The Devon Rex’s fur is short and wavy, the body muscular, trim and compact. The coat color can vary dramatically, with solid, bicolor, tricolor, tabby and other coat variations seen within the breed standard. Some have described the Devon Rex as “elfish” in appearance, while others insist the Devon Rex looks more like a bat or other creature of the night with its large eyes, tremendous ears on a small, delicate face.

The Origin of the Devon Rex

Unlike many cat and dog breeds, the precise origin of the Devon Rex is well known. The Devon Rex breed arose in Devonshire, England in 1959, about one decade after the related Cornish Rex breed arose. According to the Cat Fanciers’ Association, a Briton named Miss Cox took in a stray cat who birthed an unusual litter of curly-haired kittens, believed to be the offspring of a curly-coated Tom Cat that roamed the neighborhood. And so the first litter of Devon Rex kittens was born.

Since the Devon Rex breed first arose in 1959, cat breeders have been carefully fine-tuning this relatively new type of cat through selective breeding with British Shorthairs and American Shorthairs.

The Personality of the Devon Rex Cat

Devon Rex owners can testify to the fact that it’s not just this cat’s physical appearance that’s earned them the description of “elfish.” The Devon Rex is notoriously mischievous.

Sasha Allen is a relatively new Devon Rex owner from the Boston area: “I thought my house was cat-proofed. I’ve owned cats for the past 18 years, so over time, my other cats have exposed every weak link in the house in terms of cat-proofing. Then I adopted Devon Rex pair – Albert and Herman – three years ago and I found that a whole new standard of cat proofing applies to these boys. They’re not destructive – never destructive, but they have a way of jumping and climbing like no other cat I’ve ever seen. I’ve found them on top of the cabinets, the refrigerator. They’ll even jump from the refrigerator to the top of the open kitchen door, where they’ll both sit for hours on end. They physically climb the bookshelf. They’re acrobats – ‘acrocats’ as we call them.”

Unlike many cats who are aloof and solitary, the Devon Rex breed is very social and playful. Many Devon Rex owners report that this breed will follow them as they move throughout the house.

Other Benefits of Owning a Devon Rex

Considering a Devon Rex? The Devon Rex is easy to groom, requiring just the basics in terms of brushing, ear cleaning, nail trimming and routine care.

Some websites and publications incorrectly state that the Devon Rex and other curly-coated cat breeds do not shed; this is false. The Devon Rex does shed, but shedding tends to be less pronounced because the Devon Rex’s coat is thinner than that seen in many other cat breeds. Another myth is that the Devon Rex is “hypoallergenic” – another falsehood, as there is no such thing as a “hypoallergenic” cat or dog. But it does seem that some cat breeds and dog breeds – including the Devon Rex – are generally well tolerated by people with allergies.

When adopted from a reputable breeder, a pet-quality Devon Rex kitten will cost, on average, between $750 USD and $1,000 USD. Show quality Devon Rex kittens can cost several thousand dollars.

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As this is a major upgrade to the MySQL database and many plugins were also updated, if you see anything “kooky” happening, please let me know in these comments.

In the meantime, I will be working on the archives in the background trying to make this a much better and user-friendly site, and if you have any suggestions, please feel free to contact me anytime.

Thank-You.
HART

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When a breeder registers a litter of kittens with the Cat Fancier’s Association, he or she has the option of deciding that the kitten cannot be bred. Only cats with a pin number on their registration forms will be eligible to have their kittens registered. This allows the breeders to continue to better their breeds. Once the litter is registered, each kitten will need to be individually registered by its new owner.

The CFA has placed the cat breeds it recognizes into three categories. These groups are the Championship Class, the Provisional Class, and the Miscellaneous Class. Each of the forty one breeds that the CFA recognizes is placed in one of these groups. When cats are shown, they must win first place in their breed and then their class before they can compete for the title of best in show.

Cats in the Championship Class are those who are solidly established cat breeds. The breeds in the Provisional Class have been more recently established and are still being closely watched to be sure they conform to the new breed standard. Finally, the one breed currently in the Miscellaneous Class is still having a breed standard created and cannot actually compete for the best in show title.

If you live in Canada, you have a second option. You can register your cat in the Canadian Cat Association. This association was formed by Canadians who did not want to register their cats with an association in another country. Other popular cat registries are the Traditional Cat Association, which supports original breed standards and does not uphold current trends that exaggerate breed characteristics, the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy, which is the United Kingdom’s cat registry, and the Fédération Internationale Féline, which is the European cat registry.

Although there are many breeds of cats, they all fit into one of two categories, short hair or long hair. Short hair cats include breeds such as the Abyssinian and the British Shorthair, while Norwegian Forest Cats and Turkish Angoras are representatives of long hair cats. Of the forty one CFA recognized cat breeds, the most popular is probably the American Shorthair, which has been in the United States for over 300 years. Although non-pedigreed pet cats often resemble this breed, it has actually been carefully and selectively bred for generation after generation to develop characteristics that would appear in every kitten. Other popular breeds are the Siamese, the Rex, the Main Coon, the Persian and the Ragdoll.

