White Cats?
Of course pure white cats (Dominant White) can come is many shapes, sizes and breeds. A word of warning to those people seduced by this coat colour New Zealand sun and Dominant white cats are a recipe for certain suffering. Dominant white cats are extremely susceptible to skin cancer and if they live long enough they will develop this condition.

Of Course Devon Rex are able to suffer any disease afflicting cats, This page is not intended to be a comprehensive cover of all cat diseases and infections, but rather to briefly discuss those issues more relevant to the Devon Rex Breed
The Devon Rex is still a very new breed, therefore there has been much inbreeding to produce a gene poole and to set the type desired for the breed. Unfortunately with this inbreeding has also come several genetic defects, the two most note worthy being Pseudo Haemophillia and Spasticity. We are most fortunate in being able to work with cats test mated safe from both these defects. However in order to continue to produce kittens we know are safe, we are having to out cross to cats of other breeds, including Domestic, abyssinian and Tonkinese. The kittens from these matings are registered on the Provisional Register as Devon Rex Variants (Hybrids). We personally feel this out cross program is well worth the time and expense that it entails. Devons are too wonderful a breed to see them suffering from these defects.
As well as several other breeds including Birman and Abyssinian, Devons often have Type B blood. While this in it's own right is not of concern, it is worth noting in case of a medical or surgical emergency, as the giving of the incorrect blood type in a transfusion could be fatal. As breeders we must hand feed any kittens from type B queens mated to type A studs, for a period of twenty four Wisecracks Devon Rex Kitten Jack O aka Pixel

Wisecracks Devon Rex Kitten Jack O aka Pixel

hours. This avoids the kittens absorbing antibodies from their mothers milk, to their own blood. After this time period the kittens can nurse safely from their mothers. While we hand feed the litter, the mothers are adorned with a custom made body suit, making nursing impossible. They can still enjoy bonding with and grooming their precious kittens.

We have had several health issues occur this year (2006) Because I have an ongoing relationship with my kitten homes, I do share in the joys and heartaches. It also gives me the essential tools for tracking my cats ongoing health. I have designed a Health Review form which will be sent annually to all kitten owners for the life of their cats, the information from these reviews will be recorded on my database. I am also starting a DNA bank for all breeding cats, although this is of little use presently, they will be of use in the future if and when genes are identified for various disorders

HCM (Hypertrophic Cardio Myopathy) This disorder is one of the most common causes of heart disease in cats, and can affect any breed of cat including Domestic. It's mode of inheritance is different in different species and different breeds. In Maine Coone cats this is caused by an autosomal dominant gene. However in Devon Rex it is still not established how the disease is inherited, but thought to be via a series of genes i.e. polygenic. This makes eliminating the disease very difficult. Sadly we have produced our first cat with this problem, he became acutely unwell at 2 1/2 years old and died within hours. The few cats in our breeding program who are related have been Echo tested, Elvis Purreezily had some changes, he was desexed and retired, his sister was clear and had futher clear tests, she is now retired.

Hip Dysplasia Again this is a health issue which can and does occur in any animal with hip, so fish etc are safe. In humans it is commonly known a 'clicky hips' The hip joint is a ball and socket joint, in hip dysplasia, the socket is aften shallow and therefore the ball portion of the joint does not fit well. this can lead to the joint wearing and in severe cases becoming dislocated. Because cats are light bodied, and excercise at their will, they are often not diagnosed. We have had a year old cat develop an odd gait and his xray has indicated a degree pf hip dysplasia. because cats are rarely actually diagnosed, there is not grading system such as there is available for dogs.