In July 1953 the science magazine NATURE published a short
letter entitled " A 'Rex' mutant in the cat
". It was written by the geneticist A.C. Jude who had
already submitted short articles on the already known five
genes of the mouse; genes causing shortening of the guard
hairs and curling of the whiskers, such that the baby fur
lies in waves. He also named three known genes in the rabbit,
Rex-1, Rex-2 and Rex-3, which all largely showed the same
traits as those in the mouse. Jude related the same
phenomenon to cats and illustrated the article with a
photograph. He reported that his research had up to then
produced seven cats, of which 3 were curly. He concluded that
the condition was hereditary and wrote, "... but it
is not yet possible to tell whether it is recessive or
dominant."
 
However, if we look a little more into the background, the
story goes back to 1950 where, in a litter of kittens from an
ordinary housecat, Mrs Ennismore from Bodmin Moor in
Cornwall, England, found a curly coated ginger male. Mrs
Ennismore realised that this was out of the ordinary and
consulted a vet who in turn referred her to Mr Jude. Jude was
certain that the kitten, who was called
KALLIBUNKER, had to be a mutation of the feline
gene, the one and only of that century. To be able to prove
his theory, Jude suggested that the kitten be mated back to
his mother, a normal coated tortoiseshell. It was after the
birth of the first litter that he published the letter in
NATURE. The same mating was repeated several times and each
time with the same result, namely that approximately 50% of
the kittens were curly coated. These 'curlies' were
themselves mated with normal coated cats and the result was
always normal coats. Thus Jude had proven that not only were
the curly cats a new mutation, but that the gene, which gave
the curly coat, was recessive, as out-crossing gave normal
coated while back-crossing gave the expected 1:1 ratio of
curly and normal coated kittens.
It was Jude, with his background of the already known curly
Rex-mouse and Rex-rabbit, who chose to call these cats,
REX-CATS. Rex rabbits, as are presented in rabbit shows all
round the world, have a thick, plush-like coat, whilst
the only wavy rabbit, which is not seen in Denmark, is
called ASTREX.
By bad luck, Kallibunker died at a young age, so his son
POLDHU, a seemingly blue tortoiseshell, took over the breed
title and became father to several litters. As a bluecream
male at that time was as good as unknown, Poldhu underwent
further tissue type investigations. Finally, he was given to
Brian Sterling-Webb (a well-known breeder of new breeds -
amongst others the Colourpoint Persians - cattery name
BRIARRY). Unfortunately, Poldhu had in the meantime become
infertile and ironically, his tissue samples could not be
traced! Poldhu's sister, the blue LAMORNA, was exported
to the USA, whilst a cream-white half brother, CHAMPAGNE
CHAS, was lent to Stirling-Webb for further breeding. Those
two cats' names are found in most of the Danish bred
Cornish Rex pedigrees.
A small, active, group of breeders was set up by Mr
Stirling-Webb and Mrs Watts (cattery name DU BU). The group
comprised breeders of registered British type cats. These
breeders set themselves the task of crossing their females
with Champagne Chas, and later to mate the offspring back to
the father or to perform sibling matings in the first
generation. The theory of a recessive gene was confirmed in
every individual case, so that matings back to the father
resulted in 50% rex, and sibling matings gave the expected
1:3 ratio, consistent with Mendel's theory.
In 1960 these beautiful animals started to appear on the
English show bench. Due to outcrossings to the British
Shorthair, the rexes of that time looked more like curly
coated British than anything else. Those who had known
Kallibunker said that he was definitely Foreign typed, i.e.,
with a long slender body, long legs and tail, and large,
high-set ears on a moderately long head with a straight
profile; a type, which we nowadays might consider to be
Oriental. To correct the appearance and to provide new blood
in the breed, in 1965 a fourth generation descendant of
Kallibunker was imported from Canada. That cat, RIO VISTA
KISMET, was a result of outcrossings to ordinary white
housecats and sealpoint Siamese cats. Rio Vista Kismet was of
an extremely oriental type, and it is thanks to that cat that
most existing Rexes are of the slender type, as opposed to
the American Rexes that have developed into an extremely
slender type.
