Editing Cornish Rex

{{short description|Breed of cat}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox cat breed
| name  = Cornish Rex
| image = Rex staredown.jpg
| imagecaption= Distinctive Cornish face, high cheekbone and large ears. 
| altname = Rex, Corny/Cornies
| country = [[United Kingdom]]
| gccfstd = https://www.gccfcats.org/Portals/0/CornishRex.SOP.Template.pdf?ver=2018-06-28-191508-650
| cfastd  = https://cfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/cornish-rex-standard.pdf
| acfastd = https://www.acfacat.com/Breed%20Standards/CORNISH%20REX.pdf
| ticastd = https://www.tica.org/phocadownload/cr.pdf
| ccastd  = https://www.cca-afc.com/documents/BreedStandards/CORNISH_REX_20200203_003030.pdf
| acfstd  = https://www.acf.asn.au/notices/notices/standards/Group%20Three/CornishRex-2023.pdf
| fifestd  = https://fifeweb.org/app/uploads/2023/10/CRX.pdf
}}
The '''Cornish Rex''' is a [[cat breed|breed]] of domestic [[cat]]. The Cornish Rex only has [[down hair]]. Most breeds of cat have three different types of hair in their coats: the outer fur or "[[guard hair]]s", a middle layer called the "[[awn hair]]"; and the [[down hair]] or undercoat, which is very fine and about 1&nbsp;cm long. Cornish Rexes only have the undercoat.<ref name=WEBMD>{{Cite web |last=Drummey |first=Kristen |date=20 July 2022 |title=What to Know About a Cornish Rex |url=https://www.webmd.com/pets/cats/what-to-know-about-a-cornish-rex |access-date=2023-08-15 |website=WebMD |language=en}}</ref> The curl in their fur is caused by a different mutation and gene than that of the [[Devon Rex]]. The breed originated in [[Cornwall]], [[Great Britain]].

==Characteristics==
The coat of a Cornish Rex is extremely fine and naturally curly.<ref name=GCCF>{{cite web |title=Cornish Rex Standard |url=https://gccfcats.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CornishRex.SOP_.Template.pdf |website=Governing Council of the Cat Fancy |access-date=20 February 2024}}</ref> Their light coat means that they are best suited for indoor living in warm and dry conditions, as they are sensitive to low temperatures.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Drummey |first=Kristen |title=What to Know About a Cornish Rex |url=https://www.webmd.com/pets/cats/what-to-know-about-a-cornish-rex |access-date=2025-03-10 |website=WebMD |language=en}}</ref>

The breed is sometimes referred to as the [[Greyhound]] of the cats, because of the sleek appearance and the galloping run characteristic of the breed.<ref>[[Animal Planet]] television series: "Cats 101" episode:"Colorpoint Shorthair".</ref>{{better source needed|date=February 2024|reason=TV episode about a different breed}}

===Appearance===
According to the [[Governing Council of the Cat Fancy]] (GCCF) standard, the Cornish Rex's colour is irrelevant{{r|GCCF}} — therefore the cat may be any colour.<ref name="GCCF Cornish Rex">{{cite web |title=Cornish Rex |url=https://www.gccfcats.org/getting-a-cat/choosing/cat-breeds/cornish-rex/ |website=Governing Council of the Cat Fancy |access-date=20 February 2024}}</ref>

Aside from the distinctive coat, the Cornish Rex is set apart by its 'foreign type', slender legs and tail, oval eyes, and wedge shaped head.{{r|GCCF}} The Cornish Rex's ears are large and wide at the base with rounded tips and are described as being almost mussel shell shaped. The eyes are medium in size and come in all varieties of eye colour. The body is slender and muscular with small paws.{{r|GCCF}}

[[File:Smokytortoiseshellcornishrex.jpg|thumb|A smoky tortoiseshell Cornish Rex]]

