Devon Rex Cat: Breed Profile, Personality, Care, Price & Breeders

An alien creature with big ears and a huge, loving heart? Meet the Devon Rex. What wonderful faraway place did he come from, and how should you welcome such an unusual guest?

Breed History

The Devon Rex comes from England. The way a Devon Rex looks was probably inspired directly by folklore trolls, hobbits, and gnomes. The first cat with this unique look was spotted in 1960 in the county of Devon, near an abandoned mine. He wouldn’t let researchers catch him, preferring freedom to the comforts of civilization.

Read our articles on choosing a name for a boy kitten or a girl kitten.

But a female cat who roamed near him was caught, and the black kitten she gave birth to, named Kirlee (from “curly”), became the founding father of the entire Devon Rex breed. In Europe the breed was recognized right away, but it took almost 20 years to win over America before the Devon Rex was recognized as a separate breed across the ocean.

Devon Rex Personality and Traits at a Glance

Devon Rex Appearance and Breed Overview

Someone inexperienced seeing a Devon Rex for the first time could easily confuse it with a similar breed, the Cornish Rex. In fact, the resemblance is fairly superficial, and each “Rex” has its own features. So how do you tell you’re looking at a Devon? A short breed description will help:

1. The Devon Rex’s head is small, with prominent cheekbones:

• the nose is upturned;
• the eyes are large, set wide apart, and slanted. The eye color matches the coat: golden-green, green, or yellow. The exception is Siamese coloring: cats with Siamese coloring have sky-blue eyes, amazingly clear and blue;
• the ears are noticeably large and set wide apart. They may have tufts and look like butterfly wings;
• the whiskers and eyebrows are curly, thick, and medium-length;

2. According to the breed standard, the body is stocky. The size is medium. With fine bones, both female and male Devon Rexes have a powerful chest and long legs, and the hind legs are longer than the front legs.

NOTE! Devons are amazingly nimble with their paws, and watching their “fingers” at work will bring any cat owner lots of joy!

The Devon Rex’s tail is long and thin, slightly rounded at the tip.

Adult males weigh up to about 10 lb, and females weigh about 5–7 lb.

3. The coat is short, soft, and wavy, with no visible guard hairs. The face, back, sides, and hips are covered with slightly longer fur than the rest of the body. No fur at all is a fault.

4. Color. The breed standards allow every genetically possible color and combination: the coat can be black, gray, white, red, or even purple with polka dots!

Personality

If you had to describe this little elf’s personality in one word, it would be “cat-dog”! According to owners, they get attached to their owner just like dogs do and follow them everywhere, wagging their tails with pleasure. This breed isn’t right for people who are rarely home, since the Devon Rex is emotionally very dependent on the owner he adores. He’ll try to get as close as possible to his favorite face, settling comfortably around your neck or chin, pretending to be a lamb’s-wool collar, looking into your eyes and waiting for a command!

Yes, Devon Rexes respond well to training and can learn simple commands. If a Devon Rex kitten comes into your home, he’ll soon start playing fetch, and adult cats can do even more amazing things. By the way, the main thing that sets these alien cats apart from other breeds is that they’re playful and inventive at any age! They get along well with children.

Health

There are a few health problems owners of this curly cat may face:

• Devon Rexes are prone to hip dysplasia;
• luxating kneecaps also occur in the breed;
• hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (an inherited heart disease) shows up in some lines;
• Devon Rexes can have hereditary myopathy (a muscle disorder).

But don’t let this list scare you, and don’t rush to look for these signs in your pet. Forewarned is forearmed. Overall, experts note, Devons are remarkably healthy fellows, with an average lifespan of 15–17 years.

Care and Living Conditions

So you’re surrounded by big-eared kittens, and one of them has stolen your heart? Get ready for the quirks of caring for and raising him. Or rather, for the fact that there are no special quirks. Almost! Read about the basics of proper kitten care.

