Devon rex cats

chaps89

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Curious if anyone has one?
As a child, a family friend had them and I've had a soft spot ever since.
Tentatively looking for another cat after having to say goodbye to my old boy :( We've done some initial research, but I've only ever had moggies before, so not sure what to look for from a breeder, health checks etc etc.
We may yet go down the rescue centre route anyway, and we're in no rush, finding the right kitty is most important.
But I know we have a few pedigree cat owners here so thought I'd ask for help on finding the right breeder and also stories from anyone who actually has one
 

Britestar

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My friend has one. She'd had a cornish but couldn't find another and came across a devon needing rehomed.

The cornish was handed in as a stray at the vets where I worked.

The devon was at a rescue as her owner had moved abroad. It was a rescue place based in Luton, I'll ask if she remembers the name of it.
 

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I do know them a little and have had friends with them in Cornwall. Also friends with Cornish Rex.
Both breeds are similar to Siamese in temperament . Very energetic, vocal and super attached to their owners. They get quite cold.
I would not get just one and leave it alone if I worked full time. It would be lonely and sad.

If it is the coat you like and just want one cat I would go for the Selkirk Rex. They are like the British in size and character, so loving, but laid back and would cope alone in the day better than a Rex.
I have seen these and they are amazing.

I had a friend with 2 Devon Rex and she tried to bring a third cat in.......bad mistake . Rex's did not want to share and the result was fighting, peeing and aggression towards everybody. I think they are quite jealous cats.

Hope this helps a bit. :)
 

Britestar

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Same pal also has a Sphynx and a moggie. All Vet rehomes. Moggie has a missing front leg, Sphynx a missing back leg.
All three get on, but its Nellie the Devon who is in charge!
 

Esmae

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There will be a Devon Rex cat club. Have a look for GCCF registered breeders. I have a friend who has them as pets and said they were a real delight.
 

chaps89

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This has been really useful, thankyou.
We are obviously currently home alot, but if/when things are normal they'd be at home on their own between 10 and 7ish 3 times a week.

My OH came to the same conclusion as most of you have observed, and decided that means we get 2 so they have company/Can entertain each other ? ?

It's their temperament as well as their coat (fat cat was a dsh and his hair still got everywhere) that we like, but I'm definitely looking into the Selkirk too (any ideas how much they moult?)

I've emailed the rex cat association and am on the list for an older rehome but have been told it's a long list.

Likewise we've tried local rescues for moggys as it doesn't have to be a red really, but they don't have anything suitable and I'm not keen on rehoming without meeting the cat first (which is what seems to be the current protocol) This said, as much as it would be nice to have a cat/s about the place again, there isn't any rush either, it's most important we find the right one/s.

Would you mind linking to the FB page please, I can't seem to find it?
 

Shady

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Reference shedding on the Selkirk
I met one of France's top breeders when I picked up a British kitten from her many years ago. I had never seen one before and they amazed me with their looks and personality. Obviously in personality and size and laziness they were almost identical to the British but one of the differences the breeder pointed out was the coat of the Selkirk sheds less than other cats. I can't vouch for that as I don't have one but certainly it would seem they don't shed any more than other cats! the British are horrendous !
I would absolutely love one myself and have them on my future cat list ( currently topped by Orientals)
They do vary in coat type so a good breeder is a must
 

FinnishLapphund

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Around 14 and 1/2 years ago I chose between looking for a Devon or Cornish Rex cat, but I decided I wanted a Cornish. Firstly because I prefer a cat to have visible whiskers, and Cornish Rexes have that more than Devon Rexes. Secondly because at that time the breed descriptions I read said that Devon Rex cats was bum high, with a tendency to walk more like a bunny hops, and I thought that if I wanted something hopping around the house like a bunny, I would get a bunny, not a cat. But nowadays they don't seem to be described that way anymore.

Anyhow, if I'm allowed to promote the Cornish Rex cat breed a bit, I can talk about my Berta. She loves living together with other cats, but have after 14 years still not understood why moggy cats (had 2 when she came, they're both gone since many years, but we have Cilla soon 11 years old) doesn't always want to sleep together in one big bundle keeping each other warm.
She doesn't pay much attention to the 3 dogs (the only exception is when she occasionally wants them to help clean her ears).

