In order to truly appreciate the unique appearance of the Devon Rex, you must first set aside your preconceptions of what a cat should look like. In 1960 in Devonshire, England, a spontaneous mutation caused British barn cats to conjure up their own version of the ultimate feline pixie. Low-set, oversize ears jut out and away from the side of an elfin cheeky face with a turned up nose. Large impish eyes suggest a madcap personality and a nimble mind. A deceptively muscular body is covered by a short coat of downy fur that curls and ripples.

Devons sport a variety of coats that range from a full-rolling loose uneven wave through lessening degrees of density that support a tighter rippling effect all the way to a thin suede-like cover. Kitten coats usually thin out (molt) at about eight weeks of age. Although some kittens escape this molt phase, many juveniles sport a suede look until the adult coat begins to come in. Further molts are sometimes witnessed at about six months and ten months of age, although these tend to be less dramatic and of shorter duration. Selective breeding is required to produce the beautiful show Devon with its unique pixie face, bat-like ears, and a coat with just the right amount of density, length and texture to display a rippling wave when stroked with the hand.*

Pictured above: GC Northshore First Kiss of Karmacatz

Photo courtesy of Linda Peterson

Photograph by: Carl Widmer