It was August 1951 in East Berlin, Germany, when dr. Rose Scheuer-Karpin found, amongst the stray cats that lived near the Hufeland Hospital, a black curly coated female. She adopted the unusual looking cat, took her into her home, and named her Lämmchen. Lämmchen had a thick, soft, wavy coat and beautiful curly whiskers. Dr. Rose Scheuer-Karpin later heard that she was left behind by a nurse who worked in the hospital, this nurse originated from Köningsberg, East Prussia. Lämmchen had lived at the hospital at least since 1947 and when abandoned, she was looked after and fed by patients and personnel.

 

Lämmchen had kittens before, but her first litter while living in dr Rose Scheuer-Karpins apartment, was born in 1952. Her mate was a black stray, named Blackie. She had a litter of four black kittens with a normal coat. From than on Lämmchen had a litter with Blackie every spring and autumn. The kittens were giving away as pets throughout Berlin and other places. At that point no one was interested to join in a breeding program, and Lämmchen was not interested in any other male than Blackie.

 

Blackie disappeared in 1956 and soon later Lämmchen was mated to her son Fridolin. She produced her first curly kittens from Fridolin in April 1957, she had a litter of four black kittens of which two were curly coated. One of the curly kittens was send to England to dr. Jude. This kitten was over four months and in perfect health, but sadly died after 6 weeks in quarantine.

 

In the following years Lämmchen produced numerous straight coated and curly kittens, most kittens were given away as pets. One of her curly coated daughters, named Curlie, went to nurse Gertraud Knuth. Curlie herself had kittens from different males. In 1960 and 1961 some of Lämmchen’s offspring went to France and to the United States.

 

In 1970, the first cross breeding was done between the German and Cornish Rex. Mr. and Mrs. Tracy mated their German Rex female; Paw Prints Schatz, to a Cornish Rex male; Rodell’s Rimski. This mating resulted in two curly coated kittens; Paw Prints Adam and Paw Prints Evan. The genes of the German rex and the Cornish Rex proved than to be the same.

At this time all Rex in the States were registered simply as Rex and at the show they were judged by the standard for the Cornish Rex. The remaining German Rex were used in Cornish Rex breeding and today there are no pure German Rex left in the United States.

 

German cat breeders initially did not show any interest in the Rex cats. Some of Gertraude Knuth’s cats were the first to attend a cat show in Germany in 1964 and 1965. It wasn’t until Prof. Letard’s successful breeding and showing, that there was finally some interest shown from the German cat breeders.

One of the first to start breeding the German Rex was Mr. Von Barensfeld, cattery Vom Grund, from East-Berlin. He had bought a curly female from Gertraude Knuth. He later imported a couple of Rex cats from Denmark, unaware of the fact that these cats, Hetty and Hasse Plys af Wessel, were Devon Rex, from a mixed Devon/Cornish background. By mating these two Devons to the German Rex, the Devon Rex gene was brought into the German rex breed and up until now there are still some German Rex that carry the recessive Devon rex gene.

Through the years the German Rex was bred on a very small scale and due to die out for several times, if not just in time someone had gotten interested and saved the breed.

 

The Wöllners, cattery Von Zeits, in West Berlin got their first German Rex hybrid in 1973. They found a black Rex male, Ceasar, in 1974 in Munich and a black and white Rex male, Preuss was found in 1979 in Siegburg. Both males were used in their breeding, but since they mated straight coated hybrid girls and all offspring was straight coated, it is hard to say if they carried the same Rex gene.

 

A German Rex breeder from the 80-ies was Anneliese Hackmann, cattery Von Assindia, she found a new Rex male on the Spanish Isle Lanzarote, named Locki, which she used for breeding to her German Rex females. In 1982 the German Rex was recognised by Fifé.

 

In 1999 there were not much German Rex left. Ilona Jänicke, cattery Batu and Saxon Glory, and Andrea Edel, cattery Quiomme, started a search for the last German Rex. They did find some hybrids and Rex coated, not more than a handful and with these cats they started a new breeding program, to save the breed from dieing out.

 

The German Rex is a medium cat with rounded head. The body is strong and muscular, but not massive. There are no extreme breed characteristics, the overall impression is medium in all ways. The coat is very special and feels surprisingly soft. It is very silky, short, with a tendency to curl, velvety, without guard hairs.

German Rex are recognised in all possible coat colours.

They are even tempered and very affectionate.

Breed Standards
  FIFe