She usually shows up between 30 minutes to 1 hour after a guest have arrived in the house, to check if the guest have a warm knee for her to lie in. Staying in a good sunbathing spot overrules hunger (you can always eat later, but the sun might disappear). She's a heat seeking missile, and if you don't like finding a cat under your duvet in the Winter, don't get neither a Cornish nor Devon Rex.
It is quite likely to happen one or more times, that you sit down on your bed, only to find out that what you thought was a part of your pillow, is in fact your Cornish (or Devon) Rex cat that have burrowed their way in under the bed coating/the duvet, or inside the duvet cover...

She's quite vocal, when she wants to. Situations which definitely requires talking includes for example when a veterinarian wants to listen to her heart (even trying to keep her mouth shut, won't shut her up, she thinks the purpose of veterinarian visits are for her to get cuddles), car rides, basically any time spent inside a transport cage, and sometimes when she wants breakfast.

She doesn't mind if humans are gone for several hours as long as she can keep herself warm, but also seems to have a X hours per week minimum quota for knee lying. Note, the knee lying quota may fluctuate depending on the availability of warm Winter down duvets, or Summer sunlight.

At 14 years old she is still more or less as agile when playing with toys, as she was when she was young. We have a cat enclosure for our cats, and she likes to go out for a sunbath on sunny Summer days, but she would be just as happy with being indoors only.
She have zero interest for where the front door leads, but even if she was interested, I would never let her out somewhere without proper cat fences. With her single-mindedness when it comes to her heat seeking missile mission in life, I honestly think she would be dead within days. Either splatted by a car because she's seen a sun spot on the other side of the road, or by getting trapped somewhere she thought would offer warmth.

As far as health problems goes, after Berta had lived with us for awhile, her digestion/intestines got upset because our late moggies didn't want to socialize together with her as much as the 11, or maybe it was 13, other purebred cats in her breeder's home had done. That upset her digestion/intestines so much we had to take her to the veterinarian, and get medication to calm her stomach. She would still like to socialize more with Cilla, than what Cilla accepts, but she hasn't needed medication for it since she was young.
Last year she suddenly went from having a tendency for binge eating, to completely stop eating, which turned out to be caused by a vitamin B12 deficiency. She still gets a tiny daily dose of vitamin B12, because when we've tried stopping with the pills, her appetite disappears.
However, as far as I know, the only thing of that which might be attributed to her breed might be the tendency for binge eating. The first thing is something I've always only attributed to her personality, and the B12 deficiency is simply bad luck in combination with her getting older.

The hairs in her little fluff of a coat is so small that during almost all the year I don't notice if she sheds any of them. Then perhaps around one week in Spring, and one week in Autumn, she sheds enough for me to notice that she is shedding her coat. Some years during those weeks, I've tried using a little a rubber brush glove on her which I bought ages ago, but the ridiculously tiny amount that comes off, makes me feel that there isn't much difference between if I do it or don't.

I decided to take pictures of my pets some days ago, and started with Berta. Woke her up from sleeping, placed her in front of my mobile phone, and pressed the Take a picture button.
Apparently Berta moves faster than my mobile phone takes pictures (she wanted back to her warm sleeping spot), because you can only see the shadow of her tail and bum if you look closely at the right side of the picture. I suppose that is a proof of her agileness.

50048530552_38cd76c761.jpg


Caught her, placed her where I wanted her again, and managed to get this picture:

50048300211_6fe0bc1f73.jpg
 

Shady

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Absolutely gorgeous FL:)
I think they are probably very similar to Siamese and Orientals in the need for companionship and warmth.
That's very interesting that your Rex clearly really struggled not having other cats to snuggle and interact more with.
At one point I had about 11 cats , mostly of the slinky variety and they all slept together and loved each other. I would just add another to the mix when I wanted and everybody was happy.
Now I only have the one Oriental left and she is nothing like any iv'e ever had. Just mean as hell towards the fluffy cats and rules the house like a tiny despot. Even the dog steps carefully around her!
I look at her and wonder if I should even get any more cats!
 

