shorthair

German Rex

Origin: Germany

A curly-coated charmer whose plush, wavy fur feels like crushed velvet to the touch. Affectionate, clever and endlessly people-oriented, the German Rex is one of the oldest of the rex breeds, prized as a gentle and devoted companion.

Origin: Germany
Category: shorthair
Lifespan: 12–15 yrs
Size: Medium
Weight: 3–4.5 kg
Coat: Short, soft and velvety with gentle waves and curly whiskers
Colours: All colours and patterns

😺 Temperament

AffectionateLivelyFriendlyIntelligent

🏡 Best suited to

Families with childrenFirst-time ownersMulti-pet homesCompanionship seekers

📊 Personality ratings

Activity level 4/5

Grooming needs 1/5

Friendliness 5/5

Vocality 2/5

Intelligence 4/5

📜 History & origin

The German Rex traces to a single curly-coated stray named Lämmchen ('little lamb'), found near the grounds of a Berlin hospital in 1951 by Dr. Rose Scheuer-Karpin. Lämmchen carried a spontaneous recessive gene for a wavy coat — coincidentally the same gene that produced the Cornish Rex discovered in England the year before. By breeding Lämmchen back to her own curly-coated offspring, Scheuer-Karpin established the line, making the German Rex one of the earliest deliberately bred rex cats. The breed spread modestly through Europe and was later crossed with Cornish Rex cats, with which it shares its coat gene, and it remains an affectionate but relatively uncommon breed today.

🧼 Care & grooming

The German Rex is wonderfully low-maintenance to groom. Its short, soft coat has no long guard hairs to mat and needs little more than the occasional gentle stroke with a soft cloth or hand to remove loose hair — brushing with a stiff comb can actually damage the delicate waves. Because the thin coat retains less body heat, German Rexes seek out warm spots and appreciate a cosy bed. Their fine curly whiskers are often short and fragile, so they are best left untrimmed. Otherwise they need the usual care: a balanced diet, dental attention and plenty of interactive play to satisfy their busy, sociable minds.

🩺 Health notes

The German Rex is generally a hardy, healthy breed with no widespread breed-specific diseases, helped by its outcrossing to the Cornish Rex. As with any breed, responsible breeders screen breeding cats for general feline concerns such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and maintain genetic diversity in what is a fairly small population. The sparse coat means owners should watch for cold sensitivity and protect pale-coated cats from sunburn on thinly furred areas. With good routine veterinary care these are robust, long-lived companions.

Fun fact: The German Rex and the Cornish Rex share the very same coat-curling gene — so although they arose in different countries, the two breeds can be crossed and their curly kittens will breed true.