At the same time, that is in 1960, Mrs Cox found in the
vicinity of a tin mine at Buckfastleigh in Devon, bordering
to Cornwall, a curly coated male kitten whom she took home as
a pet. She had regularly seen a curly coated male cat at the
mine and took him to be the father of her little pet. All
attempts to catch the old male failed. Mrs Cox called the
kitten KIRLEE. About the same time she read about
Stirling-Webb's curly cats and contacted him to tell him
about her discovery. He was highly excited and offered to buy
Kirlee. Mrs Cox eventually parted from her beloved pet to the
Rex group who were delighted to discover a new male for
breeding. Kirlee was mated to several of Champagne Chas'
daughters, but to everyones consternation and great
disappointment all the results were not curly, but wholly
ordinary cats! For the sake of confirmation, the matings were
repeated without any change in the outcome, so it could be
seen that Kirlee was the result of a different mutation. This
was temporarily given the name of GEN-2, GEN-1 being the one
from Cornwall.
 
Kirlee was definitely of a different phenotype, (that is, of
a different appearance), from the GEN-1 rexes. He appeared to
be of "Foreign type", but his coat was less curly.
The biggest difference was, however, in his head structure.
Kirlee's head was almost elfin or pixie like, with broad
cheekbones, giving the appearance of a pinch, a clear stop on
his nose, and large, low set ears. Both types of rex had much
in common; they displayed a marked intelligence and a need to
both receive and give affection.
The Rex cats' future was passed to the Committee of
The Colourpoint and AOV Club, originally set up by
Stirling-Webb in 1959. The club worked out a preliminary
standard of points for both GEN-1 and GEN-2 types. These
standards were finally approved by the GCCF (Governing
Council of the Cat Fancy), who decided that the two genotypes
should not be mixed. Regrettably, some breeders used first
generation cats after GEN1 x GEN2 matings in their breed. For
further breeding, these breeders had to choose those gene
type hybrids the phenotype of which looked like the
standard. Within FIFe (the European
Fédération International Féline)
it is forbidden to cross the two genotypes.
In 1964 a new club for Rexes, The Rex Cat Club, was
formed, and The Colourpoint and AOV Club, that did all the
pioneering work, changed its name to The Colourpoint and
Rex-Coated and AOV Club. These two clubs have through the
years had a good working relationship and it is due to their
energy that the Rex cats, both Gen-1, now called Cornish Rex,
and Gen-2, Devon Rex, were recognised in 1967 by the GCCF and
approved to certificate status in Great Britain. FIFe
followed their lead a short time later.
In the years from 1950 to 1960 more Rex type mutations
appeared in the former East Berlin, and in Ohio, Oregon and
California in the USA. The Ohio branch died out very quickly;
the Oregon branch gave ordinary cats after test crossings
with both Cornish and Devon and thus proved eventually to be
a third gene, GEN-3. Further research showed that the East
Berlin cats, now called German Rex, as well as the California
cats, were identical to the Cornish, and so were from the
same mutation.
The first Cornish and Devon Rex in Denmark were imported
from England in 1966. It has been shown that any fur pattern
and colour can be 'Rexed', so today Rex cats can be
found in all imaginable (and unimaginable!) colours, and
colour patterns, the Siamese coloured variety being called
the Si-Rex; shorthaired, long and semi-longhaired, such as
the Bohemian, Selkirk, Ural Rex and the LaPerm. In South
Africa, even a Rex-Abyssinian has been produced.
BREED DESCRIPTIONS
In order fully to appreciate the unique looks of the Rex and
the Sphynx cats, it is first of all necessary to ignore ones
preconceived idea of how a cat ought to look!
