Ok, now we’ve got to warn you that when it comes to talking about different kinds of cats, we here at IndulgeYourPet have learned that when the “cat” in question has the word Rex in his name, you better prepare yourself for a surprise.
Sometimes…
It might be that it’s because the cat looks a bit like a bat (think Devon Rex)! While other times it might be because it looks as though the cat has just had someone try and dry them off with a towel (think Selkirk Rex)! But in the case of the Cornish Rex we were a bit perplexed.
Because yeah sure…
They’ve got big ears, but so does half the people who work at IndulgeYourPet. And sure, it looks as though they could use a few pounds, but neither of these traits are worthy of the “Rex” stereotype that we’ve come to give them.
This is why…
We were pleasantly surprised to see one of these little guys jump up nearly 8 feet from a planted position without batting an eye!
Which made us realize…
That this “Rex” is a bit of an “oddball” because he is freakishly acrobatic!
Now you might be thinking to yourself…
“Wait a minute that’s not a nice thing to say!”
But you have to understand that we here at IndulgeYourPet love “freaks”! Heck, most of us working here are freaks!
This is why…
We were worried that the Cornish Rex was going to simple be another boring shorthaired cat with rather large ears, but to our surprise we’ve come to learn that these little guys are SOOOO much more than that.
Now will this…
Little guy be right for you? We have no idea, which is why we wanted to take a moment and write about what it might be like to own a Cornish Rex so that you can get a better idea if owning one might be a good “fit” for you.
So, without further ado, let’s dive right in.
Cornish Cat Breed Fast Facts
Country of Origin: England
Size: Small to medium
Eyes: Oval
Shape of Head: Egg-shaped
Life Span: 10 to 15 years
Origin of the Cornish Rex Cat
Despite the fact that the Cornish Rex has a bit of an ancient “cat look” about him, in reality, this cat breed only dates back to the early 1950’s when it was first “discovered” in a barn in Cornwall, England.
You see…
The Cornish Rex isn’t the result of 1000’s of years of “natural” selection and it isn’t the result of some clever interbreeding by a well renouned cat breeder.
Rather…
The real reason why we have the Cornish Rex today is because an early “cat enthusiast” just happened to encounter a stray “barn cat” with a remarkable wavy coat.
Fortunately…
Those who did discover this little “gem” then decided to see if they could “cross breed” their discovery with other cats in the area and see if they could reproduce this very distinctive wavy coat that is the hallmark of what we now call the Cornish Rex. And as a result of their early efforts, what we now have is a completely unique cat breed today that comes in all sorts of colors.
The breed was…
Then brought to the US shortly afterwards, with a cat named Lamorna Cove bringing a litter across the sea. American breeders then used:
To further expand the breed. A breeding pair of Cornish Rexes were also brought to Eastern Germany around the same time ensuring that the breed became would also become suitably established in Europe, too.
In 1963…
Both the American and the Canadian Cat Fancier’s Associations both “officially” recognized this breed, but it was not fully official with the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) until a year later.
Interestingly…
The Cornish Rex does have “cousin breed” named the Devon Rex, and while the two are similar its important to understand that these are two totally separate breeds. Breed that both originated in England due to a spontaneous genetic mutation, however, the genes in question are totally unrelated.
And just to…
Add to the confusion, there is a third option: the Selkirk Rex. The Selkirk cat breed however isn’t from England at all but instead originated in Wyoming of all places, near the Selkirk Mountains.
And as we’ve already…
Mentioned, in order to “earn” the name “Rex” you tend to have to have something really unique about yourself which is why all three of these cat breeds make it in our own personal top 10 “best” cat breeds list.
Characteristics of the Cornish Rex
The most distinguishing feature on Cornish Rex is his coat. You see, the majority of breeds will have three layers to their coat: the outer coat or Guard Hairs, the mid-coat or Awn Hairs and the base Down Hairs. This breed has only one layer – the down, and it means that this cat runs the risk of being “cold” for most of its life unless he or she is kept as an indoor cat or lives in a very warm climate. It’s also the easiest way to tell if the cat is a Cornish, a Devon or a Selkirk Rex.
Now…
Sometimes, this soft down coat can have a bit of a curl to it. It can also come in just about any color because the early “developers” of this breed chose to cross breed the first Cornish Rex’s with a wide variety of different “types” of cats.
These guys also…
Have a distinctive ‘Scottish Fold’ to its ears, which is a little fold on the outer ear that you have probably come across before but never known the name of.
Cornish Rex Grooming
It should be noted that despite the fact the Cornish Rex doesn’t have a ton of fur, the fur that they do have tends to be rather delicate. For this reason, you’ll want to be sure and not “over brush” their coat simply because it is possible to damage their fur by brushing it too vigorously which can cause your Rex to develop “bald spots” in certain areas.
Personality and temperament of a Cornish Rex
This cat is very clever and can sometimes behave a bit like a dog… a lapdog, but a dog nonetheless. Typically, these guys will seek out all of the hot spots in the house to make his own and will probably walk over your laptop while you are writing just because it’s warm.
Also…
Because they are so smart, they can also be taught a ton of tricks including how to fetch a ball, or a toy or just about anything else that you ask him or her. This is also why these guys are so great for family with children because they’ll love to play and are very gentle animals.
That said however…
You’ll need to be careful about leaving food out on a counter, because these guys have almost a “super feline” ability to jump!
Heck…
We’ve even seen them jump from the floor on top of a standard refrigerator which are generally right about 6 feet tall!
Health issues of the Cornish Rex cat breed
The nice thing about the Cornish Rex cat breed is that because it is a relatively young cat breed that was “cross breed” with a wide variety of different cat breeds early on in its development, there are very few health genetic health issues one needs to worry about when adopting one.
And while…
It always makes sense to do your due diligence when seeking out a reputable Cornish Rex cat breeder, there aren’t all that many health issues you need to specifically look out for.
But please don’t…
Let the health of the Cornish Rex cat bred allow you to let down your guard. All cats regardless of how health they may be at birth will potentially run the risk of becoming sick or injured as they age.
This is why…
We here at IndulgeYourPet always advise any new pet owner take a moment or two and consider possibly purchasing a pet insurance policy on their new animal. Now will a pet insurance policy be “right” for everyone?
No, of course not! But until you fully understand what a pet insurance policy will and won’t cover and until you know what a pet insurance policy might cost you, how will you know for sure that purchasing one isn’t “right” for you?
For this reason…
We here at IndulgeYourPet have taken the time to write our Best Pet Insurance Companies article so that our readers will be able to quickly see what some of the pros and cons of owning a pet insurance policy is and be able to determine for themselves if getting one makes any sense.
We have two 8 week old kittens we found with our feral cats I feed. These two kittens have only the real soft very short hair like a Cornish Rex. They have very long tails and legs. Is it possible they are Cornish Rex. We also have a 3 yr old cat we found in the feral cats that is almost hairless.We also have had totally hairless kittens from these feral cats a few years ago but none of them survived.
quite possible!! a more distinctive feature is their ears to head ratio!! especially at a young age like that. if they are, you are a very luck person to have two cornishes!! they are amazing cats!!