Because of our unique appearance, we Devon Rex have a lot of nicknames. Our large eyes, big ears, and short muzzle give us an alien look so some humans call us Alien Cats. Because of our short curly hair, we also get called Poodle Cat – a fitting name since we have a dog-like personality! Our most common nickname is Pixie Cat, which has a lot to do with our personality traits and heritage. Pixies are charming and mischievous fairies with large elfin ears, and they come fromBritish folklore, specifically Devon, which is where my breed was born!

We Devon Rex are a very new breed, and the first Devon Rex in the world was a happy accident! In 1960, there was a tom cat with a curly coat who was living in an abandoned tin mine in Buckfastleigh, a town in Devonshire, UK. This tom cat mated with a tortoiseshell & white Domestic Shorthair owned by a human named Beryl Cox who lived nearby. One of the cats in the litter, who Miss Cox named Kirlee, had the same short curly coat as his father. In nearby Cornwall, there was another new breed called the Cornish Rex, and Miss Cox wondered if Kirlee had the same genetic mutation that caused the Cornish Rex cats to have their wavy coat. When she attempted to breed Kirlee with a Cornish Rex, she discovered that there were two separate mutations. Beryl Cox and other breeders in the area were determined to keep the Devon Rex breed going, so they ended up breeding Kirlee with Domestic Shorthairs, and then with any curly-coated kittens. In this way, Kirlee is the father of our breed and all today’s Devon Rex can be traced back to him! Once the breeding program was well established, we Devon Rex became very popular due to our unique look and charming personality. The first Devon Rex came to the United States in 1968 and soon after American breeders took an interest in the Devon. In 1979, the Cat Fanciers’ Association recognized us as our own separate breed (we had previously been lumped in with Cornish Rex cats and just called Rex Cats) and in 1983 they accepted us for championship status.