German Rex

German Rex was a breed of cat that began with the male cat Munk, in 1930-31 in Königsberg, in what was then East Prussia, Germany. Munk was the son of an Angora cat and a Russian Blue. There were two other curly brothers in the litter, but they were castrated early. Munk spread his genes plentifully through the town's beautiful lady cats, but for his owner his value was as himself, not for his curly coat.

In the summer of 1951, a doctor, Dr Rose Scheuer-Karpin noticed in the hospital garden a black, curly coated, cat. The clinic's personnel told her that they had known the cat since 1947. The doctor named the cat Lämmchen (German for little lamb). Her supposition that she must be the result of a mutation, was shown to be correct. Thus Lämmchen was the first breeder-owned rex type cat and the maternal ancestor of all the current German Rex.

The German Rex is a medium sized, muscular cat with slender legs of a medium length. The head is round with well developed cheeks and large, open, ears. The eyes are of medium size in colours related to the coat colour. The coat is silky and short, with a tendency to curl. The whiskers also curl. All colours of coat, including white, are allowed. The body development is heavier than the Cornish Rex - more like the European Shorthairs. A German Rex cat is very friendly and quickly makes contact with its owner. It is lively, playful and intelligent. It is the master of all acrobatic tricks, which it repeats again and again with huge enjoyment. Its temperament is much the same as a Cornish Rex. German Rex breeding was in the doldrums in the mid-70's, but there is now a group of keen breeders in Germany, Finland, Switzerland, Russia, Denmark and Holland that are re-establishing the breed.