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Breed guide · Cats
She rides round the flat on my shoulder. I keep her bed out of the draught.
Last updated 13 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
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At home
Up on your shoulder while you cook, wedged into your lap the second you sit down.
What's going onDevons love to be up on a person. It is affection, and you are also warm. A warm high place of their own, away from the vents, gives them somewhere to go when you need your shoulders back.
At home
Every door you open, there they are, already halfway in.
What's going onThey are curious and busy, a hunter with energy to spare. Two short wand-toy hunts a day, ending in a meal, take the edge off.
At home
A slightly oily feel to the coat, and marks on the cushion where they sleep.
What's going onTheir coat is too sparse to soak up the oil their skin makes. An occasional bath, as their vet advises, and warm, thorough drying keep their skin healthy.
At home
A head that droops towards the chest, trouble swallowing, or tiring fast after play.
What's going onDevon Rex Hereditary Myopathy (an inherited muscle weakness) is on their health record from kittenhood, and the signs usually show in the first few months. Film anything like this and talk to your vet.
At home
A back leg held up for a few strides, then back to normal.
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 for your vet.
At home
Racing round the flat one minute, asleep on you the next, and looking perfectly well.
What's going onHypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM, a thickened heart muscle) is a risk for the breed from kittenhood. Their plan includes listening to their heart as a kitten, and a baseline heart scan in their junior years gives you their normal.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their coat
Built for: Lovely to stroke, little warmth.
In Dubai: Cold air from the vents, all day long.
Their day
Built for: Spent looking for heat.
In Dubai: You are the warmest thing in the room.
Their start
Built for: A breed that started from very few cats.
In Dubai: Their heart and knees looked at from the very first visit.
The daily work is warmth and play.
The rest is checking their heart, muscles and kneecaps at the ages their plan sets. The ten things below show you how.
Your plan is built around what a Devon Rex is prone to at every age, from their heart and knees to their skin, and the care that goes with each one.
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Ten things that make their life better.
They have energy to spare, and a hunt that ends in a catch settles them.
Every age, most of all 7 months to 2 years
Why
They have energy to spare, and a hunt that ends in a catch settles them.
What to do
A wand toy moved like prey, five to ten minutes, two or three times a day. Let them catch it, then feed them. If they tire unusually fast, stop and tell your vet. Teach a kitten early that hands are not toys. Slower games along the floor as they age.
They love height, and a cat tree can end up right under a vent.
Every age
Why
They love height, and a cat tree can end up right under a vent.
What to do
Move their high places away from the air conditioning and add a fleece. Ramps or steps help if their kneecaps give them trouble, and as they age.
A skipping back leg or a drooping head is easy to miss and easy to film.
Every age, start as a kitten
Why
A skipping back leg or a drooping head is easy to miss and easy to film.
What to do
Once a month, film them walking, jumping down and eating. Watch for a back leg held up for a few strides, a lowered head or trouble swallowing. Show the film to your vet at their next visit, or sooner if they struggle to swallow. A patellar and orthopaedic evaluation (knee, joint and bone exam) is in your plan from their kitten months.
Their thin coat holds little heat, and they chill in strong air conditioning.
Every age, most of all kittens and older cats
Why
Their thin coat holds little heat, and they chill in strong air conditioning.
What to do
Warm, covered beds away from the vents, in more than one room, and some shade on the sunniest window. Their skin can burn through a thin coat, so never put human sun cream on them; ask your vet what is safe. Kittens chill fastest, and older cats feel the cold more.
Oil builds up on their skin, and yeast skin infections are a risk from their junior years.
Every age, start as a kitten
Why
Oil builds up on their skin, and yeast skin infections are a risk from their junior years.
What to do
An occasional bath with a cat-safe wash, as their vet advises, in a warm room. Dry them fully. Clean the part of their ears you can see. Start a kitten with a warm, damp cloth, a few seconds at a time. A skin and ear cleaning routine is in your plan from their junior years.
Extra weight loads kneecaps that can already slip.
Every age, most of all from 7 months
Why
Extra weight loads kneecaps that can already slip.
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 kittenhood, and cats hide heart disease well.
Every age, start as a kitten
Why
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM, a thickened heart muscle) is a risk from kittenhood, and cats hide heart disease well.
What to do
Cardiac auscultation (listening to the heart) is in your plan from their kitten months, and echocardiography (an ultrasound scan of the heart) from their junior years, with repeat scans after that. Between visits, notice if they hide more. 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.
Their heart, knees and skin mean regular visits, and stress can make the muscle weakness worse, so a calm trip matters more for them.
Every age, start as a kitten
Why
Their heart, knees and skin mean regular visits, and stress can make the muscle weakness worse, so a calm trip matters more for them.
What to do
Leave the carrier out with a warm blanket inside, so it is somewhere they sleep. 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.
Weight change is often the first sign of trouble, and they are small enough that grams matter.
Every age
Why
Weight change is often the first sign of trouble, and they are small enough that grams matter.
What to do
Step on the scales holding them, then without them, and write down the difference. Call your vet about any steady loss or gain.
Five of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
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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.
Devon Rex or Cornish Rex?
The Devon Rex and the Cornish Rex both have curly coats, but the curls come from different genes, and the two are separate breeds. The Devon is the pixie: big, low-set ears, high cheekbones, big eyes and a short, soft, wavy coat. The Cornish is longer and more arched.
Colours
A Devon Rex can come in any colour or pattern a cat can have. What they share is the wavy coat, those big ears, and crinkled whiskers that are fine and can break easily.
The first six months
Their vaccinations, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first, and the vet listens to their heart and checks their knees and joints from the first visits. Keep their room warm, and get them used to a warm, damp cloth now, a few seconds at a time.
Kitten health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
A covered bed or a fleece-topped perch away from the air conditioning vents, in more than one room, and shade on the sunniest window. A wand toy and a few cupboards they are welcome in help too.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM, a thickened heart muscle) and Patellar Luxation (PL, a slipping kneecap) are risks for a Devon Rex from kittenhood. Their first visits include listening to the heart and a knee check, with a talk about an early heart scan.
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.
She'll still claim your shoulder. If she stops climbing up, call your vet.
Before they were yours.
1960
A curly-coated stray tom lived near an old tin mine in Buckfastleigh. A kitten from that line, Kirlee, had the same coat, and every Devon Rex comes from Kirlee.
What they still carryA curl that needs a copy of the gene from each parent.
1961
Breeders first thought Kirlee was a Cornish Rex. When the two were bred together, every kitten had a straight coat, which proved the curls came from different genes.
What they still carryA look like the Cornish Rex, and a coat all of their own.
1967
Britain recognised the Devon Rex and the Cornish Rex as two separate breeds.
What they still carryThe pixie face and big ears, from a small gene pool.
Today
A playful, people-focused cat, kept indoors and out of cold draughts.
What they still carryA thin coat in a home with strong air conditioning, and a shoulder to ride on.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Devon Rex suits you, so might these.
Cornish RexThe same kind of cat: the other curly Rex, longer in the leg and built for speed, with the same need for warm beds
SphynxThe same kind of cat: another warmth-seeking shoulder-rider, with no coat at all and weekly baths
BurmeseThe same playful, people-mad temperament, in a sturdier cat with a short satin coat and a bit more to say
Russian BlueAn easier coat for flat life, in a bigger, calmer cat with a dense silver-blue coat that needs far less bathing
