The Devon Rex is a comparatively new breed of cat with a thin, curly, very soft coat comparable to that of the Cornish Rex. The Cornish Rex's coat is strange because only the down layer of hair is present, the other two layers are missing. The curl in their fur is caused by a different transformation and a gene that came from the Cornish and German Rex, and breeding of a Devon to either of those cats results in cats without rexed (curled) fur.
Devons, which are medium sized cats, are often called "pixie cats" or "alien cats" because of their unique appearance. Their uncommonly large ears are set low on the sides of their wide heads, their eyes are large, and their noses are slightly upturned. Their body type is distinctly "foreign" (lightly built).
The typical Devon is active, mischievous, playful, and very people-oriented. They're relatively easy to take care of, but they do shed, and many of those with allergies have found that they are not always hypoallergenic.
The Devon Rex breed began with one cat. Kirlee was found by Miss. Cox near a disused tin mine in Buckfastleigh, Devonshire, England, in 1960. His dam was a tortie and white queen, and his sire, a "curly" male seen in the area around the mine.
Miss Cox had seen photos of Cornish Rex, and contacted Brian Stirling-Webb of the Rex 'group' to see if this cat might be valuable to the breeders working with Rex cats
She was persuaded to let her pet go to Brian Stirling-Webb, and repeated unsuccessful efforts were made to capture his curly sir
Since Devonshire is very close to Cornwall, site of the mutation of the Cornish Rex, it was believed that Kirlee would produce rexed kittens when bred to Cornish queens. Unfortunately for the Cornish breeders, all the kittens produced were normal coated, which showed that there were two genetic mutations that caused rexing of the coat
The decision was made to develop both mutations as separate breeds. Both Cornish and Devon Rex are controlled by recessive genes