A Cornish Rex is a
breed of domestic
cat, with
no hair
except for
down. Most breeds of cat have three different types of hair in
their coats: the outer fur or "guard
hairs", which is about 5 cm long in shorthairs and 10cm+ long in
longhairs; a middle layer called the "awn
hair"; and the
down hair or undercoat, which is very fine and about 1 cm long.
Cornish Rexes only have the undercoat.
The coat of a Cornish Rex is extremely fine and soft to the
touch. However, their light coat means that they are only suitable
for indoor living in warm and dry conditions. Consequently, these
cats tend to hang around light bulbs, the tops of computer monitors,
and other warm places. Cornish Rexes also have a mild cheesy smell
peculiar to the breed; this odour comes from scent glands in the
paws.
The Cornish Rex is an adventurous cat and is very intelligent. It
can readily adapt to new situations and will explore wherever it can
go, jumping into refrigerators, examining washing machines, etc.
Humans often consider its antics to be deliberately mischievous, but
this is
anthropomorphism. The Rex is extremely curious, seeks out the
company of people and is friendly towards other companion animals.
It is a suitable pet for timid children.
Origin
The Cornish Rex is a
genetic mutation that originated from a litter of kittens born
in the
1950s on a farm in
Cornwall,
UK (hence their name). One of the kittens, a cream-colored male
named Kallibunker, had an extremely unusual, fine and curly coat; he
was the first Cornish Rex. The owner then bred Kallibunker back to
his mother to produce other curly-coated kittens. Cornish Rexes were
later brought to America and crossed with Siamese, giving them their
long whippy tails and big ears.
The
Devon Rex is a very similar breed. Crosses between Devon and
Cornish Rexes are not permitted in pedigrees and matings between
them will not produce a cat with short wavy fur. Another
hair-deficient breed is the
Sphynx cat, which has no hair but may have a very light coat of
fuzz.
Despite some belief to the contrary, the Cornish Rex's short hair
does not make it non- or hypo-allergenic. Most people who have cat
allergies are allergic to cat
dander
and cat saliva. Since Cornish Rex cats groom as much as or even more
than ordinarly cats, a Cornish Rex cat will still produce a reaction
in people who are allergic to cats. However, because of the fine,
light fur that is shed from these cats, people with only mild
allergies may experience fewer symptoms with a Rex.
Using the word "Rex" to imply short or otherwise unusual fur
originates from an occasion when King
Albert I of Belgium (1875-1934) entered some short-haired
rabbits in a rabbit show. They did not meet the breed standard, but
the show's officials did not wish to risk offending the king by
rejecting them. Instead, they accepted them but wrote "Rex" (Latin
for "king") beside their names.
Breed Articl
The Cornish Rex: Fifty Years of Making Waves By Dan Petty.
The year 2000 is special in many ways. It heralds the start of a
new millenium. It causes grave trouble for older computers and
computer software. It makes your books of unused checks with the
"19___" on the date line obsolete. And it's the Golden Anniversary
of the Cornish Rex breed. That's right, those big-eared, curly
little mutants have been making waves for 50 years!
It was July 21, 1950, to be precise, at Bodmin Moor in Cornwall,
England, when Nina Ennismore discovered an unusual kitten among her
tortie and white cat "Serena's" latest litter. A little
cream-colored male was covered with tight rows of tiny curls, giving
him the appearance of a miniature lamb. As the kitten grew, his
difference from his littermates became more dramatic; instead of the
sturdy body and round head typical of the British domestic
shorthair, Serena's kitten had a slender fine-boned body standing on
long legs, a narrow head, enormous "bat ears," and a long whippy
tail. Mrs. Ennismore didn't quite know what to make of this odd
creature but decided he'd make a fine pet, so she took him to her
veterinarian to be neutered. If not for the vet's realization that
this cat was something truly special, the Cornish Rex might never
have come to be.
