Safari vs Cornish Rex - Breed Comparison | Petzlover

Cornwall is the birthplace of the unusual Cornish Rex cat – a curly-coated cat.

A kitten was born in 1950 and belonged to Nina Ennismore and Winifred Macalister. The other kittens had short hair but this unusual kitten had curly hair, the result of a spontaneous natural mutation.

A successful breeding program was started and it was in 1963 that the American Cat Fanciers Association as well as the and today it is recognized by all cat registries.

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 Cornish Rex is a small to medium-sized cat weighing between 3 to 5kg. It’s a lithe, slender cat with a small, narrow head with big ears and eyes.

The cat has long, slender legs with a tail that is also slender and long. The hair is very fine and they are actually prone to hair loss. The coat has fine, short, silky hair. There can be a bit of a curl in the hair, The coat comes in many colors from white, silver, black, red, blue to chocolate and they can have different patterns too as well as bein bi-color.

The eyes can be gold, brown, or green. The torso is long and lean, the cat has a deep chest but strong hips and rear end that allow the Cornish Rex to leap with ease up onto perches.

Temperament:

The Cornish Rex loves his human family and loves spending time with them, whether that means fun and games or sitting in your lap.

He is intelligent and can learn a few tricks and is capable of learning to walk on a leash. He is a confident cat, playful and entertaining. Gentle and loving, he is a talkative cat, wanting to express his opinion about everything.

He will fit easily into different lifestyles, whether you’re single, a family, or in a retirement home, so long as he is receiving lots of attention.

He isn’t as frail as he looks and can get pretty active and social with children and dogs and may even beat the dog to fetching a small ball.

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.

If you’re looking for a cat that can bring laughter and fun into the household, you won’t go wrong with a Cornish Rex as they will amuse and delight.

He is also a cat that doesn’t require a lot of fuss and bother, although he makes a fuss about the amount of attention he gets.

He doesn’t like being left alone for long, so a good idea is to work from home or to get a companion for him. Other than than, he makes the most splendid feline companion.

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.

The Cornish Rex is a hardy cat with very few health issues. Certainly, because of the very fine hair, you’d have to be aware of sunburn.

Cats can get sunburned and can be at serious risk of getting skin cancer later on. Be sun-smart and apply pet sunscreen.

Be careful of the type of sunscreen you use as your cat will likely want to lick it off. Other issues to look out for are hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. This is a common kind of heart disease in cats where there is a thickening in the wall of the heart.

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.

Grooming your Cornish Rex isn’t going to be an issue as the cat has very little hair. Although nothing is set in stone and some Cornish Rex’s have thicker coats, requiring more brushing. Maybe a soft brush once a week will be sufficient for this cat breed.

A good idea is to take a cloth of warm water and to gently wipe your cat so that he is free of dust.

Supply a litter box and make sure that you remove his droppings every single day.

Have your pet neutered or spayed if you don’t want unwanted kittens. These minor ops have many health benefits for your cat as well.

When you brush your cat, check his entire body out for any abnormalities. Check for new lumps, check inside the ears to make sure they are clean and free of redness which could indicate an infection.

Clip his toenails, make sure his eyes are clear and bright, free of discharge, and check inside his mouth to make sure there aren’t any bad teeth, as this could cause him a lot of discomfort.

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.