A small cat with a pixie face, huge ears and a soft wavy coat, who always wants to be with its people.
The Devon Rex comes from the English county of Devon, where one curly kitten was born in 1959. Every Devon descends from him. It has big ears, mischievous eyes and a short coat full of soft waves. It is playful, clever and wants to join in with everything: best of all on your shoulder, or under the blanket with you.
Very people-focused. In a large study it was among the breeds most likely to seek contact with people.
A cuddler, but more often on your shoulder or under the covers than quietly on your lap.
A clown that keeps playing well into adulthood.
Very active: it jumps, climbs and wants something to do all day.
Usually fairly quiet, with soft chirps and a loud purr.
Clever and keen. Many learn to fetch or do tricks, though it does not always listen.
Usually friendly with visitors and curious about new people.
Good with children who are gentle with a small cat.
Usually gets on with a friendly dog, especially if it gets used to one young.
Usually 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. Outside it soon feels the cold.
A Devon Rex is just a Cornish Rex from the next county.
No. When the first Devon was mated with Cornish Rex queens in 1961, every kitten had a normal straight coat. The two curls come from different genes.
A Devon Rex does not shed.
It does shed, like every cat. But its short, fine hairs are much less noticeable.
The Dutch ban on hairless cats also covers the Devon Rex.
No. The ban is for cats without a working coat or whiskers. A curly rex coat with whiskers counts as a real coat.
An ordinary cat's coat has long, firm guard hairs on top and soft down underneath. In the Devon Rex a small change in one gene means the guard hairs are nearly gone and every hair curls. The result is a short, soft coat full of waves. The gene is recessive: a kitten only has curls when both parents pass it on.
In Buckfastleigh, Devon, a stray queen has a litter. One male kitten, Kirlee, has a curly coat.
His owner Beryl Cox reads about a curly Cornish Rex and writes to its breeders. Kirlee goes to breeder Brian Stirling-Webb.
Kirlee has kittens with Cornish Rex queens. They all have straight coats: the Devon curl is a different gene.
Britain's GCCF recognises the Devon Rex as a breed of its own, separate from the Cornish Rex.
The European federation FIFe recognises the Devon Rex.
The first rex cats reach the Netherlands by way of Denmark.
Dutch fans start De Rex Katten Club, the first breed club within Felikat.
America's CFA gives the Devon Rex championship status, the last big registry to do so.
Scientists find the curl gene: a change in KRT71, the same gene that makes the Sphynx hairless.
The gene behind inherited muscle weakness in the Devon is found. Breeders can now test for it.
A light, fine-boned cat with surprising muscle. Big low-set ears and a short muzzle give it its pixie face.
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).
White, orange-eyed(w 62)
Black tortie(f)
Black spotted tabby(n 24)
Black smoke(ns)
Black and white(n 09)
Lilac point(c 33)All the big registries allow the Devon Rex in every colour and pattern, also with white. So the colour tells you nothing about whether a Devon is pure-bred.
Breeders called the Cornish Rex 'Gene I' and the Devon 'Gene II': two curl genes that give straight-coated kittens together.
The Devon's curls and the Sphynx's bare skin come from two versions of the same gene. A kitten with one of each is hairless.
In a Finnish study of 5,726 cats, the Devon Rex and the Korat were the breeds most likely to seek contact with people.
Its whiskers and eyebrows curl too and often break off, leaving short bent stubs.
The coat is only at its best from about 18 months. Kittens often lose their curls for a while.
No study has measured it. Britain's GCCF says 12 to 16 years; other sources vary widely. Take it as a rough guide.
From a young age the kitten's muscles grow weak: it lets its head hang, tires quickly and swallows with difficulty. It is serious, but rare: in 2015 about 1 in 25 Devons carried the gene. A kitten only gets it when both parents are carriers.
How it is found: DNA test of the parents. Two carriers are not mated with each other.
Not an illness, but it matters. A third to a half of Devons have blood type B, far more than ordinary house cats. 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 kneecap slips out of place. It seems more common in the Devon than in other breeds, but how common is not known.
How it is found: A vet feels the knees. There is no DNA test.
Some white Devons are born deaf in one or both ears. In one study it was about 1 in 10.
How it is found: A hearing test (BAER) for white kittens.
Little work, but do not brush: the fine curls break. Stroke it with your hand or a chamois cloth and clean the ears regularly, as wax builds up quickly.
Its thin coat keeps in little heat. It hunts for sunny windows and warm spots; give it a warm bed in winter.
Play together every day and give it plenty to climb. A bored Devon soon starts swinging on the curtains.
It loves food and often steals from your plate. Watch the portions and look after its teeth.
A Devon Rex is not hypoallergenic: it makes the same allergens as other cats. Some people react less, others do not. If you are allergic, spend a few hours with Devons first.
Checked on 20 October 2026
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