Meeting My Devon Rexes - Love at First Sight

It's always pretty amazing meeting your new furbaby for the first time, but I was terrified going to pick up my Devon Rexes. I had to get a flight over to Milan where the breeder had kindly agreed to drive 2 hours out of their way to drop them off for me.

My chilled out boys safely in their new home

The problem was that the only flights from my home to Milan departed at 7:30 am and returned at 9pm. That's a long time to spend in an airport... and even longer with two scared kittens away from home for the first time. I'd already had a couple of hours to scout around the airport before the kittens arrived and had worked out that the only place that was going to be secure and quiet enough to meet them was in the disabled toilet so as soon as I'd said goodbye to the breeder, that's where I headed. Once inside, I covered the floor with absorbent puppy training pads then opened the cat carrier nervously. I'd never actually met a Devon Rex in real life before and even though I'd seen hundreds of photos and videos, I was wondering what these two new creatures who will share my life for up to 15 years would look like. Even more importantly, how would they react to a new place, new person and new smells after a 2 hour car journey. This was the first time they'd ever been out of the apartment they were born in.

Just 10 days later I look back now and smile. In spite of my obsessive internet research I really didn't know ANYTHING about Devon Rexes that first day. These guys popped out of the carrier, took a slightly nervous look around the bathroom, hopped onto my lap and fell asleep. And stayed asleep. For 5 hours. I was ready for terrified balls of fluff flying around the room with their claws out, or hiding behind the toilet and refusing to come out or refusing to come anywhere near me. In short, I was ready for anything except two totally chilled out kitties taking everything in their stride.

I was still in "normal" cat mode and hadn't yet plugged into the world of Devon Rexes. I was so taken aback I actually called the breeder after an hour to find out if they had been sedated. I think she thought I was a bit crazy at that point. Have you seen the film "The Pursuit of Happyness"? The one where Will Smith and his son spend the night sleeping in a subway toilet? That's kind of how the next 5 hours went that day. There were a few interruptions... the last one from a cleaner who took one look at my boys, promptly fell in love with them and hung an "out of order" sign on the door for me. What a lovely lady!

I'd brought a book along with me to pass the time but didn't even get it out of my bag. I couldn't get over these two sleeping babies. They were so much smaller than the pictures made them seem, so delicate with beautiful little elfin faces. I'd been prepared for odd-looking animals that you love because they're ugly ducklings but these guys have an elegance and beauty all of their own. In an unconventional way compared to moggies, yes, but these were the most beautiful cats I'd ever seen. I also wasn't prepared for the elegant way they curl their long tails whenever they sit down. Everything about them was just beautiful and with them seeming to trust me and to have chosen me as their new Mum, I was well on my way to being head over heels. Yes, the disabled bogs in an airport aren't the ideal setting, but love stories have begun in odder places I'm sure.

Bowie and Blue playing on their second day in their new home

Even though they had been so relaxed up to this point, the thought of venturing out of the toilet for check-in was more than a little daunting. Again, I was treating them as I would a "normal" cat so back in the cat carrier they went and we stepped into the noisy, busy, bustling departures hall of Milan Linate airport. To say my old moggie Pushka wasn't a fan of the cat carrier is an understatement. He'd alternate between mournful yowling and psycho fits of razor sharp claws slicing at anything he could reach through the cage door. My Devon Rexes took it all in their stride. Blue curled up and asleep in the back, Bowie just watching everything through the door. It took forever to walk through the airport with people stopping me every two seconds to say hello to my pretty boys and I beamed at them all like the proud new Mum I was. It took us forever to get through the metal detector section... it turns out the woman working on it has a Devon Rex too so there was a good 15 minutes of cooing over them from her, as well as every passenger in the queue behind me who wanted a peek at my boys.

Once we got to the gate, I decided to take a risk and have the cats in my arms rather than the carrier. I wouldn't even have attempted this if they hadn't been so chilled out up to this point but they again just curled up in my arms to watch the world go by. The bustle and noise of an international airport didn't worry them one bit. Everyone noticed them and so many people came over to say hello and ask about them. They were a particularly big hit with a gaggle of little girls... I was a little worried that my boys needed peace and quiet and not enthusiastic petting but the lapped the attention up. Amazingly, the flight was just the same with my boys curled up and sleeping in my arms with all the passengers nearby asking me questions about them and paying me compliments and people further away standing up in their seats to get a better look.

Finally we arrived home and I had my babies to myself. To have them curl up close with me under the duvet was just magical and even though it had been a long, hard day I spent most of that night just stroking my new boys, gazing at them with a silly grin plastered all over my face. They were here, they were mine and they were absolutely perfect!

What should have been a nightmare of a day, terrifying for the cats and nerve-wracking for me was a total pleasure. Thanks to the chilled out, trusting and friendly nature of my Devon Rex babies I was able to relax, enjoy meeting them and receive compliments from literally hundreds of people on not only the beauty but also the impeccable behaviour of my boys. What a fabulous introduction to life as a Devon Rex owner!