Cornish Rex - breed description and cat character

If someone has never seen Cornish Rex cats and encounters them for the first time, they immediately have conflicting feelings. On the one hand, he is perplexed, on the other, a smile appears on his face. Sometimes it seems that it’s not a cat at all, but some kind of bat or elf from a fairy tale. In fact, this is no one else, but a real cat. These animals, possessing a gentle disposition and curly hair, resembling astrakhan in appearance, became real favorites of admirers of the cat kingdom.

Breed Description and Standard

Few of these cats will remain indifferent, although there are those who say this is not mine. Grace and grace - these are two essential features that characterize this breed. On the body of the animal you will not find a single coarse hair, it is completely covered with soft wavy hair. There is an undercoat, but it is much shorter than that of other cats, which are short-haired representatives. The hairs curl most strongly on the back, forming real hair waves.

You can consider a huge number of cat breeds, but such grace and grace can hardly be found. Such cats are endowed by nature with an unusually keen ear. They are able to hear what the human ear is not subject to perception. The Cornish Rex cat has very expressive eyes. If you add luxurious ears to this, then you involuntarily start to think that a fairy elf has visited the house.

By color, Cornish Rex can be monophonic or tri-color. The eyes of such cats have a different color. For some reason, it is generally accepted that Cornish Rex with blue eyes must certainly suffer from deafness. For this reason, many even refuse to purchase such copies. It should be said that such a statement still does not find its confirmation.

The paws of the animal are equipped with membranes. Such a miracle is unlikely to be encountered in any breed. From here there is a similarity between cats and bats. We can assume that such a cat loves swimming. Nothing like this. Everything here is exactly the opposite.

Interesting fact! If all other cats have 20 fingers, then the Cornish Rex has only 18. There are 5 fingers on the front paws, but only 4 on the hind legs. This natural flaw does not affect the quality of standard cat actions. Climbing a tree or a tall cabinet is not difficult for them.

Special attention when telling about these cats should be given to the tail. They use it to express different feelings. Using the position of the tail, you can determine for certain what kind of mood the cat is and what feelings he wants to demonstrate. Usually their tail has an upward position. But when they run to meet their master, they begin to swing their tail and in this they resemble dogs.

Lightness, elegance and aristocracy distinguish cats of this breed. Standard indicators are presented by the European and American versions, which are associated with greater elegance. The breed standard is represented by the following characteristics:

1. The animal is characterized by a long torso with a slightly curved back.
2. The nature of the chest, hips and shoulders are proportional to each other.
3. The body ends with a thin and long tail, which is incredibly flexible, and has a thickening at the tip.
4. Slenderness and grace is characteristic of long limbs.
5. The cat has a small wedge-shaped head with pronounced cheekbones.
6. The muzzle is marked by a straight nose and a distinctly expressed “Roman” profile.
7. On the head are large-sized ears, the tips of which are pointed.
8. Eyes with a different shade give expression to the look.
9. A mustache of decent size, there are curly eyebrows on the forehead.

Cats are miniature. Rarely, when the weight of females exceeds 3 kg. True, males are slightly heavier and can weigh 4.5 kg.

Wool

Special attention deserves the wool of these handsome men. It is short, characterized by extraordinary softness and fits snugly to the body. Waves of fur resembling astrakhan fur have a very spectacular appearance. They are evenly distributed throughout the body. If there are areas on the body where there is no wool, this is considered to be a rock defect. Curlers have been on the body of kittens since birth, but at the age of one week they gradually straighten.

The formation of the cover ends by 6 months. But during growth, the hairs are constantly changing. Those who decide to purchase such a kitten need to be very careful. Sometimes unscrupulous breeders try to pass this breed as a sphinx, because they are very similar.

Color

There are no restrictions on color. The first representative of the breed had a red and white color. In this combination, cats of this breed are most widespread. Any color is acceptable, be it even the color inherent in Siamese cats. However, not everyone recognizes the circumstance in which white dominates. Variety of color is one of the reasons for the extremely widespread breed.

Breed history

The birthplace of Cornish Rex cats is considered to be England, County Cornwall. The breed originates from the middle of the last century. A certain Miss Annie More bred rabbits. She had a cat in her house. What was her surprise when, at the next lambing, she saw one kitten who had wavy hair and disproportionately large ears. She hastened to show it to geneticists, who naturally became interested in him. On examination, the kitten did not show any signs of the disease and was in perfect health.

