Cornish Rex Cat Breed - Overview and History

Dog Breeds

The Cornish Rex cat breed is often referred to as the Greyhound of the cats, because of the sleek appearance and the galloping run characteristic. The breed has no hair except for its very fine down hair. Cornish Rexes only have the undercoat and thus only lose a few of very fine hairs at a time like humans and do not shed like other cat breeds.

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Introduction

The Cornish Rex is often referred to as the Greyhound of the cat world, because of its exceptionally sleek appearance and galloping gait. This breed is unique in many ways, the most noticeable of which is its distinctive curly coat that has been described as “falling in washboard waves.” Most feline breeds have three different types or layers of hair: the outer fur or "guard” hairs; a middle layer of bristly “awn” hairs; and the soft, silky hairs that make up the undercoat. The Cornish Rex has no outer guard hairs. Instead, its coat is made almost entirely of the short, downy, wavy hairs that normally are part of a cat’s undercoat. As a result, the Cornish Rex has one of the softest coats of any companion cat breed.

Its fur, which grows more slowly than that of other felines, has been likened to cut velvet, rabbit fur and silk. Because of its unusual coat characteristics, the Cornish Rex is prone to becoming chilled and is best suited to indoor living in warm and dry climates.

In appearance, the Cornish Rex resembles the cats depicted in ancient Egyptian sculptures. It is an elegant, slender, muscular cat with strikingly large ears, prominent oval eyes, long legs, petite paws and an athletic body. Its head is fairly small and egg-shaped, with high cheekbones, hollow cheeks and a strong chin. Its arched back, tucked-up waist and barrel chest have been compared to the structure of the Whippet dog. The Cornish Rex’s long tail is unusually flexible and tends to curl at the tip when the cat is resting.

The coat of the Cornish Rex is most prominently curly over the hips and back. It should have no bare or thin patches. Its eyebrows and whiskers typically are long and crinkled, although in some individuals eyebrows and whiskers are short or even absent. The ears and tail of the Cornish Rex should be completely covered with wavy fur. It comes in a number of colors, including white, cream, blue and white, tortoiseshell, calico, cinnamon silver, chocolate pointed smoke, blue smoke, blue-cream smoke and black smoke. A pointed variety is a fairly recent addition to this breed that has not yet received widespread recognition. Some Cornish Rexes develop a mild, almost cheesy smell that is peculiar to the breed. This odor comes from scent glands in their paws.

History

The Cornish Rex is the result of a genetic mutation that originated from a litter of kittens born in the 1950s on a farm in Cornwall in southwestern England. One of the kittens from that litter, a cream-colored male called Kallibunker, had an extremely unusual, soft curly coat unlike that of his littermates or parents. He was the first reported Cornish Rex. Kallibunker’s owner bred him back to his mother, and two of the three kittens in that litter had were curly-coated like their father. The male from that litter, named Poldhu, sired a stunning curly female called Lamorna Cove. She was brought to America in the late 1950s and was mated with a Siamese. That cross gave the Cornish Rex breed its exotic oriental type, including its whippy tail, long wedge-shaped face and startlingly large, wide-set ears.

Because of close in-breeding early in the development of the breed, weakness and ill-health became problematic, especially in Cornish Rex kittens. Pioneer breeders used other short-haired cats, including British Shorthairs, Oriental lilac, Havana and Burmese, to promote health, stamina and hybrid vigor. For some period of time, this led to a chunkier, more cobby type of cat. Today, the stocky style is not preferred and is considered to be a breed fault. The Cornish Rex is popular world-wide and has a substantial loyal following among cat fanciers. The Cornish Rex was officially recognized by the British purebred cat registry in 1967 and by the American Cat Fanciers Association in 1979.

The spontaneous genetic mutation responsible for the Rex’s unusual coat has occurred elsewhere, most notably in Germany, Oregon and Ohio. However, the German and North American Rex mutations were never consistently used as part of a rigorous program to develop them as distinct breeds.

Health Predispositions

The Cornish Rex is prone to familial hypotrichosis and a form of dermatitis caused by Malassezia, which is a yeast microorganism. They may have an increased risk of developing a hereditary blood-clotting abnormality called vitamin K-dependent coagulopathy, although this is not common. Patellar luxation and umbilical hernias have also been reported in this breed. Some queens molt (“blow their coats”) during the breeding season and/or during pregnancy. The Cornish Rex can be prone to obesity, which of course is unhealthy and also spoils their classic tubular shape. Males of the blue-cream smoke color variation are uncommon and almost always are sterile. Intact males of this breed tend to develop a greasy coat condition called “stud tail.”

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