Cornish Rex Appearance

The Cornish rex's body is extremely slender, giving her the appearance of being fragile. This is all a ruse, since everything under the skin is hard muscle and bone, and they are surprisingly sturdy and energetic cats.

Their bodies are topped by a smallish, egg-shaped head that carries high cheekbones; large, round eyes; a long nose; and giant ears situated at the top of the skull. But the main hallmark of the Cornish rex is her coat. Where most breeds have three different types of hair—the long outer guard hairs, a middle layer of awn hair, and the down undercoat—Cornish rex cats only have the third down coat, giving them a soft, wavy appearance that feels like velvet.

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But these Cornish kitties aren't the only cat breed with this distinct coat; the lean and muscular Devon rex also has soft down fur, and the breeds are often confused. But Chyrle Bonk, DVM at Petkeen, says you can differentiate the Cornish rex vs. Devon rex by their faces. The Devon rex has a wide face with lower-set ears, while the Cornish rex has a triangular and lean face, she says. The Cornish rex's hair tends to be slightly shorter than the Devon's as well.

You might have heard that the Cornish rex is hypoallergenic, though this isn't technically true. The Cornish rex may shed less than some other breeds thanks to her short, curly coat, but people with cat allergies aren't reacting to the cat hair itself. Most cat allergies are actually from a glyco-protein known as Fel d 1, produced in the sebaceous glands of the skin, as well as in saliva and urine. As cats clean themselves, their saliva dries on their fur and flakes off as they move, causing the dander that most people react to. For this reason, while a Cornish rex may create a lower reaction in people with cat allergies, the potential for reaction will still be there, since they still groom themselves. Before bringing home a Cornish rex kitten, spend time with the breed to see how your allergies react.

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