Mrs. Ennismore's vet advised her to consult with noted British
geneticist A.C. Jude about Kallibunker, as the odd little cat was
called. Dr. Jude recognized that Kallibunker was a genuine mutation,
and suggested that Kallibunker should be bred back to his mother to
perpetuate the look. As expected, two curly kittens were produced in
the litter of three. Since Mrs. Ennismore had bred and shown Rex
rabbits and was familiar with a similar mutation in mice, she made
the connection in the coat types and named the new cat breed Rex.
Kallibunker was test bred to Burmese, Siamese, and other British
domestic shorthairs, and the mutation was shown to be a recessive
one. Further test breedings among Kallibunker's offspring confirmed
that two curly-coated cats would produce only curly offspring.
When Life magazine published a short article and pictures of
Kallibunker and one of his kittens in 1956, cat fanciers worldwide
perked up in notice of this completely new breed. The following
year, Frances Blancheri of California imported two Rex from Mrs.
Ennismore: a red tabby son - Pendennis Castle - and a blue
granddaughter - Lamorna Cove (who was bred to her father, "Poldhu,"
before being shipped from Britain). Although apparently healthy,
Pendennis Castle never sired, but Lamorna Cove's first U.S. litter
contained four kittens, two of whom became foundation cats in
virtually every Cornish Rex line in the U.S. The blue and white
male, "Marmaduke," was purchased by Helen and Walter Weiss, and he
became the father of the entire Daz-Zling line. The blue and white
female, Diamond Lil of Fan-T-Cee, was purchased by Peggy Galvin and
bred to a blue point Siamese, establishing early the pointed gene in
the color pool (which wouldn't be accepted for championship
competition for another 27 years!).
While the Rex was being soundly propagated in the U.S., the story
was somewhat different back in the U.K. Nina Ennismore was running
short of funds and the Rex breeding program was a major financial
sink for her. In 1956 she destroyed a number of cats, including
Kallibunker (because he constantly fought with another male) and his
dam Serena. The number of breeding male Rex in all of England was
reduced to two - Poldhu (a fertile blue-cream) and Sham Pain
Charlie. Because of Poldhu's unusual color (for a fertile male), a
veterinarian was taking a tissue sample for research when the cat
was accidentally castrated (ironically, not only was Poldhu's
virility lost, but so was the tissue sample!). This left only a
single breeding male in England to carry on the breed. Thus, when
Helen Weiss of Daz-Zling contacted Mrs. Ennismore for breeding
stock, there was none to be had. The Rex in the U.S. were outcrossed
to Siamese, American Shorthairs, Burmese, and Havana Browns.
Although this proved a short-term setback to type, it provided a
broad genetic base upon which to build a breed.
In 1960, Beryl Cox of Devonshire, England discovered a male kitten
with a curly coat and a pixie face among strays in a field near her
home. Adopting the cat as a pet, she named it "Kirlee," and British
cat fanciers believed another Rex outcross had been found to
rejuvenate the breed. However, when Kirlee was bred to curly-coated
descendants of Kallibunker, the kittens were all normal coated.
Kirlee was recognized as a different Rex mutation, dubbed Gene II
(and Kallibunker and his descendents were retroactively labeled as
Gene I). While many of these normal coated kittens found their way
into Gene I breeding programs, the Rex breeders agreed not to repeat
a Gene I - Gene II cross. Kirlee went on to a distinguished career
as the foundation cat in the Devon Rex breed.
Meanwhile, back in the U.S., an odd-eyed calico with a curly coat
turned up in a California animal shelter. She wound up in the
possession of Bob and Dell Smith of Rodell Cattery, who promptly
named her Mystery Lady of Rodell. Mystery Lady was bred to Fan-T-Cee
Blue Boy, a Rex hybrid son of Diamond Lil of Fan-T-Cee. When the
resulting kittens were straight-coated it was initially assumed
Mystery Lady was not a Gene I mutation. In fact, the litter simply
defied the odds. Subsequent breedings with the kittens and with
Mystery Lady proved she and her kittens were Gene I, and she became
the foundation of the Rodell line behind many of today's Cornish
Rex.
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