FinnishLapphund

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Absolutely gorgeous FL:)
I think they are probably very similar to Siamese and Orientals in the need for companionship and warmth.
That's very interesting that your Rex clearly really struggled not having other cats to snuggle and interact more with.
At one point I had about 11 cats , mostly of the slinky variety and they all slept together and loved each other. I would just add another to the mix when I wanted and everybody was happy.
Now I only have the one Oriental left and she is nothing like any iv'e ever had. Just mean as hell towards the fluffy cats and rules the house like a tiny despot. Even the dog steps carefully around her!
I look at her and wonder if I should even get any more cats!

I would say that the biggest difference between the few Cornish Rexes and Siamese cats I've known (never owned a Siamese myself), was that the Siamese cats was more vocal, and needed more attention.

I've heard some say that study this or that shows that our cats prefers to live as the only cat in the family, but Berta clearly enjoys living with other cats.
 
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FinnishLapphund

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...
Now I only have the one Oriental left and she is nothing like any iv'e ever had. Just mean as hell towards the fluffy cats and rules the house like a tiny despot. Even the dog steps carefully around her!
I look at her and wonder if I should even get any more cats!

Oh, and of course you shouldn't live without cats, they make life so much more interesting!


cat-joke.jpg
 

Shady

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Oh, and of course you shouldn't live without cats, they make life so much more interesting!


cat-joke.jpg
:):):)
As I'm writing this the Oriental has draped herself on my legs like a floppy bat and the dog is sitting opposite wondering if he can edge a bit closer for a cuddle too. She is clearly giving him the ' go for it mate ' look and I can feel her drawing in breath in anticipation of him maybe manning up a bit ..........aaaand, no, he's chickened out and she's now deflated herself and is very smug!!
She's an absolute horror !
 

chaps89

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Pretty cats @FinnishLapphund and @webble :)
I'm really enjoying reading about all your cats, though @Shady yours sounds quite scary!

My old boy was a proper lap cat.
He wouldn't bury under the duvet but he loved sleeping on the pillow, and the moment you sat down he was on your knee asking for fuss, as soon as he heard you pull up on the drive, he'd be at the front door waiting for you.
He was a real people person and this is what we miss - but I don't know many other cats like that - we used to say he was a rubbish cat as he was so un-cat-like in many ways!

He didn't have the playful streak at all though (he was a real couch potato - life was about cuddles, eating and sunbathing!) and that's what my OH particularly likes about the rexes.
It definitely sounds like they're best suited as having other cat company though, which is ok.

Some silly questions coming up I'm afraid (I haven't had kittens in many years - old boy was 18 when he was pts and I had him as a rescue from roughly 6 yrs old) There will be plenty of googling and other research too!

I know with dogs they suggest not getting litter mates, is that the same for cats?!

What age would you usually spay/neuter, and is it advisable for females to have had a season first? (Some breeders say they are sold already spayed/neutered, others don't. As they are usually sold under GCCF guidelines that's not until they're 12/14 weeks old, not sure if that's old enough or not for spaying/neutering)

If getting 2, is it better to get same sex (and any preference between 2 females vs 2 males) or doesn't it matter?

What age do you usually move from kitten to adult cat food?

What do you look for when choosing the breeder?

How far is fair to travel them? There's not masses of breeders but I'm not sure it's worth looking at breeders way up north as an example, as it seems unfair to subject them to such a long journey when we pick them up

Health checks - it seems common health issues in devons are heart problems, muscle myopathy and patella luxation. (Also sunburn but that's not exactly something you test for!) But an initial quick scan of some breeders websites (admittedly they don't seem very up to date or detailed) and the only health checks I've seen mentioned has been baer testing for white cats on 1 website. Is this sort of thing not tested in cats, the same way you'd do testing for hips/elbow dysplasia in certain dog breeds?

Is there anything else I should be thinking of?!
 

Shady

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Firstly really narrow down what breed you want or you will flit around looking at many adorable kittens on places like gumtree or pets4homes( i hope I got that one right).
Many really good breeders have stopped as they cannot and do not want to compete with the above sites.
Personally I would avoid above sites unless the person had been breeding for some years and I could see some history .

I always prefer littler mates but sometimes you will get 2 litters about the same time and kittens will pair up . Personally I would go for girl /boy or boy/boy but that is just me and you will get hundreds that say girl / girl. I think this causes problems over territory for future possible additions, but then again others will disagree!!!

