Safari vs Devon Rex - Breed Comparison | MyCatBreeds

The Safari Cat, hailing from the USA, is one of the rarest breeds of cats. There are only about 70 of these cats registered at the International Cat Association.

The Safari cat is a mix of a moggy and Geoffroy's cat. At first, the cat was used for research purposes by Washington State University but then cat breeders took over the development of the breed.

The name ‘Safari’ was chosen because of its wild look.

The Devon Rex is a cat known for its large ears and its curly, soft coat. It hails from England, emerging in the 1950s.

The cat is recognized by quite a few cat associations. The first of these cats was discovered by Beryl Cox in 1959 in Buckfastleigh, Devon. When the cat started appearing in cat shows in the UK, people starting becoming interested in owning these unusual cats.

The hybrid Safari cat is a medium to large-sized cat that at first weighed in the region of 15kg, but the cat now weighs roughly 11kg.

Its body is much like that of the wild parent, the Geoffroy – muscular and compact. The ears aren’t particularly large and are smallish, rounded ears with a fairly broad head.

It has a typical wild cat look and is a spotted or rosetted cat breed. Below the spots, the coat is a silvery grey shade.

The coat which is short actually comes in a variety of colors that come from both cat breeds. The eyes of this cat are either yellow or green. The Safari cat certainly has a wild cat appearance, because of the cross-breeding. This is a rare cat and because of this, there is no breed standard for it.

They can live to be between 17 and 20 years of age.

Temperament:

Even though one of the parent breeds is a wild cat, the Safari cat is described as an easy-going cat that can make a good pet.

The cat is very intelligent and playful and will enjoy swimming and climbing. It is for this purpose that he needs to have quite a large outside enclosure with a pool of sorts so that he can paddle.

There isn’t much information on their interaction with children and other pets in the home. While they are quite likely to make good pets where there are children, there would have to be supervision where there are small children. During play, these cats can bit. It would be extremely important to teach children to respect any animal and to be gentle and kind to them.

Known for its slender, light build, and weighing roughly between 2 and 4kg, the medium-sized Devon Rex has large, rounded ears. It is the large, rounded ears, set low on the sides of the broad head that make it slightly gremlin-like in appearance.

Their eyes are also large, and their noses are slightly upturned. It’s short, curly coat is another unusual feature and comes in many colors and patterns. The eyes can be blue, yellow, copper or he can be odd-eyed.

Temperament:

Your Devon Rex is quite a naughty cat, enjoying getting up to all kinds of mischief. Energetic, they love leaping up high onto perches so you’ll often find your Devon Rex in odd spots, more so if it's a spot in the sun as he loves warmth. It is why it is important to buy a cat tree for this cat.

It’s a loving, loyal cat and it will attach itself to one member of the family and then they are capable of pouring out the love and affection on this particular person. They’re also playful cats, as well as being intelligent.

He can learn a few tricks and can also be trained to walk on a leash. This is an active, energetic breed and will provide his human family with hours of amusing entertainment.

As a hybrid cat, your Safari is interesting alright, but unfortunately, you can’t ever be 100% sure of a hybrid cat. It needs careful consideration before you bring one into your home.

Apart from coming into the home from time to time, hybrid cats need an outside enclosure too that is securely fenced and gated and with a roof.

You made a decision to buy a cat with a wild side. It may live up to all your expectations but it may not either.

When you do research you find that the biggest number of behavioral complaints from owners of hybrid cats are about aggression issues and the refusal to use a litter box when indoors.

There is still a raging debate going on as to whether hybrids make suitable pets, but when you bring any animal into your home, as a responsible adult it is your job to provide well for it to ensure its happiness.

Your Devon Rex is a social cat and is happy to be found on your lap. He doesn’t take kindly to being left on his own though. He isn’t a suitable fit for someone who works all day.

If you love animals, then maybe another companion animal would be a good idea as he is an amicable cat and gets on well with other animals.

When you spend time with your cat, make sure it is a special time, full of treats and stimulating play as he will learn to even fetch a small ball.

Just give him lots of attention and he’ll be your provider of companionship and entertainment.

The Safari cat isn’t a particularly well-known breed so there isn’t much information on their health. They can suffer from the same illnesses as non-hybrid domestic cats.

Certain hybrid breeds, such as the Safari, can sometimes have issues with reproduction as some cats are infertile. Domestic cats and wild cats have a different number of chromosomes and this results in reproductive problems, and stillbirths are quite common.

This particular cat isn’t known for any extreme health issues but even so, there are some health problems that are important to know about -

Patella Luxation:

This is where the patella or knee cap moves out of its usual spot. It can occur because of a number of reasons such as an injury or congenital malformation. The vet will want x-rays because sometimes hip dysplasia is also present.

Devon RexMypathy:

This is an inherited condition seen in both male and female cats and usually in young kittens. The cat has an odd gait with a head that bobs along as is tries to walk. The cat has tremors and also has difficulty with swallowing. With a visit to the vet and special care, your cat can do well.

It is recommended that you brush this cat each week. He isn’t a big shedder but the brushing once a week keeps the fur in good condition, removing loose hairs and dust.

A high protein diet is imperative. Cats are carnivores and a meat diet is imperative. You can speak to your vet or a cat expert about feeding your Safari cat. Certainly, they need to be fed high-quality cat food. These foods are available in wet and dry form.

He will definitely need some raw meat. Make sure you understand the ingredients in some low- quality cat foods as corn for cats can be a problem for them, hard to digest and it could cause intestinal problems.

The Devon rex cat breed is known for its unusual looks with its wavy fur, large ears and large eyes. It is considered a rare breed and you want to make sure that you take proper care of him.

Owners of the Devon Rex know that these cats love their food and it has to be top quality food to enhance good feline health.

Cats are carnivores, ad this actually means that they should stick to a meat diet. Any food you buy your cat should be mainly meat. Look at the packaging of the commercially manufactured cat foods you want to buy, and make sure that the first few ingredients are some sort of meat.

Remember that any uncertainty with feeding your cat, you can chat with your vet.

Keep the inside of your cat’s ear free of an accumulation of wax and dirt as well as infection. If you don’t like the idea of probing in your cat’s ears, be in contact with your vet or a reputable, professional cat groomer.

Trim the cat’s nails.

Check inside his mouth for bad teeth as this could be causing him pain.

Clean your cat’s litter box every single day and also replace the grit regularly.

Get your cat veterinary care as soon as he shows signs of illness. Certainly, make sure all his vaccines and deworming are up to date.