CORNISH REX
is a medium sized cat with a firm, muscular body and long
straight legs that give a high stepping appearance. The paws
are small and oval, the tail is long, fine and pointed. The
head is of a wedge form, narrowing down to a firm chin; in
profile there is a straight line from the centre of the
forehead to the end of the nose. The eyes are almond shaped
and of a colour to complement the fur colour; the ears large
and set high and well apart at the base. The high cheek bone,
aristocratic profile and long, slender neck contributes to
the cats look of elegance. The fur, that comes in many
different colour varieties, with or without white, is short,
thick and plushy, without guard hairs, and lies in neat,
tight waves. The whiskers and eyebrows are curly and of a
good length.
A Cornish Rex is an agile, almost athletic cat. It is
intelligent and ideal for people who like a lively pet with a
high activity level. Although it loves to be a lap cat, it
also likes to sit on the owner's shoulders. A Cornish Rex
is an active cat with an inquisitive and extrovert nature. It
looks for heights: the top of a scratching post,
refrigerator, book shelves and cupboards are its preferred
vantage points where it can keep an eye on its domain. A
Cornish Rex, as also with a Devon Rex, demands attention and
craves close contact with its owner.
Popular science writers, for example Desmond Morris, claim
that the Cornish Rexes don't moult and are classed as
hypoallergenic (i.e. only in exceptional cases cause allergic
reactions). The fact is, they moult in the same way as other
furred species, as it is necessary for the growth of new fur.
(You should definitely not let a white or cream Cornish Rex
on your lap when wearing your best, black, party clothes!)
Allergy to cats is not only due to their actual fur, but also
to the protein in their saliva. When cats wash, the fur is
coated with saliva that gets into the atmosphere when the fur
is shed.
DEVON REX
is a medium sized cat with a firm, muscular, body and long,
slender legs; the back legs are longer than the front and are
set in such a way that there is a suspicion of being bandy.
Their paws are small and oval, the tail is long, fine and
pointed. The head is short and wedge shaped with prominent
cheekbones and full cheeks. Short snout with a strong chin
and pronounced whisker bed. A very short nose and a rounded
forehead gives the impression of a stop. The forehead curves
back to a flat skull. A large separation between the eyes,
that are big, oval and tilted towards the ears' outer
edge. The eye colour is clear and transparent. The ears are
very large, low set, broad at the base, with or without
tufts. The fur, that is found in many colour varieties, is
very short, fine, wavy and soft, with or without guard hairs.
The whiskers and eyebrows are curly, of a medium length, and
preferably coarse.
The Devon Rex is an intelligent, determined cat that seldom
is found sitting quietly on a window ledge or wandering
restlessly on account of boredom. They follow everything you
do and are in to everything. Whilst a Cornish Rex has a
gentle nature with perpetual yearning to please its owner, a
Devon Rex can be very devil-may-care. Where other cats do
things 'one claw at a time', they try with all ten at
once! A Devon Rex will always see how far it can go, and will
do so time and again. It wants to decide for itself! Their
temperament is very charming and entertaining.
A Devon Rex is also hypoallergenic, so the same applies as
described under 'Cornish Rex'.
THE STORY OF THE GERMAN REX
The German Rex breed began with the male cat Munk, in 1930-31
in the East European town of Königsberg. He was the son
of an Angora cat and a Russian Blue and had two other curly
brothers in the litter, but they were castrated early. Munk
spread his genes plentifully through the town's beautiful
lady cats, but for his owner his value was as himself, not
for his curly coat.
In the summer of 1951 a doctor, Dr Rose Scheur-Karpin,
noticed in the hospital garden, a black, curly coated, cat.
The clinic's personnel told her that they had known the
cat since 1947. The doctor named the cat Lämmchen
(German for little lamb). Her supposition that she must be
the result of a mutation, was shown to be correct. Thus
Lämmchen was the first breeder-owned rex type cat and
the maternal ancestor of all the current German Rex.
 
First in 1957, when her life-long partner Blacki I died, Rose
attempted to mate Lämmchen with her son Fridolin. She
got two curly male kittens and two normally coated, female
kittens. Thus was a mutation proved. In the meantime there
had also been found curly coated cats in England, the later
Cornish and Devon Rex. At the time it was not clear whether
or not there were different genes involved. Uncontrolled
breeding over some years, resulted in no more German Rexes
being found. By 1968, there were only three descendents of
Lämmchen known.