I do not like this young spaying/neutering. It is a new thing and and I 'm not convinced by it being safe . I do however understand why it is being done. It protects the breeders line and stops idiots buying and breeding for quick cash. If the breeder was really good I might , might relent
I opt for 6-8 months old.

Cat food is again a personal thing but I guess I do a year on a really good quality mix .

Breeders. Difficult but I'd contact the breed society first, then just look at sites and see what breeders have waiting lists. Always a good sign that they are doing something right.
Look at the current kittens and adults. What tests have been done etc. What do they look like health wise. I see many with runny eyes and squints....... What do the surroundings look like in photo's. How well presented is the advert. You can quickly build a picture once you start looking properly.

I will also ask a friend if you narrow down to rex's. She was a big Siamese breeder and may know some.

I'll have a peek too and see if I can find a good one and one I would run a mile from.
I can almost guarantee there will be one of those on pets4homes....bad photo, bad spelling etcetc
 

chaps89

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Thanks Shady, that's really helpful. If you don't mind asking your friend and digging out some example adverts that would be really appreciated!

I think we're pretty much sold on devons if I'm honest.

It's funny, I've always been a moggy person, though I've always had a soft spot for devons, more I look into them the more they feel the right fit and now seems a good time where we're in a stable home, jobs etc. There's not likely to be any further additions but of course I suppose you never know (thinking how I've gone from 1 pony to 3 in 3 months very unexpectedly :-/ )
We're quite happy to go on a waiting list or wait for the right breeder to have a litter too.
 

FinnishLapphund

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:):):)
As I'm writing this the Oriental has draped herself on my legs like a floppy bat and the dog is sitting opposite wondering if he can edge a bit closer for a cuddle too. She is clearly giving him the ' go for it mate ' look and I can feel her drawing in breath in anticipation of him maybe manning up a bit ..........aaaand, no, he's chickened out and she's now deflated herself and is very smug!!
She's an absolute horror !

You describe that so well, it's feels as if I could actually see it happen.

:D

By the way, I should perhaps clarify that I think Berta could live happily as the only cat in a household, even though she clearly enjoys living with other cats.
I think it was just a big shock for her to come from all those cats happily socializing a lot at her breeder's home, and then she came to us, and we had cats, but Selma, and Aldis, didn't instantly love her back as much as she instantly seemed to love them.
 

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You describe that so well, it's feels as if I could actually see it happen.

:D

By the way, I should perhaps clarify that I think Berta could live happily as the only cat in a household, even though she clearly enjoys living with other cats.
I think it was just a big shock for her to come from all those cats happily socializing a lot at her breeder's home, and then she came to us, and we had cats, but Selma, and Aldis, didn't instantly love her back as much as she instantly seemed to love them.
The Oriental had a brother whom she adored. They were rarely apart and when he died suddenly she was so lonely that we decided to get a couple of newbie skinnies for her, thinking it would be fine as I'd had so many before...... .
We opted for an Oriental and a Siamese, same little and very close........she hated them on sight and they tried so hard to sleep next to her and be friends. They couldn't seem to grasp that she didn't like them. Lol, poor things. She never liked them, even after a year! Eventually they gave up and she remained Queen of the house. Sadly I lost both of them really young last year or so. I really miss them
 

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Thanks Shady, that's really helpful. If you don't mind asking your friend and digging out some example adverts that would be really appreciated!

I think we're pretty much sold on devons if I'm honest.

It's funny, I've always been a moggy person, though I've always had a soft spot for devons, more I look into them the more they feel the right fit and now seems a good time where we're in a stable home, jobs etc. There's not likely to be any further additions but of course I suppose you never know (thinking how I've gone from 1 pony to 3 in 3 months very unexpectedly :-/ )
We're quite happy to go on a waiting list or wait for the right breeder to have a litter too.
No problem Chaps. I will message her later
Here is one that jumps out at me.
http://www.rexiru.co.uk/2011.html

I like everything I see here and foremost is that she is clear about her priority. Health and personality
The contract is clear and she has her own stud. I like this . I would probably ask how often he services other peoples queens .
I think she sounds like somebody you could phone and have a chat about her cats with. I would do this with any breeder to be honest. You will soon know if you like their response!

