Devon Rex

Temperament

The Devon Rex has no concept of privacy. It perches on your shoulder while you cook, burrows under the covers, inspects every grocery bag and settles on the keyboard while you work. It is bright and quick to learn: it picks up its name, fetching, walking on a harness and opening cupboards, which its owner does not always appreciate. It talks a lot, but usually quietly, with trills, chirps and a very loud purr. It loves high perches even more than laps and often cuddles with its whole body, nestling into your neck. With guests it tends to be curious and friendly, and it usually gets along easily with dogs and other cats. The price of all this sociability is a low tolerance for being alone: a bored Devon climbs the curtains, knocks things off shelves and demands attention, so it is often happier with a second cat.

Energy

calmvery energetic

Affection

independentvelcro pet

With children

not idealgreat

With other pets

difficultgreat

Trainability

stubborneager to learn

For first-time owners

for experienced ownersyes

With strangers

waryoutgoing

Playfulness

dignifiedeternal puppy

Shedding

minimalheavy

Grooming

easydemanding

Being left alone

strugglescopes well

Apartment living

needs a house and yardgreat in a flat

Talkativeness

quietchatterbox

Indoor-only life

needs outdoor accessgreat

Scores of 1–5 compare the breed with other breeds of the same species, based on the sources at the bottom of the page. Every animal is different. How we score traits

Who is the Devon Rex for?

A Devon Rex suits people who spend a lot of time at home and want a cat involved in everything they do. It is often recommended for people with allergies because it sheds little, but no cat is fully hypoallergenic, so check how you react to the specific cat before you buy. It is not a good choice for someone who works 10-hour days away from home and does not plan on a second cat, or for anyone who likes tidy shelves.

Size and looks

Care and exercise

Coat care is easy, but different from that of an ordinary cat. Instead of a brush, a stroke of the hand, a chamois or a damp cloth is enough to spread the skin oils through the coat; brushing too hard breaks the delicate hairs. The big ears collect wax quickly, so check and clean them every week, and the paws and skin folds can get greasy. The sparse coat offers little protection from cold, so a Devon seeks out warmth: radiators, blankets, your bed. It has a huge appetite and will steal food off your plate, so measure its portions. Daily play with wand toys, tunnels and sniffing toys is a must, as are high shelves and scratching posts. It responds well to clicker training. Toothbrushing or dental chews help keep tartar in check.

Health and breed-related conditions

The Devon Rex is considered a healthy, long-lived breed: TICA gives 14–17 years, and VCA says up to 20. Breeders still need to watch a few things. The gene pool includes many cats with type B blood, so mating a type A male with a type B female risks neonatal isoerythrolysis; that is why cats are blood-typed before breeding. The breed also has congenital myasthenic syndrome, formerly called Devon Rex myopathy: the cat has weak muscles, takes a typical stance with its front paws propped on an object, and exertion makes the signs worse. The disease is recessive and can be ruled out with a DNA test. The thin coat leads to oily skin and ear wax, while broken whiskers and thin patches are a breed trait.

• congenital myasthenic syndrome (CMS, Devon Rex myopathy)An inherited, recessive muscle weakness; a DNA test for the COLQ gene variant is available.
• blood type B and neonatal isoerythrolysisMany cats have type B blood; mating a type A male with a type B female can kill the kittens, so breeders blood-type their cats.
• thin patches and bald spots in the coatThe fine hairs break easily; patchy thinning and broken whiskers are a breed trait and not always a disease.
• greasy skin and ear waxThe sparse coat absorbs little skin oil, so the skin and the large ears get dirty quickly.

This is general breed information, not a diagnosis. If something worries you, talk to your veterinarian.

Breed history

It all began in 1959 in the county of Devon, England. A litter was born in a garden, and one of the kittens was a curly-coated male. Beryl Cox took him in and named him Kirlee. Because the Cornish Rex had appeared a few years earlier in neighboring Cornwall, people first assumed it was the same mutation. Test matings with Cornish cats produced straight-coated kittens, however, proving that a different gene was involved. To fix the wavy coat, Kirlee was bred to his own offspring and later to cats of other breeds to widen the gene pool. The breed quickly became popular in Britain and then in the US, where one registry after another recognized it.

Fun facts

• Kirlee, the founder of the breed, was born in 1959 in the county of Devon.
• A Devon Rex's whiskers are curly and brittle, so they are often shorter than other cats'.
• The gene behind the Devon's coat is different from the Cornish Rex's, even though both cats are curly-coated.
• Devons are known for happily riding on people's shoulders.

Frequently asked questions

This breed also appears in

• Cats for allergy sufferers

Sources

1. 1TICA – Devon Rex breedtica.org
2. 2CFA – Devon Rexcfa.org
3. 3VCA Animal Hospitals – Devon Rexvcahospitals.com
4. 4UC Davis VGL – Sphynx and Devon Rex Congenital Myasthenic Syndromevgl.ucdavis.edu
5. 5International Cat Care – Inherited disorders in catsicatcare.org
6. 6FIFe – Breedsfifeweb.org
7. 7WCF – Breed standards shorthairwcf.de

Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.