A slender cat like a little greyhound, with a coat of nothing but soft down in waves and a big heart for its people.
The Cornish Rex comes from Cornwall in England, where one curly male kitten was born on a farm in 1950. His owner bred rex rabbits, which have the same kind of curly coat, and that is how the breed got its name. It has an arched back, long legs and a coat that feels like velvet. It is fast, playful and always wants to be with you: owners call it a Velcro cat.
Very people-focused: it wants to be with you and touch you.
Between bursts of running it loves a warm lap.
Stays playful into old age and loves fetching toys.
One of the most active breeds: it runs, jumps and wants to play all day.
Talks to you now and then, but is usually not loud.
Clever and quick to learn tricks or fetch, though it also likes its own way.
Usually confident and friendly with visitors.
Good with children who play gently. When it has had enough, it simply walks away.
Usually gets on well with a friendly dog, and sometimes even plays with it.
Enjoys other cats. That also helps when you are out.
Does not like being alone for long. Better with someone often at home, or with a second cat.
Happy indoors with places to climb and a warm spot. It does not like cold and rain.
A Cornish Rex is the same as a Devon Rex.
No. Their curls come from two different genes. Cross them and every kitten gets a normal straight coat. And the Cornish has no guard hairs at all, while the Devon has a few short ones.
A Cornish Rex is hypoallergenic.
No. The allergen is in saliva and skin, not in long hair. Some allergic people react less, but it still makes the allergen.
With that slim body it must be fragile.
No. It looks delicate, but it is muscular and sturdy. It does feel the cold quickly, so give it a warm spot.
An ordinary cat's coat has three kinds of hair: long guard hairs on top, with bristly hairs and soft down underneath. Because of a small change in one gene, the Cornish Rex has only the soft down, lying in tight waves. That is why it feels like velvet. In the Devon Rex the curl sits in a different gene. Both genes are recessive: a kitten only has curls when both parents pass on the same gene.
On a farm in Cornwall, the tortie and white cat Serena has a cream male kitten with curls: Kallibunker, the first Cornish Rex.
Two Cornish Rex, Lamorna Cove and Pendennis Castle, go to California and start the breed in America.
Another curly cat, Kirlee, turns up in Devon. His kittens with Cornish cats have straight hair: a different gene.
America's CFA registers its first rex cat: Marmaduke of Daz-Zling, a son of Lamorna Cove.
The CFA gives the Cornish Rex championship status.
Britain's GCCF recognises the Cornish Rex, with championship status straight away.
Two small rex cats from Denmark are shown at a cat show in Amsterdam: the first in the Netherlands.
The European federation FIFe recognises the Cornish Rex.
The CFA makes the Cornish Rex and the Devon Rex two separate breeds. Until then they were judged together.
Scientists find the curl gene: a small piece missing from the LPAR6 gene. Every Cornish Rex has it twice.
The GCCF only lets Cornish Rex breed if a DNA test shows them free of the eye disease rdAc-PRA.
A long, slender cat with an arched back and a tucked-up belly, like a greyhound. It stands high on its legs, as if walking on tiptoe.
A Cornish Rex with a semi-long, wavy coat. The gene for longer hair entered the breed by accident around 1960.
Recognition: Only recognised by France's LOOF. FIFe, CFA, TICA, WCF and GCCF do not recognise it.
Cat registries write colours as an EMS code. The letter is the colour (n black, a blue, d red, f tortie), s means silver or smoke, y golden, and the numbers tell you about white (01–09), shading (11, 12), the tabby pattern (22–25) or colourpoint (33).
Black(n)
Blue(a)
Cream(e)
Black mackerel tabby(n 23)
Tortie and white(f 09)
Seal point(n 33)America's CFA does not name cinnamon and fawn, but judges them as 'Other Rex Colors'.
The CFA does not name golden, but judges it as 'Other Rex Colors'.
The CFA asks for blue eyes in pointed cats and does not name mink and sepia; those fall under 'Other Rex Colors'.
All the big registries allow the Cornish Rex in every colour and pattern, also with white. So the colour tells you nothing about whether a Cornish Rex is pure-bred.
Every Cornish Rex goes back to one curly kitten, Kallibunker, born on a farm in Cornwall.
Most cats have three kinds of hair. The Cornish Rex has only the soft down, which is why it feels like velvet.
With its arched back, tucked-up belly and long legs it is called the greyhound of cats, in English and in French.
It has long toes that it uses like little hands, and many Cornish Rex bring toys back like a dog.
Around 1951 a curly cat was found in Berlin, the German Rex. It turned out to have exactly the same curl gene.
No study has measured it. Most sources say 12 to 16 years, and Britain's GCCF says many Cornish Rex reach 16 or more. Take it as a rough guide.
Not an illness, but it matters. About 1 in 3 Cornish Rex have blood type B. Such a cat needs type B blood in a transfusion, and kittens with a different blood type from their mother can fall ill from her first milk.
How it is found: Blood typing or a DNA test of the parents before mating.
The light-sensitive cells at the back of the eye slowly fade, so the cat goes blind over several years. It is not painful and cats adapt well indoors. Only a cat with two copies of the gene is affected. In 2022 about 3 in 10 Cornish Rex tested had the gene, most of them as healthy carriers.
How it is found: DNA test of the parents. In Britain a breeding cat must test clear since 2022.
Every Cornish Rex has a fine coat that comes out easily, and short, crinkled whiskers that often break. Some cats get thin or bald patches. So it gets cold or wet sooner, and light-coloured cats can get sunburnt.
How it is found: No test needed: every Cornish Rex has this gene. Protect it from cold, rain and strong sun.
The heart wall grows too thick, so the heart pumps less well. Many cats show nothing for a long time, others get short of breath. In the Cornish Rex it seems to run in some families, but how common it is is not known.
How it is found: A heart scan by a vet. There is no DNA test for this breed.
Little work: stroking with your hand is usually enough, no combing needed. Clean the ears often, as wax builds up fast, and clip the claws monthly. Never blow-dry it, or the waves disappear.
Without guard hairs its coat keeps in little heat and soaks through at once in the rain. It seeks out laps, beds and sunny spots; light-coloured cats can get sunburnt.
Play together every day and give it room to run and climb, upwards too: a cat tree and shelves on the wall.
It eats a lot for its size and often even likes vegetables. Watch the portions so it does not get plump, and look after its teeth.
A Cornish Rex is not hypoallergenic: the allergen comes from saliva and skin, not long hair. Some people react less. If you are allergic, spend some time with a Cornish Rex first.
Checked on 21 October 2026
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