Just remember, a pedigree doesn’t make your kitten any more loving and affectionate. There are many wonderful pet cats without a pedigree. However, a pedigree does enable you to pick out a kitten that will have certain characteristics.

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Having many blogs in my network, I feel completely justified in promoting this event on every domain and blog that I have at my disposal! Please help me pass the word around the internet, and if you can contribute .. please do!

On September 27, 2007 .. a wonderful thing will happen. Bloggers from all around the world will be “Blogging For A Cause”. I will be participating with my fellow bloggers, and am asking you to help me participate in this event. I will be blogging to .. Stop Animal Cruelty and Pet Abuse - over at PetLvr.com - [The Blog]

I’ve done three posts so far for this event

1) An Introduction Post

2) A Clarification Post

3) How we rescued Zeus the Cat

To paraphrase from the PetLvr Site …

You Too Can Participate on September 27, 2007

I will be posting letters from “PetLvr Readers” around the world that have rescued an animal and made a positive difference in the life of one animal. YOU are the hero! I would like you to email me your story. Every story I receive on and before this Thursday will be published and permanently maintained on the PetLvr website, under a new page called “PetLvr Rescue Stories”. I will also link your website if you have one, and post a picture of your pet if you provide it to me.

* Did you rescue an animal from the humane society?
* Did you take a stray dog in and give it a home?
* Did you know any animal being abused and reported its owners to the authorities?
* Did you save any animal from natural disasters, such as Katrina or the Peru Earthquake?
* Do you work for any non-profit agency and helped save the life of an animal?
* If you are a non-profit agency and would like to be linked to your website 9.27.2007

Then … PLEASE! Email me your stories to: hart (at) PetLvr (dot) com with the subject: 9.27.2007

* If you have a blog, you too can join in with thousand’s of other blogs around the world. You can stop the abuse about any topic (elder abuse, children abuse, spousal abuse, environmental abuse, domestic violence, sexual abuse, abuse in the workplace, etc) .. it’s up to you!
Just follow the link from clicking the above graphic, and if you are not already a member of BlogCatalog.com .. well, join in and add me (PetLvr) as your friend! and you will be able to see your image in the widget in the sidebar when you come back here on September 27, 2007!

* If you do NOT have a blog .. feel free to start a *FREE* blog at PetLvr.com/mypet/ made available by PetLvr.com and start blogging! I will link all participating posts from there back over onto the main PetLvr blog … so start blogging!

cc’ed around the HART-Empire Network!

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The Turkish Van was developed before the seventeen hundreds from local cats. The Van is used to fending for itself in its natural environment, so it is no surprise that this breed is a bit aloof and independent compared to other breeds. If you have other pets, you may not want to add a Van to your household. These cats don’t always get along well with dogs or even other cats. This breed may also not be the ideal choice for families, as the Van is not interested in riding in doll carriages or attending tea parties.

While the Turkish Van enjoys spending some time alone, the breed is still quite playful and enjoys having a variety of toys to play with. In addition, although he may not pine for you during the day, your Van will enjoy spending time with you in the mornings and evenings. Just don’t expect him to curl up in your lap for hours on end while you watch the news.

The Turkish Van is a large, muscular cat with a wedge shaped head and large, round eyes. These cats can have eyes that are golden or blue, and eyes that are mismatched are also common. Lately, some green eyed cats are also appearing in this breed. This green color is not highly favored. This cat breed’s striking appearance is completed by a long, bushy tail.

The most distinctive characteristic of the Turkish Van is the breed’s unique marking pattern. These cats can only have color on their heads and tails. The rest of their bodies must be pure white. The colored portions of the Van’s body can be Auburn, Cream, Black, Blue and Tortoiseshell. Although all of these colors are allowed by the Cat Fanciers Association, some other associations are much stricter and only accept Auburn and Cream colors.

Although the Turkish Van has a longhair coat and a very long and bushy tail, this breed does not need a ton of grooming. The coat is very silky and rarely tangles. You should still plan to brush your Van once a week to remove loose hair before it ends up on your upholstered furniture. In addition, grooming your cat can help prevent problems with hairballs, as hairballs are most often formed when cats swallow loose hair while they are grooming themselves.

If you do decide that the Turkish Van is right for you, you should be prepared to wait for a kitten to become available. Although this breed is not rare in its native Turkey, the Van is rarely exported to other countries. The country of Turkey values the Van too much to freely send the breed to other countries.

