Breed Personality Profile

In order to truly appreciate the unique appearance of the Devon Rex, you must first set aside your preconceptions of what a cat should look like. Devon's have their own version of the ultimate pixie feline. Low set oversize ears jut out and away from the sides of an elfin cheeky face with a turned up nose. Large impish eyes suggest a madcap personality and a nimble mind. Whiskers looking more like a five o'clock shadow or the result of a disastrous perm, than those that would normally be found on the face of a cat.

A coat of downy fur that curls and ripples covers a deceptively muscular body. However Devons may wear a variety of coats. Not only can the wave of the coat vary so can the thickness or density. Devon coats may range from a tidy smooth ripple to a full rolling loose uneven look and at the other extreme some devons have only peach fuzz or what is referred to as a suede coat, this may be complimented by longer hair on the ear muffs, thighs, legs and tail giving them a distinctly disheveled look!

Kitten coats usually thin out (moult) at about eight weeks of age. Although some kittens escape this moult phase, many juveniles keep their suede look until the adult coat starts to come in which can take up to 2 years. It has recently been discovered that the Devon Rex gene is actually an allele of the sphinx gene which perhaps contributes to this phenomenon. Devons are friendly, lively, affectionate, playful, intelligent, mischievous, impish, enterprising and active.

Devons rarely sit upon a windowsill looking elegant or bored. Devons are seldom elegant and never bored (or boring).

They leap onto your shoulders and make themselves comfortable or they lie across the back of your neck and investigate your ear. They are able to to locate the exact spot to sit which will make them impossible to ignore! They have a sense of humour and are very determined!

They lie in stacks like a pile of soft toys in front of heat vents, or pile one upon another until they lay six deep in a cat bed designed for one or two, or pile into boxes, drawers, baskets or any available space until it is filled to capacity! Baking out of the oven can make a warm, soft bed, and they are happy to curl up around or on warm cakes and crumbles!

They are skilled food thieves; if it is edible they will steal it, rip it open, try it, chew it, and if it meets their approval make it disappear.

Devons can have odd eating habits, including, pumpkin, cucumber, tomatoes, blueberry muffins to name a few!

Devons like dogs will follow you from room to room, their tails wagging in anticipation. They chat with little chirrups, chortles and trills, but their purring may drown out their other conversation.

Devons love to retrieve

And Devons often seem to be fascinated by water, many actually getting into the shower or even the bath with their families.

Devons do not meander, they favour a purposeful trot. They know where they are going and what they are going to do when they get there. They are also great climbers, and sometimes they even find their way back down! They can be accident prone!

Devons Love helping with house work! They excel at rinsing dishes! Cleaning shower glass, and putting decorative footprints on bath and bench surfaces is one of their areas of expertise.

Devons are creative and inventive, Like all cats they love heat, actually probably more than most cats, and they are very resourceful at discovering new and unique ways of keeping warm. Mouse has discovered a new four foot warmer! Scruffy Nuts has a large personal heated dog bed!

Devons make great dog trainers and dog companions

Devons like to play hide and seek!

Devons are very good at relaxing, not always in the most elegant of fashion!.

Some Devons can dance! Others dress up. But one way or another they leave a lasting impression on everyone fortunate enough to meet them! Devons are very sociable cats; they want to be with you, preferably on you and doing what you are doing, or at least making it difficult for either of you to do it properly.

One thing's for sure...
They have a way of weaseling their way into everyone's hearts, people and other pets alike, and specialize in winning over any non-believers.