I would imagine the price is going to vary enormously so you will have to weigh up how much is acceptable to you and how much is too much. Bear in mind that more does not necessarily mean you get a better breeder. Some of the worst Siamese breeders were glory hounds and winning in the shows was more important than health.
Too cheap, walk away.
I will have another look.
I like looking at cat sites!!
xx

Just adding this one too.
lovely cats and looks like a very dedicated breeder.
She's clearly into showing but given her and her husbands age this doesn't surprise me.
She has a facebook page too but if you look on this one and go to 'more' you can see her cats.
I would definitely contact this lady.
http://www.aroanuicats.com/

I would NOT contact this one. Just noooooooooo
https://www.pets4homes.co.uk/classifieds/2724036-kittens-devon-rex-redditch.html
 
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chaps89

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@Meowy Catkin you already have very lovely kitties :)

@Shady thankyou so much, really appreciate your time putting all that together. I really like the sound of the Aroanui cats in particular so will give them a call tomorrow. I had spotted that pets4homes ad and had similar thoughts so I'm glad I'm on the right lines!

I am banning my OH from looking though! He is finding all manner of unsuitables.
 

FinnishLapphund

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Pretty cats @FinnishLapphund and @webble :)
I'm really enjoying reading about all your cats, though @Shady yours sounds quite scary!

My old boy was a proper lap cat.
He wouldn't bury under the duvet but he loved sleeping on the pillow, and the moment you sat down he was on your knee asking for fuss, as soon as he heard you pull up on the drive, he'd be at the front door waiting for you.
He was a real people person and this is what we miss - but I don't know many other cats like that - we used to say he was a rubbish cat as he was so un-cat-like in many ways!

He didn't have the playful streak at all though (he was a real couch potato - life was about cuddles, eating and sunbathing!) and that's what my OH particularly likes about the rexes.
It definitely sounds like they're best suited as having other cat company though, which is ok.

Some silly questions coming up I'm afraid (I haven't had kittens in many years - old boy was 18 when he was pts and I had him as a rescue from roughly 6 yrs old) There will be plenty of googling and other research too!

I know with dogs they suggest not getting litter mates, is that the same for cats?!

What age would you usually spay/neuter, and is it advisable for females to have had a season first? (Some breeders say they are sold already spayed/neutered, others don't. As they are usually sold under GCCF guidelines that's not until they're 12/14 weeks old, not sure if that's old enough or not for spaying/neutering)

If getting 2, is it better to get same sex (and any preference between 2 females vs 2 males) or doesn't it matter?

What age do you usually move from kitten to adult cat food?

What do you look for when choosing the breeder?

How far is fair to travel them? There's not masses of breeders but I'm not sure it's worth looking at breeders way up north as an example, as it seems unfair to subject them to such a long journey when we pick them up

Health checks - it seems common health issues in devons are heart problems, muscle myopathy and patella luxation. (Also sunburn but that's not exactly something you test for!) But an initial quick scan of some breeders websites (admittedly they don't seem very up to date or detailed) and the only health checks I've seen mentioned has been baer testing for white cats on 1 website. Is this sort of thing not tested in cats, the same way you'd do testing for hips/elbow dysplasia in certain dog breeds?

Is there anything else I should be thinking of?!

My phone is acting up, sometimes fine, sometimes not (trouble began after thunder nearby last week while it was charging its battery), so it might take ages for me to write an answer. Phone acting up, also means I haven't read any other replies to your question, sorry if I repeat anything already said.


Regarding getting litter mates, yes one should be careful getting two with dogs, but that is mainly because many owners doesn't give them enough one on one training, so the dogs become too dependant on living together. Hypothetically, one of them dies, and you stand there with an 11 years old dog, who misses their friend and constant support, can't be alone, and suddenly you realise they also don't actually know recall, without had always just followed their brother/sister...

With cats, the only thing of that which could become a problem, would be the missing their friend part, but in general, cats seems to handle that better than dogs.
With those purebred cat breeds that seems to have adapted more to living in multi-cat households, like for example Cornish Rex, I feel that it is easy to do whatever suits you, buy litter mates, buy one now, and add more later. Anything works.
With moggies, even though many accepts that you add more cats to the family later, getting litter mates is often the easiest.

