The Cornish Rex isn’t your average cat. This is one unique cat breed. A Cornish Rex is a long, skinny cat with huge eyes and huge ears - but those aren’t even its most distinctive features. That would be the Cornish Rex’s coat. Without the long hair of an outer coat, a Cornish Rex just has a curly, velvet-soft undercoat. To match their attention-grabbing looks, Cornish Rexes are high energy, playful, spirited and social cats who love their humans. Fitting well into pretty much all homes (they get on great with children and other pets), the Cornish Rex might just fill the cat-shaped hole you’re missing in your life.
Cornish Rex Facts
The Cornish Rex was born on 21st July 1950 on a farm in Cornwall, England. The first (then unnamed) Cornish Rex was a male kitten in a litter that was covered in tight, soft curls and grew into a slender body with long, thin legs and a skinny tail, plus oversized bat-like ears. The local vet identified this cat as a totally unique genetic mutation, and the cat went on to breed more like him.
- Breed: Cornish Rex
- Height: 20-30cm
- Weight: 2.5-4.5kg
- Life Span: 11-15 years
- Coat: Short, wavy
- Colour: Various including white, black and brown
What Does a Cornish Rex Look Like?
Cornish Rex cats are utterly unique in the cat world. For starters, there’s the extremely slim body with the long, skinny limbs and the whip-like tail. A Cornish Rex might look fragile, but they’re actually muscular, energetic and surprisingly sturdy cats.
The other tell-tale sign of a Cornish Rex is the giant bat-like ears that perch on top of their head. Which, in comparison to their ears, is somewhat small and egg-shaped. Like their lengthy, skinny body, a Cornish Rex’s face has a long nose; high, sharp cheekbones; and large round eyes.
But even their ears and face aren’t their biggest talking points. That’s their coat. Most cats have 3 different types of hair. There’s the long outer hair, a middle layer of hair, and then a down undercoat. A Cornish Rex only has this third short, down undercoat which looks wavy and feels incredibly soft, like velvet. Their coat can come in a huge range of colours, including white, black, orange, grey, cream and brown. It can be plain or patterned.
It’s not only their fur coat that’s wavy - Cornish Rexes have curly whiskers and eyelashes too. See, utterly unique!
Cornish Rex
Cornish Rex Temperament: Active Adventurer
Along with their unique looks, Cornish Rexes have unique temperaments - they’re almost dog-like in their energy and curiosity. Bright as a button, a Cornish Rex is always on the move and thrives when they’ve got a job to do. That job mostly involves playing with you - you best stock up on those feather and mouse toys to drag across the floor for them to chase and jump for. If you’re not around, puzzle toys can keep them out of trouble.
Having a Cornish Rex at home means never a dull moment. High energy and playful, these adventurers will explore every single nook and cranny in your home. Expect to walk into a room and find them on top of the kitchen cabinets, hanging out on the fridge, or peering down at you from the door frame.
Wherever you are, that’s where your Cornish Rex wants to be. Cornish Rexes are incredibly social cats who need to be surrounded by their loved ones. True people pleasers, this cat breed loves everybody and their playfulness makes them ideal family pets. They’ll even play nicely with other similarly active furry friends. They’re highly loyal to their family, and can be a little standoffish with strangers at first - although it won’t take them long to warm up.
Although not a very chatty cat, a Cornish Rex will always let you know what’s on their mind, including when it’s food, play or petting time. Once the day’s work is done, a Cornish Rex needs a warm, cosy snoozing spot. Their short coats are low maintenance but aren’t great at keeping them warm.
Keeping Cornish Rex Cats Healthy: 2 Issues to Watch Out For
Great news - the Cornish Rex has virtually no hereditary or genetic health problems and they typically live to 15 years old, if not 20. Preventative care is still really important to ensure your Cornish Rex lives a long, happy life. That means regular vet check ups, dental care, and flea and worm treatments.
Kidney Disease
Although Cornish Rexes don’t have any breed-specific health concerns, they can suffer the same health issues as most cats. Kidney disease is very common in cats and it stops their kidneys from working properly, which can cause harmful things to build up in their blood. Kidney disease can be hard to spot but signs include thirstiness, lots of peeing, dull and thinning fur, low energy, and vomiting, loss of appetite or weight loss.
Early stage kidney disease is normally spotted by your vet during annual checks, which is why it’s really important to keep these up even if your Cornish Rex isn’t showing any signs of illness. There’s currently no cure for kidney disease but it can be managed through diet, medication and hormone therapy.
Arthritis
By the age of 10, a lot of cats will have arthritis. Cats are great at hiding their pain so you might not even notice that your Cornish Rex has it. Plus, because arthritis tends to develop as they age, it can be dismissed as an older cat simply slowing down. But that’s not the case. Arthritis, left untreated, can be very painful.
A cat with arthritis might have trouble jumping up and down from furniture and going up and down stairs. They might be slower than usual when they’re chasing things or running, and might be less energetic than normal.
Arthritis in Cornish Rexes can be managed through pain relief, weight management and exercise.
Caring for Your Cornish Rex Cat
A Cornish Rex’s grooming needs are super low-key. Instead, you’ll be spending your time playing with your cat and trying to wear them out.
Grooming
By super low-key, we mean that you don’t even really need to brush a Cornish Rex. That’s because their hair is delicate and brushing it too often can damage it. As their coats are so short, it’s unlikely mats or tangles will form so keep brushing to the absolute minimum, like if dry mud gets in it.
Instead of brushing, you’ll need to do weekly ear cleaning.Their large ears can be magnets for dirt and debris. Left unchecked, these can lead to painful ear infections. Use gentle ear cleaning wipes to care for their ears.
Like all cats, keep their claws trimmed short, brush their teeth and ensure their litter tray is clean.
Nutrition
Exercise and play time
With their high energy levels, Cornish Rexes are playful, active cats that need plenty of physical and mental stimulation. Their number one toy is you - they love to play with their humans. Treat them to toys that you can enjoy together, like cat feather toys and mouse shaped toys. Anything that encourages them to hunt, pounce, leap and jump is a great tool in helping them burn off their heaps of energy. When you’re not around to play with them, invest in some puzzle toys for your Cornish Rex to keep them entertained.
A Cornish Rex is capable of keeping themselves busy, but it might not be in ways you’ll appreciate it. Think finding them scaling the curtains or jumping onto your head from the door frame. Channel their climbing and jumping skills with multi-level cat scratchers. Give them places to explore with wall-mounted cuddly caves and provide a comfy perch for them to sit and watch the birds go by with a cat hammock.
Litter training your Cornish Rex
It is usually easy to train a Cornish Rex to use a litter tray as they will respond best to positive reinforcement. Read our blog: Cat litter tips from our cat fanatic for tips and advice on litter and litter training.
Use a quality litter and keep the litter tray spotlessly clean. Cats are very particular about bathroom hygiene, and a clean litter box will help to keep the coat clean as well. Speaking of litter boxes, ensure to get a litter box that fits your cat to ensure they have plenty of room to turn around and squat.