In 1960, in Devonshire England, a spontaneous mutation caused British barn cats to conjure up their own version of the ultimate feline pixie. Lowset, oversize ears that jut out and away from the side of an elfin cheeky face with a turned up nose. Large impish eyes suggest a madcap personality and a nimble mind. A deceptively muscular body is covered by a short coat of downy fur that curls and ripples.

Devons sport a variety of coats that range from a full-rolling loose uneven wave through lessening degrees of density that support a tighter rippling effect all the way to a thin suede-like cover. Kitten coats usually thin out (moult) at about eight weeks of age. Although some kittens escape this moult phase, many juveniles sport a suede look until the adult coat begins to come in. Further moults are sometimes witnessed at about six months and ten months in age, although these tend to be less dramatic and of shorter duration.

Today, over forty years after their mutant origin, Devon Rex remain remarkably faithful to their original conformation, head type, coat and disposition.