The Cornish Rex cat has no hair other than down. The coat is extremely fine and the softest of any cat breed. The cornish rex is a genetic mutation originating from a litter born on a farm in Cornwall during the 1950's. One of the kittens named Kallibunker had an unusually fine and curly coat. Once he came of age he was mated back with his mother and fathered two further curly coated kittens to begin what is now the Cornish Rex Breed of cat.
In 1967 the GCCF granted championship status for the cornish rex and allocated breed number 33.
The genetic mutation of the cornish rex is quite different to that of the Devon Rex. The Devon Rex looks similair however it has shortened guard hair, while the Cornish Rex has no guard hair at all.