Hmm, Cornish or Devon Rex

I am very intrigued by the REX breeds. However, the over-exuberant personality descriptions turn me off a little - am wanting some peace and quiet at home with a good friend, not a hyperactive monkey toddler who would have torn up my cushions / curtains / tracked litter everywhere whilst mommy was at work.

Sigh.

What do you suggest? An older rex? An older male rex? Are Devons better than Cornish in this respect? Visiting heaps of breeders' homes to look for my perfect cat?

Devon breeders I know call them Devil Wrecks even as adults

Selkirk Rexes are very laid back

I'm biased on the Rexes since I bred and showed the Cornies. Both rexes are basically the same type of personality. Just the looks are different and the coat quality IMO.

The Cornies are more racy looking (which I like better) and tend to hold the curly coat better. They actually have softer coats as there are NO guard hairs on a Cornish. The Devons do have some and their coats feel different - they also tend to shed out much more then a good Cornish.

IMO its more of the style you prefer then anything else. They both are very people oriented and accepting of almost anyone or any pet. They are both very active cats in running and jumping and they both are very much lap cats and under-the-cover cats.

Whichever you choose - you will not be disappointed in them at all. One important thing to remember - NEVER free feed Rex cats - they will overeat and get fat very fast. Kittens should be switched to adult foods by 4 months old or your kitten will be fat! They have 24/7 appetites and will let you know they are "starving" even right after they eat.

Their little paws are like fingers and they can open doors, etc. very quickly - they catch on fast and are very observing cats. If you tell them no, they cannot do something........believe me they will prove you wrong!

Rexes ARE active cats - and they do not mellow out till in late teens. My 14 yr old rexes still raced around the house. If you are looking for a quiet cat - don't get a rex.

Maybe you should consider the Selkirk Rexes as they are more to the laid back Brit personality.

It really depends what head type you like too - being a short face lover myself, I prefer the Devons and hope to work with them sometime in the future. They are a lot more popular here in NZ.

And in Aussie too - Devon breeders must be 5 to 1 over there. Only a handful of Cornie breeders from what I can tell.

Selkirks have a curly coat but are more like a British Shorthair in build and temperament - stocky bodies and a laid back approach to life, quietly and gently playful without being too hectic.

I have a 3 year old Cornish Rex cross who despite being half moggy shows absolutely NO sign of calming down in the near future, just today he catastrophised the kitchen for reasons unknown! He can open cupboard doors and is highly intelligent (and thus easily bored) and will make his own entertainment if he feels like it - things he has done include hiding in the kitchen bin and leaping out when I go past (making a huge mess in the process), and posting toy mice into the slot in the VCR. He also keeps undoing a bolt on the end of a sofa bed which is a slightly worrying act of sabotage. You can tell where he is by the sound of things crashing to the floor, and he doesn't stop for long, I swear he barely slept for the first 18 months of his life. He is a little bit calmer now, but that still makes him more of a livewire than 95% of other cats. My Oriental Shorthairs are sedate in comparison.

Personally I love a mischievous and chaotic personality to share my home with, but that is not for everyone - Selkirks are a much calmer option if you want a curly cat but don't want them to make your own hair curl! They come in both longhair and shorthair - personally I prefer the shorthair, their coat resembles a lamb, is low maintenance, and very soft to the touch.

So there is no such thing as a quiet cornish rex!! The toy mice into VCR comment made me LOL.

I really like the look of the breed - must have had my wires crossed- someone told me devons were laidback.

Does anyone have experience with moggy cornish rexes?? (ok... going a bit far fetched here) but if you bred a cornish with say a ragdoll...

Perish the thought of a Cornie and a Ragdoll cross! First of all you would get shorthair kittens but some of them would be longhair carriers and a longhair Cornie is horrible looking (I've seen one in person back in the 1980's and know of another one)

I also know of a Devon story (from Australia) where the Devon got his head caught in a garbage disposal and the story of all what happened had my husband laughing so hard (cat survived fine) - but would be typical of either breed getting themselves in a situation like that!