It is only thanks to the Barensfeld family (breeders in
Grund in East Berlin) that the few wonderful German pedigree
cats were protected. The three known animals from that
breeder were Ferdi, Roland and Silke von Grund. In the
beginning the Barensfeld family knew nothing of the new Rex
mutations in England or of the crossed Devon Rex in the
breed. It was only when normally coated offspring were
obtained, that it was shown that there must be different
'curly genes'. Through the years the German Rex
breeders attempted, like other curly cat breeders, to build
up a bigger base of breeding stock by outcrossing. The
Wöllner family (breed name von Zeit) in the old West
Germany accidentally heard about these characteristically
curly coated cats. Their greatest wish became to own one of
them themselves. They contacted the Barensfeld's, but
because of the political situation it was absolutely
impossible to exchange cats. That changed in 1973, and so
began German Rex breeding in West Germany.
In 1979 in Sieburg a curly male cat was found. He was black
and white and called Puschkin. The Wöllner's renamed
him Kater Preu, and his genes enriched the gene pool for
German Rex breeders. But already after the result of the
first mating to everyones astonishment it was apparent that
he probably had quite other 'curly genes'. He was
straight away castrated, so it was never found of what type
they were. The Wöllner's are honoured in the ranks
of the German Rex breeders. Their best known breeding male
was Dietrich von Zeit, but also littermates Xerri and Xanti
made history when in August 1981 they brought forth the first
German Si-Rex, Dianne-II. Dianne was a slender and delightful
outcome that the family never expected. A Fru Glück on a
visit to them one day, fell in love with the kitten and took
it home. She began to breed the pedigree under the name von
Glücksanger.
Among other known, later, GRX breeders is Annelise Hackmann,
a former FIFe judge and the chairman of 1. DEKZV. But the
breed had poor penetration against the other curly breeds. In
the last decade the GRX breeders would have succumbed if it
had not been for the efforts of the Swiss breeder Fru
Schwarzenbach (as Frizzled Frolic) who took the initiative to
revive the breed.
BREED DESCRIPTION
GERMAN REX
is a medium sized, muscular cat with slender legs of a medium
length. The head is round with well developed cheeks and
large, open, ears. The eyes are of medium size in colours
related to the coat colour. The coat is silky and short, with
a tendency to curl. The whiskers also curl. All colours of
coat, with or without white, are allowed. The body
development is heavier than the Cornish Rex - more like the
European Shorthairs. A German Rex cat is very friendly and
quickly makes contact with its owner. It is lively, playful
and intelligent. It is the master of all acrobatic tricks,
which it repeats again and again with huge enjoyment. Its
temperament is much the same as a Cornish Rex. German Rex
breeding was in the doldrums in the mid-70's, but there
is now a group of keen breeders in Germany, Finland,
Switzerland, Russia, Holland, Sweden, and Denmark that are
trying to re-establish the breed, especially by adding
Cornish Rex in matings as the two types are genetically
equivalent.
THE STORY OF THE SPHYNX
Hairless cats have been known throughout the world for over a
hundred years. The first attempts to properly breed these
cats took place in the 1960's in Canada, where a black
and white cat called ELISABETH gave birth to a hairless
kitten. A research programme did not manage to get anywhere,
and the CFA (Cat Fanciers Association) that had given its
permission for the research, withdrew the permission in 1971.
At that point in time it was thought that the Sphynx
generating gene was a lethal one. At that time the cats were
called Canadian Hairless, The Moon Cat, or the cat
without fur. The line died out.
The Sphynx cat today is now descended from shorthaired
housecats. The first example (of the current breed) turned up
in 1975 in Wadena, Minnesota. JEZABELLE, a stray shorthaired
cat came to the farm owned by Milt and Ethelyn Pearson.
