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Rex
Rex, a common name for any of three distinct breeds of curly-coated cat: the Cornish rex, the Devon rex, and the Selkirk rex.
| Cornish Rex |
The Cornish rex has a soft and wavy coat, a slender body, and a tucked-up tummy like a greyhound. The first Cornish rex, named Killibunker, was born in 1950 to two ordinary shorthaired cats in Cornwall, England. The ancestry of every Cornish rex cat can be traced back to Killibunker. The Cornish rex has extremely fine bones and comes in nearly every color and pattern.
| Devon Rex |
The Devon rex has a short, soft coat with a relaxed wave. The first Devon rex was born in 1960 in Devon, England to two otherwise ordinary cats. Attempts were made to breed the Devon rex with the Cornish rex, but only straight-coated kittens were produced. Eventually it was determined that the two curly-coat mutations were incompatible with each other; the Devon rex then became a separate breed with a distinct body type. The Devon rex has extremely large ears, a small head, and large oval eyes, giving it an elfin look. It has a quiet voice and an alert, loving disposition.
| Selkirk Rex |
The Selkirk rex has a wavy coat that can be either short or long. A third curly-coat mutation causes the wavy coat; the gene differs from the Cornish rex and the Devon rex genes in that the Selkirk gene is dominant, whereas the other two are recessive. The new mutation appeared in the American state of Wyoming in 1987; the curly-coated kitten was sent to a Persian breeder in Minnesota who eventually developed the breed. The Selkirk rex is a large, sturdy, muscular cat, unlike the other two rex breeds, which are smaller and more delicate. It is relaxed, outgoing, and people-oriented.
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