don’t recommend it.

Is there a waiting list?

Devon Rex are in high demand so it is very likely you may have to wait until new litters are born to get exactly what you want.

We require a deposit to add your name on our waiting list and it is not unusual to wait up to 12 months before the kitten of your choice becomes available.

You may decide that you cannot wait and purchase a cat from another breeder. As a matter of courtesy, please notify the breeders who have added you to their wait lists if you change plans, so that the next person on their lists can be given an opportunity to purchase.

Deposits are non-refundable since we use them to maintain our cattery and because without deposit we don’t produce kitten.

When are kitten ready to go home?

Breeders typically release their kittens to new homes anywhere between 14 to 16 weeks of age.

Kittens may be held longer if they have had difficulty weaning or are not demonstrating 100% accurate litter box habits.

Are all kittens registered?

Yes

All our cats are TICA registered. We will provide a breeder slip and a CCC registration with the microchip number registered for the ownership.

Do Devon Rexcats get along with other animals (i.e. dogs, other cats, birds, bunnies, etc...)?

Most of them get along pretty well but bringing a Devon Rex or any animal into a home where other animals currently live, can be scary and make them act standoffish. But the majority get over it and they become buddies in no time. So having a dog or another Devon Rex is the best.

Vet Care

Please inform your Veterinarian that you are purchasing a Devon Rex, so they can prepare and educate themselves.

Your veterinarian must be cautious when using certain medications for surgical procedures.

Your veterinarian is always welcomed to consult with our cattery veterinarian before any procedures. Please contact us for further information if needed.

•All our Devon Rex are tested with Uc davis and Mycatscan .

•Bloodtyp test

•We also run pro-bnp test with Idexx for heart problems and our cat are also scanned for HCM.

•Our cattery is negative to Tritrichomonas Foetus, Giardia and Coccidia.

•All our cats are also negative to feline and leukemia.

Image Source : Dragonflycats

See our Queens ♕See our Kings ♔

Thank you!