The German rex is thought to be the first breed of cat with curly or wavy hair. The first subject was discovered in the early 1930s by Erna Schneider in Königsberg (now Kaliningrad). She named this cat Kater Munk and it is thought that the parents were a blue Persian mother and a Russian Blue father, although nothing can prove this. In any case, she wore this blue dress herself. It is thought that there were also two males from the same litter, but they were quickly castrated. We don't know if she had kittens, but she died in 1944 or 1945.
Later, in 1951, Dr. Rose Scheuer-Karpin spotted a black-and-white curly cat in the garden of the hospital where she worked in Buch (now Pankow). She named her Lämmchen (meaning “little lamb”). She had litters, and it was by crossing her with one of her sons that Dr. Scheuer-Karpin obtained other kittens with wavy, particularly soft hair. This was the start of breeding.
Lämmchen died in 1964 or 1967, leaving behind a number of curly-haired and mixed-breed cats. It's not known whether she was related to Kater Munk, but it's thought that she may have been, thanks to the high level of German immigration at the time.
Lämmchen descendants were often crossed with Cornish rex to improve the breed, which had skin problems at the time.
In 1986, a German cattery bought the last three Lämmchen descendants to prevent the breed's extinction.
The breed was recognized by FIFé and LOOF under the name German rex. CFA, on the other hand, associates it with the Cornish rex.
The breed is still very rare today, but a few German breeders have been working to develop this cat since 1999. To avoid excessive inbreeding, the breed is interbred with smooth-haired cats. There are now breeders in Russia, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands. Rose Scheuer-Karpin, considered the breed's founder, still lives in Germany. |
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