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Cornwall, England is said to be the birthplace of King Arthur, but it was also the birthplace of a truly unique breed of cat. The Cornish Rex was the first of the rexes, a group of cat breeds with an unusual curly or wavy coat. This foundational breed was named for its place of origin and its resemblance to Astrex or Rex rabbits, which have a similar coat. “Rex” is Latin for king. Fitting, then, that a legendary king and a kingly cat call the same place home.
History
On July 21st, 1950, a calico barn cat named Selena gave birth to a litter of five kittens. Selena’s owner, Nina Ennismore, noticed something unusual about one of the kittens. The bat-eared, cream tom had a soft, curly coat unlike anything Ennismore had ever seen before in a cat, but as a former rabbit fancier, she had seen something similar and recognized the potential. She named the unusual kitten Kallibunker and got in touch with British geneticist A. C. Jude to ask for advice. Jude suggested mating Kallibunker to Selena (known as a backcross in genetic parlance). The first litter produced one kitten with a normal coat and two with curly coats like Kallibunker.
Breeding the newly-minted Cornish Rexes with Siamese, Burmese, and British Shorthairs to widen the gene pool always resulted in cats with normal coats. It was realized that the curly-coat trait is recessive. Kittens must inherit it from both parents. A 2013 study determined that the Cornish Rex mutation is a small deletion in the lysophosphatidic acid receptor 6 (LPAR6) gene, which is important for normal hair shaft development in mammals, including humans (1). Mutations in this gene in humans cause woolly hair syndromes or hypotrichosis (short or sparse hair) (1).
A pair of Cornish Rexes from Kallibunker’s family line were exported to the United States in 1957, where Russian Blues, Havana Browns, and American Shorthairs contributed to the breed as well. The journey to the States was fortunate for the breed’s longevity, as it nearly went extinct in the United Kingdom around the same time (2, 3). The Cornish Rex has made a comeback, however, and was the sixth most popular breed in the Cat Fanciers’ Association in 2019.
Breed Characteristics
Of course, the hallmark of the Cornish Rex is that unique coat. Most cats have three types/layers of hair. On the outside are tough, protective “guard hairs,” about 2 inches or 5 centimetres long on shorthairs and 4+ inches or 10+ centimetres on longhairs (4). In the middle is the “awn hair,” and then the “down hair” or undercoat made of very fine, soft hairs about 0.4 inches or 1 centimetre long (4). Cornish Rexes only have an undercoat, and what fur they do have is wavy or curly. Even their whiskers are curly! The texture of a their coat is sometimes compared to crushed velvet, silk, or, ironically, rabbit fur. Because of the diverse background of the breed, the coat can come in any color or pattern.
The shape of a Cornish Rex is an unique as their coat. They have a slender, arched body with long, delicate legs and small paws. Their waists are small but their thighs are muscular. In fact, despite their dainty appearance, they are generally quite muscular, athletic cats. They only look fragile. They are actually a medium-sized cat, weighing about eight pounds. The tail is long, thin, and tapering. The head is perhaps the most outstanding feature. It is egg-shaped with large, oval eyes, high cheekbones, and a Roman nose. The ears are gigantic and high on the head.
If you find those over-sized ears a little comical, it’s okay to laugh, because Cornish Rexes are known for their sense of humor and love of attention. They are very active, playful, and social cats who always want to be involved in what their people are doing. Cornish Rexes like to snuggle, but not for too long, as these cats are energetic and not usually interested in spending a lot of time laying in your lap. They typically get along with children and other pets. In fact, due to their friendliness and willingness to be handled, Cornish Rexes make good therapy cats (5, 6, 7). They do not do well being left alone for long periods of time, however. They are highly social. Since most of us aren’t home all day, it’s a good idea to have an animal friend if you want a Cornish Rex.
As with any breed, a Cornish Rex is not for everyone. Some people may find their desire to be up close and personal all the time irritating rather than charming. They might be too high-energy for some households. Cornish Rexes can be talkers, probably due to their Siamese ancestry. They are not as loud or as chatty as a Siamese, but they are known to like to hold a conversation once in a while, so if a quiet cat is your preference, then a Cornish Rex might not be a good choice. However, they are great cats for chaotic households (lots of kids, other animals, clients in and out, etc.). They also travel well, so if you want a cat that can go with you on your globetrotting lifestyle, this breed can be a great option.
