Devon Rex Kitten?

Question

My sister recently bought a Devon Rex kitten ("Gizmo") from a local breeder. The kitten was infected with cat flu and was grossly underweight. At 10-11 weeks old, he only weighed around 300g. After a few weeks, he is now looking a million times better.

I am a vet nurse with practically no experience of this breed, having seen only 1 adult. My question is this - the kitten has hair on his extremities but none on his head or body. Is this common in the breed?

Please, only people with experience answer. Another breeder told my sister he will probably grow a lovely coat later on but at the moment he looks like an alien but a very cute one! LOL

He will be loved regardless but I just wonder if this is a common occurrence in Devon Rex kittens.

BTW, the kitten has been to my vet several times and is now healthy apart from some residual eye problems. He is receiving the best of care now including eye treatment and has no skin problems such as ringworm. He is just bald ;-)

I have worked with my current vet for 17 years and we have only had 1 or 2 Devons presented to us during that time so they are not very common here. I know there is a congenital problem which causes lack of hair but not sure how common it is...

Answer 1

Hi there...some of the Devon Rex kittens coat will be thinner and fill in as they get older, however each varies.

Just a thought... I'd also consider ringing other area breeders to see what their experience is with the breed.

Here are some photos of Devon Rex kittens which some show plenty of fur on the head and body: http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&hl=en&lr=&q=devon+rex+kitten&btnG=Search

Answer 2

I don't know much about Devon Rex's kitten coat, but I do know quite a lot about bad breeders, and your sister has definitely run into one. This breeder sold her a sick, underweight kitten--very, very bad business. "Cat flu" (which I bet is an upper respiratory infection) is not only communicable to your other cats, but can be fatal in a young kitten. A kitten like that should have been kept and cared for until recovered--not sold to an unfamiliar new owner.

Your sister's kitten is lucky to have come through and recovered; but I would highly recommend reporting this breeder to a local humane society or other advocate group. Someone who will sell a sick kitten could also be doing other, worse things--maybe even things that qualify as animal abuse.

As a vet tech, you can probably tell whether the cat needs immediate vet care, and can detect ringworm if it's present (and causing the absence of fur); so if he's fit and healthy and eating well, I guess it's not a great danger not to have too much fur. Your sister probably already knows to keep him warm, like any other Rex cat, but if she doesn't, tell her.

Why not ask the vet you work with, and see if s/he has more experience with curly-coated kittens?

Answer 3

I just bought a Devon Rex kitten in mid-November. She was healthy, but also had hardly any hair on the sides of her body (most apparent just above her hind legs). In the last month she has definitely grown quite a bit of hair there. So in my limited experience thus far, I'd have to say that it is not uncommon, and that it will most likely grow hair as it ages.