Same with the gender thing, in general I think it is something which can be a bigger thing with dogs, than cats. On the other hand I have heard of several cats who have decided to move out, and move in with someone else because they don't want to share a territory with their sibling/live with a dog or child etc, so if you're unlucky it doesn't work. Safest bet is probably two females, or one female + one male.

Spaying is usually done when they're at least a few months old, but some say that it is safe to do as early as 8 weeks. Some say there is health benefits with spaying, others say that spaying too early leads to other health risks. I don't know for certain which one of them is right, so I would say go with whatever your veterinarian recommends. But hypothetically, if the breeder/rescue have spayed/castrated them at an early age, and everything else ticks your boxes, I wouldn't look elsewhere only because of an early spaying/castration.


When do I change from kitten to adult food? I will easily admit that I have never had much saying in that department. But I blame it all on never having added kittens to our family without already having one or more adult cats. So when they change from kitten food to adult food, have for me always been more about when they've discovered where the adults cats eat, and when they've been able to get up to the place where the adult cat's eat.
For example Berta was 14 weeks old when we bought her, within a week of her living in our home she had started to empty the adult moggies food bowl, and refused to eat anymore kitten food.

How far is fair to travel them? Depends on who you ask. If you asked Berta, the answer would be that she should only be carried in someones arms, and not for too long distances. If longer travels really is necessary then she clearly prefer box trike travelling, before car, but being inside a transport cage always leads to loud vocal complaints.
(The difference between box trike, and car travelling, if anyone wonders, is that she complains loudly while travelling in a box trike, but she both complains loudly + pukes, and poos in her transport when travelling in a car, car sickness pills from the veterinarian doesn't help.)

If you ask Cilla the moggy, she have travelled 2 to 2 and 1/2 hours without much complaints, and would probably accept one or a few hours more, as long as she wasn't hungry. At the same time I'm sure that she, too, would prefer if we could just beam her from one place to another a la Star Trek.


Choosing breeders. I will have to admit that I've not done so much choosing as one perhaps should. About half the cats I've had have been rescues, and both my late Persian cat Dolly, which we bought 1987, and Berta the Cornish Rex, was bought after that we had been talking about buying a purebred cat of so and so breed, and then their adverts happened to turn up awhile afterwards in our news paper. Both their breeder's lived within around 1 hours driving distance from our city, their price's was reasonable, and I don't remember that either breed had any healthtest requirements when I bought Dolly in 1987, or Berta in 2006.

If I bought a Cornish Rex today, then the Swedish breed club for Cornish and Devon Rex have the same healthtest requirements for both breeds.
Females used in breeding must be screened for the heart disease Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy/ HCM, at 2, 3, and around 5 years of age.
Males used in breeding must be screened for HCM at 1, 2, 3, and around 5 years of age.
Both females, and males is allowed to have 1 litter before their first screening is made (but only if they don't have a close relative diagnosed with HCM, then they need to be screened first).
Breeding animals where a close relative (for example a sibling) have developed HCM should also be screened around 8 years of age.
According to the Swedish breed club info, if a cat does have HCM, signs usually begins to show around 2 years of age for males, and around 3 years of age for females.
It is not a common problem in neither Cornish nor Devon Rexes in Sweden, but I've read somewhere else that a Devon Rex is a little more at risk of getting it than a Cornish Rex. Until they know more about the HCM problem, and the genes involved in the Cornish, and Devon Rex breeds, the Swedish breed club have chosen to only exclude cats who are diagnosed with HCM from breeding.

I don't know if the British breed club/clubs have any healthtest requirements regarding HCM, but if it is not a common problem in the Cornish + Devon Rex breeds in the UK either, I presume it is possible your breed club/clubs might have chosen to not add any healthtest requirements regarding it yet.

Sorry for writing a whole essay, virtual cookies, and cakes to those who reads it.
 

HufflyPuffly

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I have very little to add here, but after Huffle going beyond 6 months for spaying don’t do it ?! She was climbing out the upstairs bathroom window and their seasons are just so intense!

My first two moggies were done at 6 months and hadn’t had a season and it was spot on. Squirrel might have to be done early due to her hernia, but ideally I’d always go for the 6 month mark.

All my girls get on, even if Lilly (queen of the group) is never impressed with newbies, they have all settled and got on.

Can’t wait for new pictures ?.
 
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