Coat Care
The Devon Rex coat varies from one cat to another – some are thick and curly – some are thin and sparse, some are wavy, while some have curls like twirly little corkscrews. Some feel like velvet or chenille and others like the softest lambs wool.
Anyone who tells you that the Devon Rex needs no grooming has clearly never cared for one! They do need grooming but not so much as an ordinary cat. Any animal with any kind of hair will shed some of it sooner or later – even human beings do this - as the old hair dies off it is replaced with new hair.
Besides removing dead hair, grooming stimulates blood flow in the surface of the skin and is a pleasant activity for you to enjoy with your cat. All my kittens are used to having a little soft brush run over them even though at such a young age they don’t need it.
If your Devon is pale coloured and/or has a thin coat you may find that they get quite greasy skin (I breed my Devons with the aim that they will have good coats so this doesn’t really happen to my bloodlines but I’m mentioning it here anyway in case someone wants to know). These are just natural secretions, which would normally oil the coat, but as there isn’t much coat available to soak it up it can sit on the surface of the skin. These are the Devons that will need an occasional bath but be careful – sometimes bathing makes the grease worse. Only use a very mild shampoo – baby shampoo is a good choice as it is mild and most types will not sting if it happens to get into the cats eyes.
Baby wipes – the “pure” kind that don’t have any scent on them are fab for cleaning Devon Rex – you can use them to take off any grease from the armpits or other dirty areas without having to get the cat wet or mess up any areas of coat that are not dirty, and it only takes a few seconds to do – Happy dry cat!!!! – Happy unscratched owner!!!
Baby wipes are also very good for just wiping over the surface of the coat in general. Work from front to back in long straight sweeps with a firm pressure (but not hard) and you will find that any loose hairs on the surface of the coat are removed by the baby wipe. The damp baby wipe used in this way will also improve the wave in the coat whereas washing can make it look a bit fuzzy.
I personally think that bathing a cat is not a good idea. It takes the natural oils out of the coat and skin and removes the cats natural scent
I know some cats are used to being bathed and some cats may even enjoy it, but many get very distressed so it is best avaoided unless really necessary - if in doubt seek veterinary advice.