Cornish Rex
August 22nd, 2008 | by admin |
Description
The Cornish Rex has a distinctive slender, athletic build, curved contours, arched back, and long, lean body. Don’t let the willowy form fool you, however—the Cornish Rex is no weakling. Under that ultra-short, wavy hair is strong bone and muscle, as well as teeth and claws for those foolish enough to vex the self-assured Rex.
The Cornish Rex is small to medium with fine, delicate boning. Adult males weigh 6 to 9 pounds and adult females weigh 5 to 7 pounds. The torso is long and slender but not tubular like the Siamese, and the chest is deep but not broad. The general outline is comprised of graceful arches and curves. The back is naturally arched and clearly apparent when the cat is standing. The C. Rex stands high on its legs. The trunk follows the upward curve of the backbone, forming a tuck-up at the smallish waistline. The legs are very long and slender, ending in dainty, slightly oval paws. The hips and thighs are muscular and feel heavy in proportion to the rest of the body, giving this breed the ability to leap very high. In the cat Olympics, the Cornish Rex would surely break records in the high jump. The tail is long and slender, tapering toward the end, and is extremely flexible.
History and Origin
The first Cornish Rex was discovered on July 21, 1950, on a farm in Bodmin Moor, Cornwall, England, when Serena, a tortoiseshell and white domestic, gave birth to five kittens. Four were ordinary, but the fifth was unique. Kallibunker, as the kitten was named, was an orange and white male with short, curly fur. Unlike the other kittens that were stocky little domestics, Kallibunker had a long, lithe body, large ears, a slender tail, and a wedge-shaped head.
Nina Ennismore, the cat’s owner, consulted a British geneticist and on his advice started a breeding program with her mutant mouser. She selected the name Cornish Rex because the breed originated in Cornwall and because of the resemblance to the curly-coated Astrex rabbit.
Two Cornish Rex were imported to America in 1957. One died shortly after arrival, but the other, pregnant by one of Kallibunker’s sons, survived and became the foundation for the breed in North America. Since the gene pool was small, breeders initially crossed the Cornish with other breeds such as American shorthairs, Siamese, and Havana browns. This provided genetic diversity and added a vast array of colors and patterns.
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