Shortly after was born a hairless kitten that they called
EPIDERMIS. The year after, Jezabelle gave birth to a female
kitten called DERMIS. These two cats were transferred to Kim
Mueske (cattery name Z. STARDUST) in Tigard, Oregon, where
Epidermis was the antecedent of the existing Sphynx
breed.
In 1978 three hairless kittens were collected from
Toronto's streets. The male cat BAMBI stayed in Canada,
while two females, PUNKIE and PALOMA were sent to Dr. Hugo
Hernandez in Holland. These two cats were the beginning of
the 'European' Sphynx cat breed.
Continually through the years there have been found
'accidental' hairless cats in different places in
USA, Canada and Russia. The latest was in Tennessee, where a
hairless kitten was born - both its parents being long
haired!
BREED DESCRIPTION
THE SPHYNX
is a medium sized, robust and muscular cat with a broad
chest. The body is round at the stomach, as if it has just
had a big meal; but the cat is definitely not fat. The head
is wedge shaped with gentle curves and tightly limited
whisker beds. Prominent cheek bones and a nose with a
noticeable stop. The eyes are oval and angled towards the
ears' outer edge. The ears are large, but not too high or
lowly set. The tail is extra long and the pads on the long,
slender toes are very powerful.
The Sphynx - in contrast to popular belief - is not a
completely hairless cat. Its body may be covered with a very
short down. The ears, muzzle, tail and feet can be covered
with a soft, dense, very short fur; some only a little and
others with none. A Sphynx's skin has a wrinkled
appearance, especially the kittens, who are often said to
appear to be wearing pyjamas that are a couple of sizes too
large. Its skin temperature feels very warm, very much like a
warm peach or wash leather.
 
The Sphynx does not need any special food or care. It
definitely has no need for clothes! It is a good idea to
bathe it, just like a child, as it gets dirty as if it had
played in a sandpit. The skin must also be cleaned of its
natural oils, that in other cats are absorbed by the fur. The
big ears, that do not have hair to filter dust and dirt, must
also be frequently cleaned to prevent a build up of earwax.
The Sphynx has a ferocious appetite and eats more than most
other cats as it has the higher metabolic rate that is
necessary to keep up its raised body temperature. The Sphynx
is nevertheless not a 100% indoors cat. If one can arrange to
offer an outdoor cat run, it will be greatly appreciated. It
will obviously be necessary to provide both shelter and
shade. If the cat is light coloured, then one can apply sun
cream on exposed places, such as the ears, as a sun blocker.
In cold weather one must take care as they can quickly cool
down. Indoor temperatures that are comfortable for people,
are also comfortable for a Sphynx. If they feel cold, they
will quickly find a warm place for themselves, under bed
covers, on the television, and so on.
Personality and the Sphynx goes hand in hand. They are
lively, inquisitive, and have a crazy streak. They are loving
and sociable; love to lie in your arms like a baby, and mix
well with other cats and with dogs.
A Sphynx is also hypoallergenic, so the same applies as
described under 'Cornish Rex'.
SELKIRK REX DESCRIPTION
The Selkirk Rex has an alert and active personality with a
sweet and endearing disposition. A Selkirk Rex is a medium to
large cat with heavy boning that gives the cats a surprising
weight and an impression of power. The curl is plush and
loosely curled, showing up more dramatically on the longhair.
Selkirks are healthy and sturdy. The breed is incredibly
patient, loving, and tolerant. The Selkirk Rex is neither a
curly British Shorthair nor at all like the other Rex
types!
Females may be less massive than males but are not dainty in
appearance.
All coat colours, patterns and colour combinations are
acceptable, including any white markings on any coat pattern.
It has a coat that is randow and unstructured and this is
particularly apparent in the longhaired cat.
GENERAL RULES FOR ALLERGY SUFFERERS
Do not buy a Cornish or a Devon Rex or a Sphynx cat without
having been in contact with one of them for at least 24
hours. Some breeders will 'lend' a cat to you for a
weekend. If that can't be done, then be sure to get a
written agreement with the breeder that the cat can be
returned within eight days without financial penalty.
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