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Breed guide · Cats
He sprints the hallway end to end all evening. I keep a warm bed at the far end.
Last updated 12 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
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At home
End to end down the hallway, round the sofa and back, every evening.
What's going onCornish Rex cats keep their kitten energy for years. They need a hunt to finish several times a day: a wand toy moved like prey, a catch, then a meal.
At home
On the laptop, in your lap, on top of the fridge where the warm air comes out.
What's going onTheir coat is undercoat only, so they feel the cold. They go where the heat is. A warm bed away from the air conditioning vents gives them a better option.
At home
Stretched out in the brightest patch by the window, all afternoon.
What's going onA thin coat means thin protection. Shade their favourite window and keep them off the balcony. Never put human sun cream on them; ask your vet what is safe.
At home
Every time you turn round, there they are, up high and into everything.
What's going onA bored Cornish Rex finds their own hunting, and it is usually up high. More play, and a cat tree near the kitchen, give them somewhere better to be.
At home
A back leg held up for a few strides, then back to normal as if nothing happened.
What's going onPatellar Luxation (PL, a slipping kneecap) is a risk for the breed from kittenhood, and that skip is the usual sign. Film it, and show your vet.
At home
A little brown wax in the ears, and a faint mark on the sofa where they sleep.
What's going onWith so little coat to soak it up, oil and ear wax build up. A gentle clean of the part of the ear you can see, and an occasional bath as their vet advises, keep them comfortable.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their day
Built for: Built like a sprinter.
In Dubai: Half the day running, half looking for somewhere warm.
The cold
Built for: A coat with no outer guard hairs.
In Dubai: Cold air from the vents, all summer long.
The sun
Built for: Little coat to keep the sun off.
In Dubai: Strong sun through the window.
A thin coat gives them little help with either.
They need a hunt to finish every day, warm beds away from the vents, shade at the window, and their knees and heart looked at when their plan says it's time. The ten things below show you how.
Your plan is built around what a Cornish Rex is prone to at every age, from their skin and knees to their heart, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
They keep their kitten energy for years, and a hunt that ends in a catch settles them.
Every age, most of all 7 months to 2 years
Why
They keep their kitten energy for years, and a hunt that ends in a catch settles them.
What to do
A wand toy moved like prey, five to ten minutes, up to three times a day if they want it. Let them catch it, then feed them. Teach a kitten early that hands are not toys. Slower games along the floor as they age.
They love height, and a perch near a vent puts cold air on a coat with no guard hairs.
Every age
Why
They love height, and a perch near a vent puts cold air on a coat with no guard hairs.
What to do
High places away from the air conditioning, with a fleece on top. A cat tree near the kitchen gives them a better perch than the counter. Add steps as they get older.
Patellar Luxation (PL, a slipping kneecap) is a risk for the breed from kittenhood.
Every age, start as a kitten
Why
Patellar Luxation (PL, a slipping kneecap) is a risk for the breed from kittenhood.
What to do
Once a month, film them running and jumping down. Watch for a back leg held up for a few strides. Show your vet the film at their next visit. A patellar and orthopaedic evaluation (knee, joint and bone exam) is in your plan from their kitten months.
Their coat is undercoat only, so cold air and direct sun both reach their skin.
Every age, most of all kittens and older cats
Why
Their coat is undercoat only, so cold air and direct sun both reach their skin.
What to do
Warm, covered beds away from the vents. Shade their favourite window, and keep them off the balcony. Never use human sun cream on them. A kitten chills fastest, and older cats feel the cold more, so add a second warm bed.
Skin and coat sensitivity is a risk from kittenhood, and ear wax builds up.
Every age, start as a kitten
Why
Skin and coat sensitivity is a risk from kittenhood, and ear wax builds up.
What to do
An occasional bath as their vet advises, in a warm room, with a cat-safe wash, then dry them fully. Look inside their ears once a week and clean only the part you can see. Start a kitten with a warm, damp cloth. A skin and coat evaluation is in your plan as a kitten, and routine ear evaluations (a look inside the ears) from their junior years.
Obesity becomes a risk in their mature years, and extra weight loads their knees.
Every age, most of all from 7 years
Why
Obesity becomes a risk in their mature years, and extra weight loads their knees.
