The German Rex is a domestic cat breed whose main feature is a slightly curly coat. That makes it similar to the Cornish Rex, although its whiskers don’t curl as much. In body type, however, the German Rex looks more like the European Shorthair.
The European registries FIFe and WCF recognize it as a separate breed. In the US, neither the CFA nor TICA registers it separately, since its curly-coat gene is the same one found in the Cornish Rex, and the differences between the breeds aren’t considered significant.
History
The first German Rex is considered to be a tomcat named Munk, who lived with Erna Schneider’s family near Königsberg in the 1930s. So the homeland of this “curly breed” is historic East Prussia, which is where its other name comes from: the Prussian Rex. Munk is said to have gotten his unusual looks from a mix of Russian Blue and Angora cats.
However, researchers name another cat as the official founder of the breed: Lämmchen (German for “little lamb”). In the summer of 1951, Dr. Rose Scheuer-Karpin noticed her on the grounds of a Berlin hospital. She determined that the cat’s curly coat was the result of a genetic mutation. Lämmchen’s descendants started the new breed, although she herself may have been Munk’s great-granddaughter.
Another well-known German Rex is a black-and-white curly tom named Pushkin, born near Cologne in 1969.
German Rex Breed Description
What does the breed standard say? German Rex cats are medium-sized and weigh up to about 11 lb. Here’s a detailed description of the breed’s features:
- Head: round, with well-developed cheekbones;
- Eyes: medium-sized, set fairly wide apart, with a clear color that matches the coat;
- Ears: large, set high and wide, upright, with rounded tips and fur on the outside; unlike many other breeds, they aren’t very mobile;
- Nose: slightly flattened at the base, but of normal length;
- Whiskers: curly, but not strongly;
- Body: muscular, medium-sized, closer to rectangular; the chest is broad and rounded;
- Legs: slender, of medium length, with slightly oval paws; the hind legs may be a little longer than the front legs;
- Tail: medium length, though it can be too short and sparsely furred; tapers toward the tip;
- Coat: silky, short and slightly curly, like velvet.
You’ll find all kinds of photos of German Rex cats, but they all fit the standard for this unusual breed. Here are just a few photos of the Prussian Rex.
Color
The German Rex can come in many colors: white, black, red and more. The color can be evenly distributed, with any amount of white.
Personality
German Rex cats are friendly, active and energetic. They quickly bond with their owner. They love to play, be around children and stay on the move.
These are very smart, clean and “talkative” cats that often purr. They quickly learn the house rules and are easy to litter train and teach to use a scratching post. Just read reviews from happy owners to see the breed’s advantages for yourself.
Care and Health
German Rex cats have no undercoat. That means they don’t need constant, lengthy brushing and shed very little, so some people with mild allergies tolerate them better (though no cat is completely allergen-free). You’ll still need to bathe them now and then and brush them with a soft brush.
Without an undercoat, the German Rex gets cold faster, so keep an eye on the temperature in your home and on your pet’s nutrition.
Also clean the ears regularly and trim the nails. When needed (if the eyes get dirty or watery), wipe them with a damp cotton pad.
The German Rex is generally quite healthy. The only known tendency is weight gain, so owners should feed their cat in moderation. It’s especially important that it always has access to fresh water.
The tricky part of a German Rex diet is that it should have enough calories to help the cat stay warm without hurting its figure. Your pet’s lifespan depends directly on its diet; on average, it’s about 15 years. Some vets advise adding B vitamins to the diet during shedding to help prevent bald patches; ask your own vet first.
How Much Does a German Rex Kitten Cost?
A German Rex kitten isn’t cheap, and the price depends on pedigree and quality (pet, breeding or show). Females cost much more than males. The main difficulty, though, is finding breeders at all, since there aren’t many of them.
There’s no established US price, because there are virtually no German Rex breeders in the US. You’d most likely need to import a kitten from Europe, which adds shipping, a vet health certificate and a rabies vaccination to the cost. If you’re happy with a similar curly-coated cat, a registered Cornish Rex or Devon Rex kitten from a US breeder typically costs about $1,000–2,500.
Catteries
The main challenge in breeding the German Rex is that its curly-coat gene is recessive. Early on, not knowing this, people crossed these cats with other breeds carrying dominant genes. As a result, by 2000 the German Rex had almost died out as a breed. A group of German enthusiasts then revived it with the five remaining cats.
Today the main German Rex catteries are in Germany, Switzerland and Finland. To find one, start with the Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe) or the World Cat Federation (WCF) and their member clubs.
US rex breeders can also help you find this rarer breed. Look for Cornish Rex and Devon Rex catteries here:
- 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/;