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The Turkish Angora is an elegant, graceful looking cat breed. This cat has a long, muscular body that is covered with a silky coat of long, luxurious hair. The Angora has a triangular face, big, slightly slanted eyes, and a long, fluffy tail. This breed can have eyes of any color, including mismatched eyes. These cats weigh six to eleven pounds.

You can find a Turkish Angora in almost any color or pattern. However, not all variations in pattern are recognized by the different breed organizations, so if you want to show your cat, you should be sure that that particular color is acceptable.

If you want a quiet, placid cat breed, then the Turkish Angora may be the wrong choice for you. These cats are fairly vocal and love to communicate with their family members. They tend to suddenly leap up to race around the house after some imaginary pest. The Angora is quite playful and loves to spend time romping with family members. However, if you give your cat a ball, he will amuse himself for hours, as well.

The Turkish Angora loves to explore his surroundings and is very curious. This means that these cats can really get into trouble if they are unsupervised. If you decide that an Angora kitten is right for you, you should really make every effort to cat proof your home. After all, even though these cats don’t make the same mistake twice, sometimes one mistake is simply one too many. If you are not home for most of the day, your cat can entertain himself and will not be desolate to find that he is alone. However, he will be happier with the company of a second cat.

While the Turkish Angora has a long coat, you do not have to spend hours grooming your cat. This breed has a silky coat that tends to stay tangle free. Combing your cat’s hair two to three times a week should be frequent enough to keep it from tangling and matting. In addition, regular grooming helps remove loose hair and will alleviate the chance of your cat developing hairballs.

If you want a graceful, playful cat with a long, silky coat, then the Turkish Angora may be the perfect cat breed for you.

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The Tonkinese was created to combine the best traits of both of its parent breeds. Unlike many other breeds created from a cross, this breed was designed to have a body, character, and coat that combined traits from both the Burmese and the Siamese. Usually, a cross breed is only created to establish a specific color or coat trait.

Since the Tonkinese is such a balanced cross breed, it is no surprise that these cats have a wonderful personality. This breed is very loving and affectionate. These cats are the ideal choice for families or multiple cat homes. They even are tolerant of dogs and other pets. These cats actually seem to enjoy children and don’t mind a bit of undignified play.

Your cat may even be willing to attend your child’s tea party in fancy dress. When you sit on the couch, your cat will either leap onto your shoulder or curl up in your lap. When you climb into bed at night, he will snuggle under the covers with you. If you don’t want a cat that is cuddly, this breed is not right for you.

The Tonkinese also has a playful nature. These cats love to play hide and seek or launch sneak attacks on their unsuspecting family members. Be sure to give your cat plenty of toys to keep him happy and occupied. With its outgoing and affectionate personality, the Tonkinese is not a good choice for people who spend a lot of time away from home. If you work long hours and own one of these cats, you should consider adding a second Tonkinese or a similarly playful cat to your household.

These cats are extremely intelligent and easily trainable. You can teach your Tonkinese to come when he is called, to play fetch, and even to walk on a leash.

The Tonkinese weighs six to twelve pounds and has a wedge shaped head, slightly slanted eyes, a muscular body, and a long, graceful tail. This breed comes in Brown, Chocolate, Red, Blue, Lilac, Cream, Cinnamon, and Fawn colors, with Tortoiseshell Mink, self, and tabby patterns. However, only the Mink patterned cats are able to enter shows. These Mink cats must have striking blue eyes, but the other coat colors can have either blue or green eyes.

If a Siamese cat is a bit too chatty for you and the Burmese is a bit too shy, then the Tonkinese may be just right.

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Surprisingly enough, the popular Sphynx cat breed is only recognized by the Cat Fanciers Association. Other breed associations are concerned that this unique cat breed will have genetic health problems in the future and do not want to encourage breeders to continue developing the breed.

The Sphynx breed was actually developed twice, once in the nineteen sixties and again in the nineteen seventies. Although the first line of Sphynx cats vanished completely, the second discovery of the breed was more successful. Surprisingly enough, this second line of cats came from a stray longhair cat. This cat’s kittens were outcrossed to Devon Rex cats. The kittens from this cross had the traditional Sphynx coat and physical characteristics.

Although the Sphynx does not have a coat of hair, this breed’s light coat of fuzz still comes in a wide range of colors. In fact, these cats come in every color and pattern available. This cat breed’s powerful body is extremely muscular. The breed weighs in at eight to fifteen pounds.

While the Sphynx is certainly prized for its extraordinary appearance, cat lovers also have another reason for loving this fascinating breed. These cats are incredibly mischievous and fun loving pets. They have a monkey like agility and playfulness and will romp for hours. Be sure to provide your cat with plenty of toys and be prepared to spend a lot of quality time with him.

Since the Sphynx enjoys spending time with his family, this breed really does not do well when left alone for long periods of time. If you pick up a lot of overtime at work, you may not want to own one of these cats. People who do spend a lot of time away from home should consider adding a second Sphynx to the household so that the cats can keep each other company.

