(pink panther)

Content of this page:

- What to expect from a Devon Rex
- What to expect from an Oriental Cat
- Devon Rex : A Brief 'Curly' History
- The Oriental Cat - Simply a Siamese without blue eyes..?

Well, this is the point were I would be tempted to put just one word down: Madness! But of course one word alone would neither be fair nor accurate enough to describe such a wonderful breed as the Devon Rex. Lovingly revered to by many ‘Devon-addicts’ as “Little Terrors”, Devon Rexes are most certainly highly lively cats, to say the least. The kind of cat that - given half a chance - will always be into everything. They need lots of companionship and it is always better to keep two together, most of all if you have to leave your home for prolonged hours. In contrast to other breeds (especially Siamese and Orientals), Devons tend not be vocal. If they voice themselves, they do so with a rather quiet ’chirp’, very pleasant and sweet. They are very ‘cute’ cats to look at with their big eyes and curly coats, but not to be underestimated when it comes to their destructive abilities! Devons love climbing and your shelves will do just fine! They are definitely not a breed for the faint hearted, and should you decide to take a Devon into your home, do so knowingly that your life and your house will never be the same again. If you like cats because you think cats make easy pets, are independent and spend most of their time outside - DO NOT GET A DEVON!!!!! A Devon will need you for love, comfort and playing - every day - and will be heartbroken if ignored.
All Rex cats have to be kept indoors. Their coat is so very fine, rather hair then fur, and one shower of rain will soak a Devon through and through. Additionally, because they are so friendly and inquisitively natured, your cat could easily get stolen or end up locked in the back of a removal lorry or someone’s garage. You do not want to risk that!
When it comes to coat care, Devons are on one hand easy to look after, because they do not moult or tangle much, but on the other hand they do need a bath every now and then, which - depending on your cats temperament - can become a challenging task! After the bath they need to be dried thoroughly with a towel and have to be kept warm. Do not use a blow drier. Blow driers are cruel. Most cats are frightened to death of blow driers!
Devons come in almost every colour or coat pattern imaginable, even with Siamese points, the so called Si-rex. They are little pixies, full of life, adorable, but time intensive. So please do think twice before considering to be owned by one!!!!

Lots of love, jealousy, drama (sometimes even hysteria..!), flying chases up and down the stairs (if you have stairs), and a cat always ready to tell you of with a considerably loud “Meow”! Of course, there are much less vocal Orientals to be found, but generally we are talking of a very demanding breed, no good for a human valuing his or her peace and quiet. Orientals need companionship and can become terribly unhappy if kept as a single cat in a household where the humans go to work. They love to curl up with other cats, enjoy a good play fight and need toys to stay occupied. Many Oriental Cats retrieve toys like a dog would. You throw, your cat chases after it. But do not be fooled! It is not you teaching your cat to retrieve - it is your cat teaching you how to throw!!! Orientals are (like Siamese) extremely talented in training humans. They will devote a lifetime to teaching you new tricks, and most humans kept by Oriental Cats are well behaved slaves, always ready to please their masters wishes.
Aside from their demanding and dramatic nature, Oriental Cats are at least easy to care for when it comes to their coats. An occasional brush with a specially designed glove (available in most pet shops) will do just fine to keep their sleek shiny coats up to scratch. Orientals are stunningly beautiful, elegant creatures with the air of a great Diva about them. They are extremely playful and inquisitive and their naughtiness can only be toped by a Devon Rex. (That is at least our opinion..) The love of an Oriental Cat can at times be excessive, and this in turn can lead to a display of jealousy. A dog or another cat on the receiving end of this will do best to get out the way. Even humans can become targets of this jealousy! (New boyfriend or girlfriend for example…) Siamese Cats are known to be even worth, especially the true blooded ones, which means generation of generation only Siamese to Siamese matings.

Every Devon Rex can trace its ancestry back to one little tom boy born in the year 1960, named ‘Kirlee‘. Kirlee was the offspring of a chance mating between a tortie-and-white stray cat and a curly coated feral male who had been sighted living in an abandoned tin mine near Buckfastleigh, Devon, England. All the other kittens in that litter had been straight coated, only Kirlee had inherited the mutant gene. To start of with it was thought Kirlee had to be related to ‘Kalibunker’, another curly coated tom cat born 1950 on Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, who had become the founder of the Cornish Rex Breed, but matings between Kirlee and the Cornish Rex Queens showed no success what so ever. All kittens born to these matings were straight coated. After these failed attempts it was agreed that Kirlee had to carry a gene not compatible with that causing the Cornish Rex mutation, a gene completely new.
All Devon Rexes are direct descendents of Kirlee, and still till this day they share not only his unusual curly coat, but also his rather unique features and his wicked sense of humour. Without them a Devon is simply not a Devon…

Well, one could be tempted to say just that. Siamese queens do give birth to Oriental Cats, and Oriental Cats can give birth to Siamese kittens. In fact, you can have mixed litters! Some people maintain the view Oriental Cats are somewhat quieter than Siamese, but I would not bet my life on it. It seems rather to depend on the bloodline. There are very talkative Orientals about, while some Siamese lines are quieter than others. Fact is, Oriental Cats do not come with blue eyes (the Foreign White being the only exception here), and they do not show the ‘points’ of the Siamese. They come self (or solid) coloured, but that in a great variety. You can also find tortoiseshell, tabby or tipped patterns.

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