Because of the slender boning on the Cornish rex, they may feel almost dainty, but this cat is athletic and not at all fragile.The Cornish rex has a small, narrow head with large ears and eyes that look large for the size of the head. They have a Roman nose, a strong chin and long slender legs. The tail is also slender and long with a great degree of flexibility.The coat of the Cornish rex is unique among cats. It is silky and soft but forms itself into waves that look a bit like corn rows.|

The Cornish rex becomes involved with their parent. They love to be right next to their parent and must have some time together everyday. Many Cornish rex will do anything to be with their parents and will even learn to walk on a lead in order to spend more time together. In general, they love being handled by their parents.

The Cornish rex is an athletic cat and will maintain ideal weight if provided with enough space for exercise. Thanks to the close lying nature of the coat, you can easily tell if a Cornish is getting too heavy.The Cornish rex is agile and loves to jump, run, and play. When playing they can appear to be inexhaustible and should have interactive exercise as well.

In 1950 in Cornwall, England, the first Cornish rex kitten was born as the result of a spontaneous mutation, born of a barn cat and an unknown sire. Nina Ennismore, who made this discovery, had bred and exhibited rex rabbits and knew this cat was a special cat. She took this curly-coated cat into her home, named him Kallibunker, and began what became the Cornish rex breed.In 1957, a breeding pair of Cornish rex that was directly related to Kallibunker was imported into the United States. The Cornish rex was officially recognised in the United States in 1967 and has since become more popular in the United States than it is in England.At first, breeders believed that the curly coat of both the Cornish rex and the Devon rex might be related and the two could be bred to each other. This breeding was attempted but the resulting kittens all had straight coats. This result happened every time the breeding was tried, so the curly-coated cats were determined to be two distinct breeds.