Although you would think a virtually hairless cat would need no grooming, the Sphynx actually needs to be groomed once a day. These cats produce a lot of oil from their hair follicles, just as cats with hair do. However, there is no hair to absorb the oil and their skin grows quite greasy. Instead, you will need to wipe down your cat’s body every day with a soft cloth to remove the oil.

One other concern for Sphynx owners is that the lack of a thick coat of hair leaves these cats vulnerable to drafts and cold temperatures. Keep your cat warm and out of drafts to be sure he doesn’t become ill.

If you want a cat that looks like an alien and acts like a monkey, then you may want to consider the Sphynx.

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While longhair cats occasionally were born in Abyssinian litters for many generations, it was not until the nineteen sixties that a Canadian breeder decided to develop a cat breed from these longhair kittens. The Somali was soon quite popular and rapidly spread to the United States and Europe. Because these cats were developed without using any breed but the Abyssinian, they are also known as Longhair Abyssinians.

The Somali’s most striking characteristic is its facial markings. Many cat fanciers say that these markings look like heavily applied stage makeup. The breed’s eyes are especially striking, since the cats appear to be wearing kohl around their eyes. Right outside these dark rims, this breed has light colored hair. All together, these markings make the Somali look a bit like he is wearing eye makeup and glasses. This breed has a wedge shaped head, big ears, large, expressive eyes, and a well muscled body. The tail is quite long and bushy. These lovely cats come in Ruddy, Chocolate, Sorrel, Red, Blue, Lilac, Fawn, or Cream colors, with tabby, Tortoiseshell tabby, or Silver tabby patterns.

The Somali’s medium length coat does need to be brushed at least once a week or it will become tangled and matted. If you do not have the time to groom your cat on a regular basis, you may want to consider choosing a shorthair cat breed instead, since a matted cat is not a happy cat. As you groom your cat, you will need to pay particular attention to the ruff of hair around his neck and his tail, as these areas have longer hair than the rest of his body.

Like the Abyssinian, the Somali is a very playful breed and will need plenty of toys. However, as far as this breed is concerned, a paper bag or a box are wonderful toys, so you do not need to worry about breaking the piggy bank open to keep your cat amused. The playful nature of the Somali makes it an ideal choice for families or for people with multiple cat homes. If you are away from home a good part of the day, you may want to seriously consider adding a second cat to your household to keep your little guy from becoming lonely and unhappy.

The Somali is extremely intelligent and very trainable. You should be able to easily teach your cat to come when he is called, to fetch toys, and to walk on a leash. Of course, he will also be content to just sit in your lap and cuddle while you watch the evening news.

Since the Somali is a longhair cat breed, you may want to consult your veterinarian about feeding him a hairball control food. Other than occasional hairball problems this breed is extremely healthy.

If you want a playful, intelligent cat breed, the Somali may be the perfect breed for you.

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The Singapura is one of the smallest cat breeds, weighing only four to nine pounds. Many cat fanciers think that the Singapura is such a small breed because it is easier for a cat to escape from predators when he can squeeze into tiny spaces to hide. Also, larger cats were probably unable to hide their kittens as easily, and the cats that were able to successfully raise kittens became smaller and smaller with each generation.

Although the diminutive Singapura now often lives in much less dangerous surroundings, it still is a very quiet cat. More than one cat lover has fallen for this sweet little cat’s quiet disposition and soft voice. However, don’t let this breed’s demure appearance fool you. These cats are quite adept at wrapping their owners around their paws and can easily become so used to getting exactly what they want that they become quiet, but loving little tyrants. After all, it is very hard to be firm with such a tiny cat, especially when he looks up at you with enormous, soft eyes.

This breed has a slightly rounded head, a short Ticked Tabby or Agouti colored coat, and slightly almond shaped hazel, green, or gold eyes. The Singapura’s tail is medium length and gracefully tapers to a point. One of the most distinctive characteristics of the breed is the markings that extend from the inner corner of the eyes to the whiskers. These markings are called ‘cheetah lines’.

The Singapura has a reputation for being quite playful. While most cats become much less playful as they mature, these little cats continue to romp and pounce about as if they are still kittens. Of course, this could be because this breed can take up to four years to become mature, so they are still kittens long after other cats have moved on to adulthood. These cats are the Peter Pans of the cat world.

With its playful nature, it is no surprise that the Singapura breed is a good choice for a multiple cat household. For this breed, it truly seems to be a case of ‘The more, the merrier’. Even un-neutered tomcats will get along with each other, which is very unusual. If you have several Singapuras, don’t be surprised if you find your cats all piled into the same cat bed. Of course, given this breed’s affectionate nature, it is more likely that you will find them all snuggled under your covers with you when you awaken each morning.

The Singapura is the ideal cat breed for anyone who wants a kitten that never grows up.

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