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GC BW RW Mykro's Maxine

The Cornish Rex
History


I am devoting this page to the only breed of cat I will ever live with - the Cornish Rex.
CH Mykro's Marionette
Temperment
Let's see, what is temperment... is it the ability to leap onto your lap purring or to greet you at the door? Or is it to curl under the covers regardless of the weather just to lie next to you?

Temperament could be a wonderful playmate in spite of your disappearing daily to go to work, a cat who seems to smile at you when you look at it in a playful manner.

Have you ever thought your cat could read your mind? I truly believe the Cornish Rex can if given the chance. I mean they know when I am going to get up... they are there like clockwork! They also know when I'm going to feed. You can hear the thunder of their little feet as it crosses the hall when the catfood can is being opened up.

It's absolutely amazing at how they know your schedule. Even when it's time to go to bed they will remind you with their subtle!! hints as they sit on the bed calling for your attention.

Highly trainable with a passion for food, they have become great companions with whom to travel. Amazingly they have adjusted to every movement we make. Our cats and kittens are raised with children who come to play, with dogs, other cats, horses etc. They easily adapt to those children who visit us and we have even seen them accept dogs they have never lived with. The well-adjusted Cornish Rex will adjust to any family lifestyle if given half a chance to do so.

Caring for your Cornish Rex
And, then there is the Inheritance of the COAT
Inheritance
Perhaps it's almost too simple to say, but the truth is that the Rex coat is the Rex breed. Regardless of body conformation, coat is the distinctive feature. The cat may be the epitome of type, but unless the coat conforms to standard description, that cat is undesireable in a breeding program.

The Cornish Rex coat is composed of awn and down hairs, the latter are present in greater quantity. The Devon coat, on the other hand is constituted of guard, awn and down hairs.

To understand the Rex coat, we should analyze the normal shorthair coat. It consists of three different types of hairs: guard, awn and down hairs. Guard hairs and awn hairs are longer than down hairs and much more coarse. The Rex coat is mostly down hairs with some awn hairs, but both are shorter than their counter-parts in a normal coat. The curly coat may vary in length from the very short, tightly marcelled coat to the plush,softer wavy coat. There are never any guard hairs in the Rex coat.

To really "see" this curly coated cat, one must feel it. The coat is not harsh like the poodle, nor wooly like the lamb. To touch it is as soft as elderdown, smooth as satin, yet it has the plushness of velvet. The individual hairs are finer than the finest silk thread. The length of the coat is rarely over a half inch long.
The softness of the coat is unlike that of any other known aminal.
GC RW Mykro's Maxine

The Breed Standard

The Cornish Rex is a specific breed and has standards to follow within the different cat organizations that are important for breeders, fanciers, and judges to follow. A standard is a comparision of the cat in question with the ideal example of the breed. When a judge is trying to determine the best example of a Cornish Rex he or she is comparing that individual cat to the standard set by that particular organization.

Overall: The Cornish Rex coat is its most distinguishing feature as is it's racy type. Warm to the touch (102 F) many are surprised at how soft the wavy coat is.

Profile: The profile of a Cornish Rex head is a curve comprised of two convex arcs beginning with a rounded forehead. To obtain this profile the nose must be of a length which is about one-third greater than the width.

Head: Comparatively small and egg-shaped with a definite whisker break, which should be oval and gently curving. This is something I find lost in many lines but of which we have worked hard to keep. The cheek bones should be high and prominent and the muzzle then should come to a rounded end.

Body: A somewhat long and slender body, not tubular (like Siamese for instance) with muscular hips, long slender legs and well-muscled thighs. The Cornish Rex stands high on its legs and it could be noted that the rear legs are actually longer then the front ones. The back is naturally arched with the lower line of the body approaching the upward curve and is evident when the cat is standing naturally. The paws are dainty, slightly oval and the tail is long and slender. There should be no "kinks" at the end of the tail. A kink or abnormal tail would be a slight "bend" at the end of the tail and would be a disqualify if being shown, however it poses no health problems except if used for breeding would have the tendency to keep the kink in the line. Here then, is a good example of when a breeder would decide to sell the kitten as a pet instead of as a show cat.

Colors: The colors range from pure white, black, blue, red, and cream to the "smokes" (black, blue etc) then there are the tabby colors and patterns, tortoiseshell (black w/patches of red), calico, van (white cat with patches of color confined to the extremities: head, tail and legs with one or two small patches on the body allowable), bicolor and ORC (other rex colors).

All in all... a point score is attributed to each of the features noted with the coat having the greatest point value (40 out of a 100). As I had mentioned in "Inheritance"... the coat is the Cornish Rex but we wouldn't want just a coat would we.
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