Cornish Rex is a breed of short-haired domestic cats, quite rare in Russia. This is due to the extremely high cost and unusual appearance of these exotic beauties. To this day, they remain the favorites of a narrow circle of connoisseurs of non-standard breeds.
A few words about the breed
The Cornish Rex (from the English Cornish rex) is a breed of cats whose distinctive feature is an unusual coat: it does not have guard hairs, and the undercoat curls in elastic waves. Outwardly and to the touch, the fur of these cats resembles broadtail.
Of course, the exterior of the Cornish is the result of a gene mutation. The first mention of such "curly" cats dates back to 1936, but then people decided that their pets were infected with scab and simply euthanized the unfortunate animals. However, kittens with wavy hair continued to be born in various parts of Europe. Serious breeding work began in 1950 in England, when a simple domestic cat gave birth to four smooth-haired and one curly kitten. The unusual baby was named Calibanker, and today he is officially recognized as the ancestor of the Cornish Rex breed. The word "Cornish" is an abbreviation for the name of Cornwell County, where the kitten appeared, and the prefix Rex ("royal") was invented by the owner, Mrs. Ennismore.
To secure the breed, the Calibanker was crossed with his mother. Subsequently, the Cornish were bred for some time with British Shorthair cats and Burmese.
The breed was standardized in 1967 and the first separate Cornish Rex show was held in Kentucky in 1980. They were first brought to Russia by the breeder Irina Kharchenko in 1989. She showed the cat Fuinrando Balli and the cat Germanies to Javis at the exhibition, and they made a splash. The star couple was bought for a lot of money. So the Cornish took root in the USSR.
Exterior and character
Curly hair is far from the only characteristic of the Cornish Rex. They have a very special exterior that sets them apart from other domestic cats: a flexible, lean muscular body, very long legs, a wedge-shaped head with huge eyes, high-set ears in the shape of a "bat", a twig tail and wavy whiskers. The coat is plush and warm to the touch.
Roots have a tail - an indicator of mood. Most often they hold it upright.
But the appearance of the Cornish is deceiving. Their regal appearance and haughty look suggest impoliteness, but in fact they are exceptionally good-natured and peaceful cats. They have high intelligence, easily converge with other animals and are well trained.
In addition, they are unpretentious and do not get sick much, which makes their maintenance easier. However, if you own a Cornish Rex, you should devote a lot of time to it, as these cats are extremely sociable and suffer from a lack of human attention.
