A rare curly cat from Berlin, with a velvety wavy coat on a sturdy, muscular body.
The German Rex comes from Berlin. In 1951 a doctor there took home a black stray cat with curls: Lämmchen, 'little lamb'. Every German Rex goes back to her. It has a short coat in soft waves and a sturdy body, more like an ordinary house cat than its slender cousin the Cornish Rex. It is loving, playful and loves being with its people and with other cats.
Very attached to its people and loves a cuddle.
Happy to curl up on your lap for a long time, but it also wants to play.
Playful and full of mischief, and happy to join in a game.
Lively and athletic: it likes to run and climb, but settles down again afterwards.
Not known as a chatterbox, nor as a silent cat.
Clever and keen to learn, though it sometimes has its own plans.
Usually relaxed with visitors. Some females stay a little more reserved.
Good with children who are gentle and calm with it.
Usually gets on well with a calm, friendly dog.
Loves other cats and is happiest with a cat friend, though it sometimes wants to be the boss.
Does not like being alone for long. A second cat in the house helps.
Happy indoors with places to climb and someone to play with. It does not like cold and rain.
The German Rex has a different curl gene from the Cornish Rex.
No. DNA research shows they have exactly the same curl gene. They are still two breeds: the German Rex is sturdy, the Cornish slender. The Devon Rex does have a different gene.
The first German Rex was Munk, a curly tomcat from East Prussia.
No. Munk was photographed as a curly cat around 1930, but he never had kittens and is not part of the breed. Every German Rex goes back to Lämmchen, found in Berlin in 1951.
A German Rex causes no allergies, because it hardly sheds.
Not quite. Every cat makes the allergen itself; it is not in long hair. Less hair can help a bit, but if you are allergic, test it with this cat first.
An ordinary cat's coat has long guard hairs on top and soft hairs underneath. The German Rex has no guard hairs, and the rest lies in waves. That comes from a small change in one gene, exactly the same one as in the Cornish Rex. The gene is recessive: a kitten only has curls when both parents pass it on. So a straight-coated cat can carry it without anyone noticing.
Doctor Rose Scheuer-Karpin finds a black curly cat in a Berlin hospital garden. She takes her home and names her Lämmchen.
British researchers compare Lämmchen with the Cornish Rex and show that her curls are inherited recessively.
The first two German Rex kittens are bred on purpose, from Lämmchen and her straight-coated son Friedolin.
The kitten Marco Polo is the first German Rex shown at an exhibition, in Paris.
German Rex cats go to the United States. Their kittens become the ancestors of the American German Rexes.
A cattery in East Germany takes in the last three descendants of Lämmchen that were not sold abroad.
The European federation FIFe recognises the German Rex.
The breed has nearly vanished: only a handful of German Rexes in the world can still have kittens.
Breeders start again: the female Happy has kittens with an Abyssinian, and a generation later the curls are back.
A medium-sized, muscular cat with a round head and a straight back. It is sturdier than the Cornish Rex and built more like a European Shorthair, but with a coat full of waves.
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)
Chocolate(b)
Black tortie(f)
Tortie with white(f 09)
Blue tabby point(a 21 33)FIFe recognises every colour and pattern, also with white. Only the WCF standard of 2010 leaves out chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, fawn and points; a newer comparison says the WCF now allows every colour too.
Every German Rex goes back to one black stray cat, Lämmchen, found in a hospital garden in Berlin.
Most cats have long guard hairs on top. The German Rex does not, which is why it feels like velvet.
The curls often take two years to grow in fully, so a kitten of three months can look a bit scruffy.
Even its whiskers curl, though less than in the Cornish Rex; some are almost straight.
When a German Rex has kittens with a straight-coated cat, they all have straight hair. A generation later the curls can come back.
No study has measured it. Most sources say about 12 to 15 years, but estimates run from 9 to 20. Take it as a rough guide.
There are very few German Rexes, and around 2000 the breed almost disappeared. When the parents are too closely related, kittens can be less healthy. That is why breeders now and then cross in a European Shorthair. As far as is known, the breed has no hereditary disease of its own.
How it is found: No DNA test for a disease in this breed. Breeders look at the pedigree and how closely related the parents are.
Without guard hairs the coat is thin and fragile. Brushing too hard damages it, and the cat gets cold more quickly. When hair falls out, there is often another cause, such as a flea allergy.
How it is found: No test needed: every German Rex has this coat. Brush gently, and see a vet about bare patches.
Little work: once a week a gentle brush, or a glove or cloth over the coat, is enough. Do not brush too often or too hard, as the hairs are fragile.
A German Rex would rather not be the only cat in the house. It is happiest with a cat friend.
It keeps itself busy well, as long as it has room to run and climb, and toys that move or a friend to play with.
It usually needs no special food, just good, complete cat food. With its short coat you can quickly see if it gets plump.
It sheds little, but it is not allergy-free: every cat makes the allergen itself. If you are allergic, spend some time with a German Rex first.
Checked on 23 October 2026
Let's swap links. We list your club here, with logo, a short text and a link. You link to this page. No costs, no contract.
Register your cat with SpotKat for free, with photos and chip number in one place.