What to do
Weigh their daily food and put part of it in a puzzle feeder. Weight-management counselling (help to get their portions right) is in your plan from the day they are neutered.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM, a thickened heart muscle) is a risk from their mature years, and cats hide heart disease well.
Every age, most of all from 7 years
Why
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM, a thickened heart muscle) is a risk from their mature years, and cats hide heart disease well.
What to do
Cardiac auscultation (listening to the heart) and baseline echocardiography (an ultrasound scan of the heart) are in your plan from their junior years, so any later change shows up. Repeat scans follow from their mature years. Fast or shallow breathing while resting should be discussed with your vet immediately, within the same day. Breathing with their mouth open, or struggling for breath, is an emergency: contact your vet now.
A cat this quick is hard to catch on the day.
Every age, start as a kitten
Why
A cat this quick is hard to catch on the day.
What to do
Leave the carrier out, door open, with a warm blanket and the odd treat inside, so they walk in by choice. Once a week, touch their paws, ears and mouth for a second, then give a treat. On the day, cover it with a towel and carry it level.
Dental disease is a risk from their junior years, and cats keep eating with sore teeth.
Every age, start as a kitten
Why
Dental disease is a risk from their junior years, and cats keep eating with sore teeth.
What to do
Lift their lip and look at their teeth and gums. Start brushing as a kitten, a few seconds at a time, with cat toothpaste. Tell your vet if they drop food or chew on one side. A dental evaluation (teeth and gum check) is in your plan every year from their junior years.
They are lean, so a small change in weight means more.
Every age
Why
They are lean, so a small change in weight means more.
What to do
Step on the scales holding them, then without them, and write down the difference. Notice whether they still run, climb and jump. Call your vet about any steady loss or gain.
Five of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 6 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
11 to 14 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
15 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Cornish Rex or Devon Rex?
They look alike, but the Cornish has no outer guard hairs at all, only a soft undercoat in neat waves, on a long, arched, greyhound-like body. The Devon is more pixie-faced, with big, low-set ears.
Colours
From solid shades to tortoiseshell, smoke and pointed, and tabby with or without white. Whatever the colour, that wavy coat feels the same under your hand.
The first six months
Their vaccinations, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first, with an evaluation of their skin and coat, and of their knees and joints. Keep their room warm, and spend a few seconds a day with a warm, damp cloth now, so handling feels normal.
Kitten health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
A covered bed or a fleece away from the air conditioning vents, in more than one room, and shade on the sunniest window. A cat tree near the kitchen and a wand toy give all that energy somewhere to go.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Patellar Luxation (PL, a slipping kneecap) is a risk from kittenhood, so their kitten evaluation includes their knees. A baseline heart scan in their junior years gives you their normal before Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM, a thickened heart muscle) becomes a risk.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
If it's a kitten: First 30 days with a new kitten · Kitten vaccinations in the UAE
When it is not behaviour.
He'll still sprint the hallway every evening. If he stops, call your vet.
Before they were yours.
1950
On a farm on Bodmin Moor in Cornwall, a litter of farm cats included one cream kitten with a curly coat, called Kallibunker. Every Cornish Rex comes from that kitten.
What they still carryA coat with no outer guard hairs, only the soft undercoat.
1964
Breeders loved the feel of the coat and the long, arched body. Cornish Rex cats went to the United States, where the breed was soon recognised.
What they still carryA lean, athletic build, bred from a small start.
1967
In Britain, the Cornish Rex and the Devon Rex were recognised as separate breeds, each with its own curl.
What they still carryA coat made only of undercoat, that feels like suede.
Today
An uncommon pedigree here, found through registered catteries, and happiest indoors.
What they still carryA fast, playful cat in a thin coat: happy in air conditioning with a warm spot, and best kept out of strong sun.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Cornish Rex suits you, so might these.
Devon RexThe same kind of cat: the other curly Rex, with a pixie face and big ears, and the same need for warm beds
SphynxThe same kind of cat: another cat with almost no coat, so a warm spot to sleep, plus weekly baths
AbyssinianThe same endless play and love of company, in a ticked shorthair with a fuller coat
BurmeseA similar small, easy cat for flat life with a short coat, in a sturdier body with more to say