Unless you want a totally nutz cat that is very entertaining, you don't get a Cornie or Devon. I think the Selkirk would work better for you.

ok ok no devon or cornish until i get my own outdoor cat enclosure... i value my furniture way too much, and i go cranky when i have to do too much housework (see my other thread on exploding cat litter) on top of a hectic lifestyle.

so as i see it, an older laid back placid cat for when i'm younger (now) and a funny entertaining cat for when i'm older and can control my working hours a little better (later). i would love a clown but i need to build my dream house first too (later).

Oh yeah, my neighbour had a British short-hair. Very... stand-offish. Didn't quite take to her. I was thinking a lapcat who sleeps a lot, and is happy to be around humans.

Of course another alternative is visiting them ol' RSPCA shelters. Got enough cats for now. I started this thread because a breeder advertised a GORGEOUS Cornish boy who was being retired from stud duties and I was so tempted... but I think I'll wait until I'm more settled work-wise.

Will build my dream home later and breed cats in my retirement.

Cornies and Devons are not really into a lot of furniture scratching unlike other cats, but they tend to love to be in high places. They are not ones to knock off stuff too much. But I would recommend a pretty tall treehouse with lots of ramps, shelves, etc for them to entertain themselves with.

I have 2 Devons and a Devon/Sphynx cross, and I love their temperments. Very loving cats, mine are lap cats and love to be with us. I haven't had major problems with behaviour in the sense that they are so michevious that they ruin your house. All cats have a mischevious side to them, and I think when they start "acting out" it's because they need more playtime with you. I have so many wand toys and mice and balls, you'd think I just throw toys around to make my house look interesting!

I love my Devons and wouldn't trade them for the world!

Originally Posted by skewch

I have 2 Devons and a Devon/Sphynx cross, and I love their temperments. Very loving cats, mine are lap cats and love to be with us. I haven't had major problems with behaviour in the sense that they are so michevious that they ruin your house. All cats have a mischevious side to them, and I think when they start "acting out" it's because they need more playtime with you. I have so many wand toys and mice and balls, you'd think I just throw toys around to make my house look interesting!

I love my Devons and wouldn't trade them for the world!

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I have the same experience with my two Cornish Rexes. They are definately intelligent and are very active but not particularly troublemakers. They are higher energy than my other cats. They are also fearless and want to be wherever I am. I do have to lock them up when I cook as they will try to "help" especially if it is their favorite, chicken or salmon. I got the second cornish to wear out the first one. That being said they are still cats so they sleep the majority of the day. After I get home and everyone has their play session and a bout of Indy 500 around the house they are more often than not to be found waiting for me to settle down for a little telly so they can snuggle under the blankie. Especially in the winter time. They do get cold a little easy. I have blankies and warm cubby holes for them.

I also love my Cornies. They are the best but I am a little biased.

I have not ruled out getting a Cornish Rex.
I love how they feel.
I am looking at LaPerms and Sphynx also.
I do think a Cornish Rex would work out well with a sphynx though.
It will be hard to decide on what to get.
Some of the breeders are so pushy for me to get their breed of cat.

Mews,,,,,,you really need an Ocicat.....

I do love the Oci's also.
They are still on my list.
I have time to decide what do get.
I am not rushing into anything.
What ever I get does have to come from a good breeder.
I might get another sphynx and something else.
The next kitten will need to keep up with a Russian Blue mix and a sphynx.
I do not want a long hair kitten.

LOL. Arghhhhhh!!!!!!! Now I'm tempted to reconsider the Cornish boy I was eyeing. He's so CUTE and affectionate.

*tears hair out in frustration*

But I don't want to end up like some people I've seen at the RSPCA. I was there waiting for the vets and wandered into the front counter where you drop off your unwanted animals...

There were people in tears saying that they couldn't take it anymore, too much stress in personal / work life... cats have to go.

There was an angry woman giving away her dog because it barked too much (actually it was her son's dog, he was too busy to go to RSPCA).

And those poor animals looked so neglected.

The guy at the front said that they were overloaded with cats and they would be raising the temperament test pass/fail line so ANY signs of a bad temperament would = put to sleep for these animals.

Argh!