German Rex

German Rex Cat Breed Profile

Weight	6.6-8.8 lbs (3-4 kg)
Origin	Germany
Color	White, brown, cinnamon, black, cream, beige; multi-colored
Fur	Short, curly, wavy
Lifespan	9 - 14 years
Personality	Patient, lively, loyal, friendly
Energy
Playful
Independent
Meowing
Shedding

German Rex Photo: Dizfoto/Shutterstock

Breed Characteristics

The German Rex has curly fur that feels super soft and velvety, like a stuffed animal. Exactly how you imagine a mole’s fur might feel! It’s supposed to be even softer than the fur of the Devon Rex.

The fur of the German Rex is so incredibly soft because this animal has no awn hairs. Awn hairs are slightly thicker at the end. When you pet this coat, you can feel the slightly thicker ends and this makes it feel more coarse and wiry. There is also kemp in the plant world, e.g. at the top of ears of grain.

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The German Rex is one of the few cat breeds to come from Germany. To be honest, it’s the only German cat breed we know (if you know of any more, we’d love to hear from you). Sadly, the German Rex is very rare. Do you have one? Then please write to us and tell us about it!

Personality and Temperament

What type of character does the German Rex have? It is a lively and active cat that is also friendly and even-tempered. It gets on with everyone, from people to other animals. The German Rex is also very patient and extremely loyal. It loves to cuddle up and be pet lots, and loves to get involved with absolutely everything going on in the house.

Keeping Them Happy

Because they’re so intelligent and love learning tricks, you can even teach them acrobatics. They definitely need a lot of toys to stop them from getting bored. You can even play fetch with them.

German Rex Photo: Prasanna photography/Shutterstock

Pros and Cons

Pros

Loving, friendly
Lively
Affectionate
Patient
Intelligent
Learns tricks
Exceptionally soft fur
Gets along well with other pets

Cons

Needs a lot of space
Needs a lot of exercise
Needs a lot of toys

Appearance

The German Rex is a medium-sized, slim cat (similar to the European Shorthair) with a round head, round eyes and rounded ears. It has short, curly hair. It comes in all colors, e.g. cream, blue, brown, red, fawn, platinum, frost, seal, champagne, lavender, cinnamon, chestnut or chocolate, and all patterns, e.g. bicolor, calico, ticking, tabby, shaded, pointed, smoke and tortoiseshell.

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History

In 1930, Kater Munk was probably one of the first Rex cats in Germany. But this cat breed actually dates back to a cat called “Lämmchen”. It carried an accidental/natural mutation in its genetics for curly fur. This was first seen in two kittens that she had in 1957. These cats were then bred to make more Rex cats.