==Genetics==
In 2013, researchers identified the mutation that defines the Cornish Rex breed. Genome-wide analyses were performed in the Cornish Rex breed and in 11 phenotypically diverse breeds and two random bred populations. A gene on chromosome A1, the lysophosphatidic acid receptor 6 (''[[LPAR6]]''), was identified to have a 4 [[base pair]] deletion. This induces a [[premature stop codon]] in the receptor that is absent in all straight haired cats analyzed. ''LPAR6'' encodes a receptor essential for maintaining the structural integrity of the hair shaft. In humans, LPAR6 mutations result in a form of [[ectodermal dysplasia]] characterised by a woolly hair phenotype.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Gandolfi |first1=Barbara |last2=Alhaddad |first2=Hasan |last3=Affolter |first3=Verena K. |last4=Brockman |first4=Jeffrey |last5=Haggstrom |first5=Jens |last6=Joslin |first6=Shannon E. K. |last7=Koehne |first7=Amanda L. |last8=Mullikin |first8=James C. |last9=Outerbridge |first9=Catherine A. |name-list-style=amp |date=27 June 2013 |title=To the Root of the Curl: A Signature of a Recent Selective Sweep Identifies a Mutation That Defines the Cornish Rex Cat Breed |journal=[[PLoS ONE]] |volume=8 |issue=6 |pages=e67105 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0067105 |issn=1932-6203 |pmc=3694948 |pmid=23826204 |bibcode=2013PLoSO...867105G|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |first1=Michelle L. |last1=LeRoy |first2=David A. |last2=Senter |first3=Dae Young |last3=Kim |first4=Barbara |last4=Gandolfi |first5=John R. |last5=Middleton |first6=Karen E. |last6=Trainor |first7=Delia M. |last7=Bouhan |first8=Leslie A. |last8=Lyons |name-list-style=amp |date=7 June 2016 |title=Clinical and Histologic Description of Lykoi Cat Hair Coat and Skin |url=https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jjvd/22/3/22_16-012/_pdf |journal=Japanese Journal of Veterinary Dermatology |volume=22 |issue=3 |pages=179–191|doi=10.2736/jjvd.22.179 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

== Origin ==
The distinctive look of the Cornish Rex is a [[mutation|genetic mutation]] that originated from a litter of kittens born in the 1950s on a farm in [[Cornwall]], [[United Kingdom|UK]].<ref>{{cite news |title=A New Look In Cats |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=31 January 1965 |newspaper=[[The Observer]] |pages=4–5}}</ref> One of the kittens, a cream-colored male named Kallibunker, had an extremely unusual, fine and curly coat; he was the first Cornish Rex. The owner then [[backcross]]ed Kallibunker to his mother to produce 2 other curly-coated kittens. The male, Poldhu, sired a female called Lamorna Cove who was later brought to America and crossed with a [[Siamese cat|Siamese]], giving the breed their long whippy tails and big ears.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

The [[Devon Rex]] looks similar in appearance to the Cornish Rex but has guard hairs and sheds. The Devon Rex mutation is different from the Cornish Rex mutation in that the Devon has shortened guard hairs, while the Cornish Rex lacks guard hairs altogether.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Robinson |first=R. |date=1971-12-01 |title=The rex mutants of the domestic cat |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00122078 |journal=Genetica |language=en |volume=42 |issue=4 |pages=466–468 |doi=10.1007/BF00122078 |pmid=4945689 |issn=1573-6857}}</ref>
[[Image:White Cornish Rex.jpg|thumb|right|Profile view of a white Cornish Rex]]

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THIS STORY ABOUT THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD 'REX' IN A PET-NAME CONTEXT HAS BEEN COMMENTED OUT, PENDING A SOURCE.

NOTE THAT ANY SUCH SOURCE MUST COME FROM EARLIER THAN 2003. I FOUND MANY PUBLISHED SOURCES POSTDATING 2003, BUT THEY MOSTLY USE PHRASING IDENTICAL TO THAT USED IN OUR ARTICLE, AND THUS CANNOT BE CONSIDERED INDEPENDENT.

Using the word "Rex" to imply curly or otherwise unusual fur originates from an occasion when King [[Albert I of Belgium]] (1875–1934) entered some curly-haired rabbits in a rabbit show. They did not meet the breed standard, but the show's officials did not wish to risk offending the king by rejecting them. Instead, they accepted them but wrote "Rex" ([[Latin]] for "king") beside their names.

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== Hypoallergenic ==
{{main|Allergy to cats}}
Despite some belief to the contrary, the Cornish Rex's short hair does not make it non- or [[Hypoallergenic|hypo-allergenic]]. Allergic reactions from cats are not the result of hair length, but from a [[glyco-protein|glycoprotein]] known as [[Fel d 1]], produced in the sebaceous glands of the skin, saliva, and urine.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sparkes |first=Andrew H. |date=January 2022 |title=Human allergy to cats: A review for veterinarians on prevalence, causes, symptoms and control |journal=Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=31–42 |doi=10.1177/1098612X211036793 |issn=1532-2750 |pmc=8721530 |pmid=34622710}}</ref> Most people who have cat allergies are reacting to this protein in cat saliva and cat [[dander]]: when the cat cleans its fur, the saliva dries and is transformed into dust that people breathe in. Since Cornish Rex cats groom as much as or even more than ordinary cats, a Cornish Rex cat can still produce a reaction in people who are allergic to cats. It is, however, widely reported to cause lesser to little allergic reaction.{{r|WEBMD}}

==References==
{{Portal|Cornwall}}
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Cornish Rex}}
{{wiktionary}}
*[http://club-crcc.ca/?lang=en Cornish Rex Club of Canada] - Cornish Rex cat breed association that promotes and protects the breed in Canada.

{{Cat nav}}

[[Category:Cat breeds]]
[[Category:Rex cat breeds]]
[[Category:Cat breeds originating in England]]
[[Category:Cornwall]]