My Adorable Devon Rexes

I took this photo of my boys today and think it's the cutest thing I've ever seen... what do you think?

My Devon Rex kittens, Bowie and Blue

About my Devon Rex Kittens

My babies... I can't believe they've only been with me for a little over a week... it seems like they've been part of my life forever and I honestly can't imagine being without them

I originally wanted just one cat, then ended up deciding on two. I originally wanted very young kittens but ended up with two 5 month old boys. I originally kind of wanted girls (but wasn't overly fussed) but ended up with two boys. Welcome to life with Devon Rexes... it's always unpredictable and all the better for it.

Mine are two 5 month old brothers, one black and one white with one blue and one yellow eye. Allow me to introduce Blue and Bowie...

Blue

The most affectionate and cuddly of the two, he is almost always on my lap or shoulders and is never more than a few feet away from me at any time. If I leave a room while he's asleep he starts calling me as soon as he wakes up to find out where I am. He loves weird foods like sweetcorn and adores cat grass but has less of an appetite than Bowie who generally ends up finishing his dinner for him. In bed at night he gets under the duvet and makes a beeline for my stomach and no matter how many times I move in the night he moves right with me. Some cynics say that Devon Rexes only seem to be more affectionate than other breeds but really they feel the cold more and want to cuddle up to you for warmth. Blue proves that's not true. When he's on my lap he gazes right into my face as I stroke him and as soon as I stop he's up and nuzzling my face for more. He seems to be the alpha and Bowie tends to follow his lead but Bowie invariably lies on top of him to sleep. My cuddly, lovely little boy who can jump from the floor into my arms in one bound (and does several times a day)

Bowie

Named after the singer because of his striking odd eyes, Bowie's the action man of the pair. He's totally fearless (also thanks to being so well socialised by his breeder) and into everything. He's slightly less affectionate than Blue (but remember these are Devon Rexes we're talking about and compared to normal cats he's a little hurricane of love) but slightly brighter and quicker to catch on with training. He ends up training me half the time. He has a voracious appetite and of the two is always the first one up and the last to bed. He also has far more stamina for playtimes and will end up trying to coax Blue back into a game long after his brother has given up and curled up on my lap. When we go out for "walks" (the two in a rucksack strapped to my front) he's the one peeping out the top while his brother prefers to travel incognito hidden in the bag. He's the one strangers are drawn to, partly because who can resist a kitten peeping out of a rucksack and secondly because of his striking looks. My adorable, smart, feisty little boy.

I had read that Devon Rexes are incredibly affectionate and intelligent which is why I chose the breed in the first place, but NOTHING prepares you for just how affectionate and intelligent they are. It's one thing to read that they like to ride on your shoulder, another to actually have your new baby jump up there within 10 minutes in their new home. They're purr machines, bright as a button, love their training sessions and are the most people-oriented cats I've ever met. In fact, I've decided they're not really cats at all.

To appreciate the beauty of a Devon you need to forget what cats are "supposed" to look like. Compare them to a regular moggie and they look like little aliens whose owner should really be reported to the RSPCA. Look at them as a breed in their own right and they're delicate, elegant little elves with adorable faces and muscular bodies.

As a previous moggy owner new to Devons there's a lot of differences. Pushka would do two seconds in my arms tops. He preferred human contact on his own terms. These guys actually want to spend the majority of their time in your arms and will jump into them any chance they get. Most cats hate being kissed on the nose, these guys practically beg you to do just that. They have seriously weird taste in food and go nuts over things a "regular" cat wouldn't dream of touching. Blue loves sweetcorn for example and cheesecake drives them insane. I don't give them any of course but they'll try anything to get some and if you've just eaten a slice and they get a whiff of it on your breath, they'll practically try and crawl inside your mouth to get at it. I used to think sleeping with a cat meant having him on top of the covers at the foot of the bed. These guys want to be under the duvet and snuggled up as close to you as they can. The whole tail wagging thing also took some getting used to. When Pushka wagged his tail you'd better be ready to have a set of fangs sink into your ankle. These guys wag when they're happy or excited like dogs. In fact they ARE like dogs. Crossed with monkeys. With the coat of a newborn lamb. In an alien suit.

They're Devon Rexes and they're just amazing!

Choosing my Devon Rexes

One of the first photos I saw of my babies to be

I originally started out looking for just one cat. I'd lost my beloved moggie Pushka a few months previously and wanted someone to help fill the void he'd left in my life. I'm also much more used to dogs and the golden rule with them is never to get two puppies together as they tend to bond more with each other than with their humans. However my obsessive internet research and a call to a vet friend of mine convinced me that two kittens are better than one so the search began for a pair of youngsters, ideally brothers.

Devon Rexes ain't cheap. I paid 700€ each for my kitties. I'm sure prices vary from country to country and breeder to breeder but where I live my research suggested that was a fair price for a good kitten. At that price they should come with a pedigree, vaccines and a microchip.


First things first, find a breeder. I live in Italy and the number of reputable breeders is limited. By "reputable" I mean people who really care about Devons and breed them intelligently and thoughtfully as opposed to just saying "I've got a Devon, you've got a Devon, let's mate them and sell the kittens for a tonne of money". The Devon gene pool is small and fragile and I wanted to make sure I wasn't encouraging and giving my hard-earned cash to disreputable folk out to make a swift buck.

I called ALL of the Italian breeders. Every one. Only a few had available kittens or cats expecting litters which narrowed down my search (I'm not the most patient person in the world and once I decided on a Devon I wanted one NOW). To me, the most important reason behind my decision to get a Devon Rex was their personality so I needed a breeder who was passionate about each and every cat and brought them up within a family environment rather than a cattery. That helped me cross a load more off my list.

When I spoke to Sandra and Patrizia of the Rarex cattery (click here to view their website) I knew I'd found the right breeder. Their operation is small and friendly, the kittens are brought up as part of the family, sleeping under the duvet with their humans, brilliantly socialised and best of all the kittens are used to having dogs in the home (I have an 11 year old Irish Setter who gets on well with cats so this was an important consideration for me). They just happened to have two males available from the same litter, one black and one white with odd eyes which was exactly what I was looking for so I knew my search had ended. The bank transfer and transport arrangements were made and a few days later I found myself at Milan airport, the proud and slightly nervous owner of two Devon Rexes. Let the journey begin...