First, get your kitten used to regular baths. Since they don’t have fur in the usual sense, Devons quickly get dirty and greasy, which can lead to skin problems, so baths are essential for them. Fill the tub with warm water and put in the cat and a rubber duck. Just watch and enjoy! How often to bathe depends on each individual Devon. For some, one bath day a month is enough, while others need a weekly wash. Some of these cat-dogs don’t mind jumping into the tub on their own, especially if their beloved owner is already in it. In that case, you can skip the rubber duck!

Second, make sure your cat’s first-aid kit has eye drops in advance. Since Devon Rexes have very big eyes, they get dirty easily, and vet-approved products handle that best.

And remember, they have big (very big) ears. Lots of oily discharge and dirt build up in them, so once a week the ears need a thorough cleaning. Then those “butterfly wings” will stay healthy and beautiful.

About allergies

Since a Devon Rex’s coat is sparse and short, it only needs occasional brushing, and shedding is minimal. Devons shed very little, and that’s an obvious plus: hairs don’t stick to your clothes or float in the air, and there are almost none on the furniture and pillows. People who are allergic to cat hair often don’t feel any discomfort around these curly cats, which gave rise to the myth that the breed is hypoallergenic. But allergy sufferers shouldn’t count on it.

IMPORTANT! Remember that besides an allergy to fur, people can be allergic to the animal’s skin flakes and more. So there’s no such thing as a completely hypoallergenic cat (or dog, for that matter).

Since Devons don’t have a fur cushion, you might get the impression that their body temperature is higher than normal. It isn’t; it’s just that close contact with a Devon’s skin lets you feel how warm and velvety he is. So besides a lamb’s-wool collar, Devon Rexes make a great hot-water bottle!

Feeding

You can feed a Devon Rex natural food or commercial cat food; that’s up to you. If you choose natural food, make sure it isn’t salty or fatty (no more than 20–25% fat). If you go with commercial food, choose premium only! The main sign you’ve chosen well is that your pet has no food allergies and no digestive upset.

Read about the right diet for kittens in detail.

IMPORTANT! Devons have no “off switch” for hunger and tend to overeat. So you’ll have to watch your Devon’s figure and make sure that after a snack from his own bowl, he doesn’t steal from yours.

Owners agree that Devon Rex cats are big foodies who’ll happily nibble on unusual treats like a bit of apple or bread (only in small amounts).

Color Photos

Devon Rexes are amazingly photogenic. Their charming gaze in photos wins you over. A cat from a picture quickly becomes a social media star, happily posing for the camera.

• Black
• Bicolor (white and gray)
• Golden
• Gray

How Much Does a Devon Rex Cost?

In the US, a pet-quality Devon Rex kitten from a reputable breeder usually costs about $1,200–$3,000, and show-line kittens from champion bloodlines can cost up to $5,000. The price depends on the kitten’s class (show, breed, pet) and the quality and bloodlines of its parents.

An adult cat costs less, and this is a case where getting an adult can pay off in more ways than one. Devons stay crazy kittens at any age, but adults are already well-mannered and socialized.

Devon Rexes won over Europe half a century ago, and they’re well established in the US too. Professional breeders guarantee a clean pedigree and, as a result, a comfortable future with your new pet.

Choose a Devon Rex cattery:

• CFA (Cat Fanciers’ Association) Find a Breeder – https://find-a-breeder.cfa.org/;
• TICA (The International Cat Association) breeder listings – https://tica.org/find-a-cat/find-a-cat-breeder-listings/;
• CurlyDolls (CFA and TICA; members of the Devon Rex Breed Club) – https://sites.google.com/site/curlydolls/;
• Tex-Lapkatz Devon Rex (La Porte, Texas; breeding to the CFA standard since 2001);
• Barashta Devon Rex (southeast Florida; breeding Devon Rexes exclusively since 2000);
• Calisphynx (Visalia, California; TICA).

All in all, we recommend this breed to anyone who loves the Devon Rex’s alien look and noble personality.