The landlady called him Colinbaker. This kitten is considered the ancestor of Cornish Rex, this amazing and wonderful breed. Experts have given an explanation for this phenomenon. They attributed this to the fact that a gene mutation occurred, the culprit of which was the recessive gene. Active work began on fixing the features inherent in this breed. The standard was fixed in 1967. However, recognition did not come immediately. For the first time, cats of this breed took part in the exhibition only 30 years later. A triumphal procession began, which literally swept the whole world.

Now there are other breeds that are similar in appearance to Cornish Rex. They are obtained as a result of persistent breeding work.

Character

It is difficult to find a laudatory epithet that would not be applied to these charming beauties. But not only the appearance of the cat attracts and attracts like a magnet. Nature rewarded them with a special character. Cornish Rex is not deprived of intellectual abilities, incredibly smart and absolutely does not show even the slightest signs of aggression. The character is distinguished by affection and complaisant disposition. They find common ground with absolutely all family members, even with children, who, at times, show inappropriate actions towards them. It's no secret that they can excessively scuff the cat and even drag it by the tail.

They show a friendly attitude not only towards people, but also to other animals. It is incorrectly believed that only dogs can execute the command by which the animal brings the ball. This is fully confirmed by Cornish Rex. She is no worse than a dog can do this. Subject to her and the execution of other tricks. But she herself will not do this.To do this, you must persistently and persistently deal with it. It is desirable that there is a proper organization of the system of classes. Only systematic training is able to give the expected result, and not classes from time to time.

The playfulness of character does not fade with time. Being even in old age, a cat with the same pleasure will chase the ball. All pets will be immensely happy with such activity of their pet. However, this character trait leaves a certain imprint when choosing a breed at the time of acquisition. The fact is that the cat is very bored when she is alone. If the owner does not have enough time and cannot fully devote proper attention to his pet, then it is better not to breed a Cornish Rex cat.

Despite the fact that the cat is friendly to all members of the family, from its composition she is inclined to single out the main representative. She will be most devoted to him. Such animals are extremely curious about everything that happens around them. If someone came, say, from a store, she would definitely consider it her duty to rummage in his bag. She is simply torn by curiosity about what her master brought.

Cornish Rex has an independent character. This can create certain problems with training. However, in their character there are no elements of vindictiveness. It’s unusual for cats of many other breeds to mark territory. The cat is fearless. Dog barking never scares her, on the contrary, will cause a feeling of extreme curiosity.

Cornish Rex loves to walk, so they can not be called complete homebody. For walks you should use a leash or a glamorous handbag.

Care and maintenance

They do not make any special care requirements. It is only necessary to feed the pet correctly and carry out preventive vaccinations in a timely manner. If this is observed, then problems, as a rule, do not arise. The only thing you need to pay attention to is the quality of the feed in the pet’s diet. They require the use of feed exclusively premium.

If someone tries to save on pet food, it will not lead to anything good. As a result, he will receive only additional problems associated with cat diseases. Moreover, proper organization of the feeding regimen is necessary. A prerequisite is the provision of round-the-clock access to clean water.

If necessary, the cat can be redeemed, but more than twice a month this should not be done. You should monitor the cleanliness of the ears, using cotton buds dipped in the solution that the veterinarian recommends.

Cornish Rex does not like low temperatures and drafts. Moreover, under such conditions, he can easily catch a cold.

Breeding

The complete formation of the reproductive system in these cats ends only at the age of one year. Therefore, before this time it is strongly not recommended to mate Cornish Rex cats. The body of the animal is simply not ready for bearing the fetus. In addition, early mating can adversely affect the state of future offspring. Pregnancy cats are very poorly tolerated. One must be prepared for additional expenses for the purchase of necessary medicines.

Disease

An absolute merit of breeders is that Cornish Rex is not affected by many genetic diseases that can occur in many other cats. However, some diseases are still characteristic of them. The following types can be added to them:

1. The tendency of the body to a lack of potassium. This condition is very difficult to diagnose. The disease is hereditary and can occur if both parents suffered from it. But this does not mean that the disease will necessarily manifest itself.
2. A condition associated with retinal atrophy. The disease also has a genetic predisposition.
3. Alopecia.The animal is born with a slight fluff, but eventually becomes completely bald. In this case, even a mustache and claws can be absent.

These wonderful cats exist in the world. If someone decided to buy a kitten of this particular breed, then you will not have to regret it. Cornish Rex will become a true friend of the family.

Video: Cornish Rex cat breed