Health and Care
Despite the early inbreeding, the Cornish Rex has benefited from outcrosses with many breeds. They are a fairly healthy breed with few genetic health risks. There is a somewhat elevated risk in their gene pool of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a common form of heart disease in cats. They are sometimes prone to patellar luxation, a condition where the kneecap moves out of place. This may be reparable. Cornish Rex sometimes have hypotrichosis, possibly resulting in bald spots. Bald spots may also be the result of over-grooming because of stress or anxiety, so check with a veterinarian.
Sometimes Cornish Rexes develop skin problems since they lack most of their protective fur. They are particularly prone to sunburn, especially if they have light or white fur. But they are also more likely to feel cold, so if you choose a Cornish Rex, be careful not to let it spend too much time basking in the sun. It may be necessary to apply cat-safe sunscreen, especially if you want to walk your cat or let them into your yard or onto a catio.
Cornish Rex can be sensitive to certain anesthetics and may experiences dangerous side effects (4). If you have one that needs a procedure, be sure to discuss this with your veterinarian.
When it comes to grooming, less may be more. Brushing a Cornish Rex may damage their delicate fur. However, they may have a buildup of oils because they have less fur to absorb them. Depending upon the cat, they may only need a little cleaning around the face and paws, or they may need regular baths. Watch inside the ears and on the claws for oily buildup as well.
There is a myth that Cornish Rex are hypoallergenic because they have less hair than most cats. This is not true. Cat allergies are caused by proteins in cat danger and saliva, not by the hair itself. The hair can cause the offending dander to travel farther, and Cornish Rex do shed less, so some people with cat allergies might have less of a reaction to Cornish Rexes than other cats, but there is no guarantee. Rather than get a cat and find out it doesn’t help the allergies, and now you need to re-home it, it is best for someone with cat allergies to hand a cat of a breed they think might be less allergenic first and test their hypothesis.
If you think a Cornish Rex is the cat for you, adopt, don’t shop. Even purebred cats are surrendered every day. Check with your local shelter or see if there is a breed-specific rescue group in your area.
Fun Facts
- The term “Rex” was first applied to curly fur at a rabbit show where King Albert I of Belgium (1875-1934) entered his curly-haired rabbits. The officials knew they didn’t meet the standards, but they dared not reject the king’s rabbits, so they accepted them but wrote “Rex” for “King” on the score sheets (4, 8).
- Life magazine ran an article about Kallibunker in 1956. Quite the step up for a son-of-a-barn cat (3).
- The same mutation that causes the Cornish Rex’s special coat is also found in the rare, lesser-known German Rex, but not in other Rex cat breeds (1).
- Cornish Rexes have very dexterous paws. They pick up toys and throw them up in the air for their own entertainment. They’re happy to play catch with others, too.
Works Cited
- Gandolfi, B., et al. (2013). To the root of the curl: A signature of a recent selective sweep identifies a mutation that defines the Cornish Rex cat breed. PLoS One 8(6), e67105. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0067105
- Puisis, E. (2019, July 25). Cornish Rex: Cat breed profile. The Spruce Pets. https://www.thesprucepets.com/learn-all-about-the-cornish-rex-cat-4694497
- Cat Fanciers’ Association. (n.d.). The Cornish Rex. https://cfa.org/cornish-rex/cornish-rex-article/
- Europetnet. (n.d.). Cornish Rex. https://www.europetnet.com/pet-resources/cat-breeds/item/1920-cornish-rex.html
- VetStreet. (n.d.). Cornish Rex. http://www.vetstreet.com/cats/cornish-rex#overview
- CatTime. (n.d.). Cornish Rex. https://cattime.com/cat-breeds/cornish-rex-cats#/slide/1
- Kelley, J. A. (2015, February 3). Get to know the Cornish Rex: A pack of personality in a ballet dancer’s body. Catster. https://www.catster.com/lifestyle/cat-breeds-cornish-rex-personality-ballet-dancer-body-pictures-photos
- Houle, T. (2014, December 16). The Cornish Rex. Pet Health Network. http://www.pethealthnetwork.com/cat-health/cat-breeds/cornish-rex
- Petfinder. (n.d.). Cornish Rex. https://www.petfinder.com/cat-breeds/cornish-rex/
- Cat Fanciers’ Association. (n.d.). About the Cornish Rex. https://cfa.org/cornish-rex/
Published August 30th, 2020
Updated October 15th, 2020
