This unusual cat appeared spontaneously
in a litter in the west of England nearly 50 years ago. The breed became know as the Rex and is renowned for being extremely
lively. It is a healthy cat, and quite normal in every respect except for its curly coat. Cross-breeding with Oriental Shorthairs
has produced many sought-after colours, including this beautiful, red smoke pattern. The Rex's coat looks thick and wavy,
but in fact offers little protection from the cold.
The Cornish Rex derives from a single
kitten born in 1950 to a normal, shorthair litter in Cornwall. The curly coat of the Rex (named after a similar coat found
in some rabbits) is a mutation. In fact, the coat is missing the outer guard hairs, while the secondary guard hairs and fine,
down hairs are wavy or curly and very short.
RIPPLE EFFECT
Cross-breeding with oriental shorthairs has produced an elegant,
svelte-looking cat that is now bred in many colours. The Red Smoke is perhaps one of the most striking because of its unusual
coat. This is deep red in hue with a lighter smoke pattern that is show off to its best effect when the cat moves. In recent
years this cat's strange, crimped look, has attracted a large and devoted following, perhaps because of its contradictions.
Its fur may feel silky and velvety to the touch, but it lies in tight, symmetrical waves. The Rex is slender, long-legged
and delicate in appearance, but its fine coat masks a muscular body.
FULL OF SURPRISES
The individual looks of the Cornish Rex are matched by its idiosyncratic
behaviour. It is a very lively cat, one that is well know to be a boisterous, playful character. It has an outstanding
ability to jump and can spring from floor to shoulder at one go
Cornish Rex kittens are highly active and sometimes acrobatic.
FACT FILE
BREED DEVELOPED:1950
COUNTRY:United Kingdom
TYPE:Shorthair
BODY SHAPE:Slender
WEIGHS UP TO:4.5kg/10lb
PLUS POINTS:Playful; active; intelligent;excellent pet;easy
to groom; sheds little fur so is less of a hazard to asthmatics
WATCH POINTS:Tends to overeat and ruin its svelte looks;
can be naughty
DID YOU KNOW ?
?The curly coat of the Rex is short and fine,
so the cat can become very uncomfortable in wet or cold weather.
?The Cornish Rex is not related to the Devon
Rex, a mutation what occurred 10 years later. When the tow were mated, none of the kittens turned out to be Rex, proving that
the two breeds are separate mutations.
?All Cornish Rexes are descended from a single
blue tabby Cornish Rex kitten called Kallibunker.
Tortoiseshell Manx
The Manx is an unusual breed because
it has little or no tail. This is due to a rogue gene in its make-up which causes it to be born this way. In all other respects,
the Manx is a completely normal, healthy shorthair. One story of origin is that the breed came to the Isle of man when tailless
cats swam ashore from a sinking ship of the spanish Armada in 1588. The Manx appears in various colours, but tortoiseshell
is one of the prettiest.
The Manx cat comes from the Isle of
man, in the Irish sea. Cats without tails appear in various parts of the world, and are often associated with islands. Such
cats can be born in any feline group but the mutation will disappear with subsequent breeding. On an isolated island, the
gene has the opportunity to flourish and establish itself.
BUNNY HOPS
Although the Manx resembles the standard British Shorthair, it
differs in several ways. Its back legs are much longer than its front ones, giving its spine its distinct, round shape. The
different leg lengths also account for the cat's curious gait it seems to hop rather than walk.
DEGREES OF TAILLESSNESS
Not all Manx cats are tailless. A Manx without any sign of a tail
is know as a rumpy. A true rumpy has a small dimple at the base of the spine. A Manx with a very short tail is know as a stumpy.
Another form of the Manx, the longy, has a nearly whole tail. These differences are important in breeding. If rumpies are
mated with rumpies, the litter may not survive. Rumpies, the show cats, are usually bred with stumpy or a longy to produce
healthy kittens.
Manx cats can be hard to breed because of their genetic make-up.
FACT FILE
BREED DEVELOPED:pre 1700s
COUNTRY:British Isles
TYPE:Shorthair
BODY SHAPE:Round
WEIGHS UP TO:5.5kg/12lb
PLUS POINTS:Friendly, retiring personality; curious; intelligent
WATCH POINTS:Needs daily grooming; difficult to breed; kittens
may have health problems due to genetic disorder
DID YOU KNOW ?
?The lack of a tail does not seem to affect
the Manx's sence of balance at all.
?Legend has it that the Manx cat was a late
arrival for the departure of the Ark and caught its tail in the door just as Noah was closing it.
?The Manx cat has become so popular on its
native island that it has been adopted as a symbol. It appears on coins in the Manx currency and also on the island's stamps.
Brown and White Sphynx
Few breeds are as controversial as the
extraordinary looking Sphynx, which is also know as the hairless cat. Sphynx cats are descended from a mutation which occurred
in Canada, but similar cats have been found in Franc, Australia and Morocco; the Brown and White colour combination is one
of the most common. The earliest records are to be found in Aztec culture, where the cats were documented for 500 years, in
what is present-day Mexico.
The sphynx may not have appealing looks,
but it has a very endearing and affectionate nature. The cat isn't bald, but has a fine covering of short hair over its body,
with longer fur covering its ears, face, feet and tail. It is a very elegant cat, often resting with a front paw lifted off
the ground in a pose characteristic of the breed.
FASCINATING FEATURE
Even without much fur, however, the cat's coloration is easily
seen, thanks to the pigmentation present in its skin. Bicolours, such as brown and white, are common, but other varieties
have been developed. There are even some blue-eyed siamese-type Sphynxes with characteristic coloration.
SPECIAL CARE
Despite its lack of fur, a sphynx cat needs routine grooming, but
with a soft cloth such as a chamois, rather than a comp. Its skin should be wiped at regular intervals to remove the sweat
which accumulates, which can lead to infection of the follicles. And the sphynx has a slightly higher body temperature than
other cats. Its lack of fur means that the skin is easily injured, so sphynxes should be kept away from other cats, in case
of fights.
The striking appearance of the sphynx is sure to attract attention.
FACT FILE
BREED DEVELOPED:1966
COUNTRY:Canada
TYPE:Shorthair
BODY SHAPE:Lithe with large, rounded ears
MAXIMUM WEIGHT:7kg/15lb
PLUS POINTS:Highly affectionate, with a unique appearance;
adapts well to apartment living
WATCH POINTS:Chilling and sunburn can be problems if the
sphynx is allowed outdoors.
DID YOU KNOW ?
?The Sphynx has been called the `suede hot-water
bottle` because of the fine, peach-like down covering its body.
?The breed ranks among the most expensive of
all domestic cats.
?The name for the breed comes from the sphynx
images associated with Egyptian culture.
?Sphynxes have a thicker covering of fur as
kittens than as adults. It is lost as they mature.
