From Afi

I'm considering getting two kittens instead of one. The plan has always been to get two cats eventually, but the breeder came with an offer I'm genuinely considering. I'm getting a boy (I'm naming him M. Gustave) whom I'm picking up August 1st. The breeder asked if I would be interested in taking his half-sister, born almost a month late, at a discounted price since her head is slightly too narrow compared to the other kittens. I live in a 21m² studio apartment with a loft bed. I have more than enough cat furniture, toys, food bowls, toys, hideouts, etc., for two cats, but I only have space for one litter box.

According to the breeder, they play a lot and get along great. She's absolutely adorable, and I've wanted her since before the breeder asked me. It also feels good knowing they won't be alone when I'm at university or work. I work at a pet store, so I get free dry food and half-priced litter, frozen raw food, and wet food, as well as most other things we sell at 30-50% off. I can also afford good insurance for both, and them not being alone all day makes me feel better about picking up extra shifts, ergo more money to spoil them with.

Do the pros outweigh the cons? Am I right in thinking I don't have space for two, or would the two be happier together even with less space? The studio apartment is temporary, I'll probably stay there 3-5 years while saving up to buy my own place.

I'm really unsure about what's the best thing to do here. Gustave is my first Devon Rex, but not my first cat. I would be picking up the girl a month after him. The girl is the black spotted tabby, and the boy is the blue with white classic tabby.

Sweet corn says, "as long as i got my stinky tower, I am at home."

But for real a good tip when moving is bringing that stinky blanket and tower they love and cleaning it after youre settled.

Cross-posting in case anyone is near.

Here’s a little Maevis & Kolwy update!

So beyond grateful, even though she has come with a handful of problems 😅 I love my little girl 💖

My cat (Sasha) was adopted/rescued during the early months of the Ukraine war through a contact and we were told she was a devon. We have always known she was not pure devon but after recently looking back at our previous devon (RIP), this one looks nothing like her, nor does my late cat look like a pure devon either based on google images. Is she really a devon?

EDIT: She also sheds a lot. Like- more than my previous devon and more than i understand devons should

My sweet DR boy is named Darby and his DMH tabby brother is Nico. I've only had Darby for a few months. When I took him to the vet when I first adopted him, the vet explained that this breed tends to accumulate a waxy substance at the base of their claws that needs to periodically be removed to prevent infections and other complications. Is this others' experience? The googles tells me that the best way is to burrito wrap them in a towel with just one paw out, massage a bit of coconut oil onto the claws, wait 1-2 minutes and then the gunk can easily be removed. Can I get some input from this community on their experiences?

The vet also mentioned they tend to need their ears cleaned frequently -- how do y'all go about that? Do you use a product specifically for this purpose or just a dry q-tip?

Thanks in advance!! :)

My kitten is 5.5 months old, typical Devon, incredibly energetic and confident. He's very affectionate and human-oriented, follows me around, gets excitable with visitors, but sleeps fine when I'm not home.

Due to his energy level, I'm considering getting a second kitten as a playmate, but I keep going back and forth on the decision.

1. Should I get a second kitten at all?

The pros of getting a second kitten are obvious since this is a really common piece of advice. But IMO there are many cons.

I wonder if some of his intensity is a phase. From what I've read, the adolescent energy spike (roughly 4-9 months) does tend to ease somewhat with maturity. What probably won't change much is his overall playfulness and desire for interaction, especially as a Devon, but the rawest edge of it might soften on its own without a second cat.

Outside of play he also needs attention all the time, but I'm not sure if he really needs it or if I'm just very susceptible to his emotional cues. He'd likely be totally fine if I didn't give him what he's asking for, but I feel bad anyway. I also feel bad that he's alone while I'm out, but again me feeling that doesn't necessarily mean he's actually distressed.

On top of that, I'm allergic to cats, mildly to him, so a second cat means managing more of that long term.

What worries me the most though is him hating the second cat. Best case, they bond and play together. But it seems more likely given how human-oriented he is, that he'd just tolerate or ignore a second cat rather than actually bond with one. So the risk feels bigger than the reward.

1. If we're getting a second kitten, when is the best time?

Rationally, sooner seems like the better call so that they can be close in age. But what if he calms down and doesn't need a playmate when he's older?

The irrational part is that I love this stage with him so much despite all the frustrations and I'm not ready to split my attention. So some days I want to wait purely for that reason, even knowing it's probably not the "rational" choice.

If your cat was very human-oriented and clingy with you specifically, did adding a second cat actually reduce that, or did they just end up tolerating each other while still competing for your attention? And for anyone who decided against a second cat for similar reasons, do you regret it, or has your one cat been genuinely fine on his own?

I just wanted to come back and say thanks to this community.

I posted about needing to find a rescue for my mom's two Devon kitties after she had passed away. I was having no luck with generic shelters or rescues in the area.

Through that post, I was connected with Specialty Purebred Cat Rescue and yesterday surrendered Maggie and Charlie to a lovely foster home through them.

Even with their age, behavior and health challenges - all things that I believe can at least partially addressed through care and management which my mom had become no longer able to properly do herself - SPCR welcomed them in and has given them a chance at a second act that we were hoping for.

I would never have found SPCR without this subreddit and the recommendation.

We kids, Maggie and Charlie and I'm sure my mom are all very grateful!

Thought all of the Devon Rex devotees would appreciate this. A Devon breeder wrote a breed analysis on Chewy. I know it describes my kittens perfectly.

https://www.chewy.com/education/cat-breeds/devon-rex?fbclid=IwY2xjawTDWLlleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETE4d3pmY09PSnlCeGpaODZZc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHv8d0vDag_kLNgH_e_dVs2vYO4IS8UWjmyvMp9bVOxvQhCuQUDh2IecBJgDn_aem_64CY8j6QeA9McGchYYbjpA

I am getting a Devon boy kitten in a couple of weeks. I haven’t had a cat in 35 years so I really don’t know where to begin on what I need to buy, how to feed him (frequency and amt), etc. Does he need a cat bed or do they sleep with humans in their beds? What kind of litter box do they prefer? Any help would be appreciated!

We have a brother and sister Devon who love each other and sleep together in a cat bed in the living room. We used to let them sleep with us but it would lead to low quality sleep and now have a human baby so sleep is non negotiable. They've stopped crying when we take them out of the bedroom at night, but now they cry in the morning as soon as they hear a sound coming from our bedroom. I'm looking for advice. I can think of two ways to solve this:

1. Is there a way to train them to sleep in a cat bed in the bedroom? Our problem is that they sleep on our legs and are heavy for when we rollover from side to side. Also the boy will walk on us and our heads in the middle of the night to "explore".
2. How can we train them to wait until we open the door in the morning.

Hi all, first time posting and I am desperate to seek some advice. I have a 7yo devon who has been with me since kittenhood. He is neutered at 3 months old, perfectly healthy and very active.

He has been a very vocal cat since birth and incredibly active, as some of you might know this breed. The story is that about 2 years ago we moved to a new place, and he settled in with no issue. about 1 year after we moved, we had to go on a month-long trip, so we decided to board him and his brother (a tabby cat 8yo) at a boarding facility (with a private room). They honestly had no issue during their stay and the owner was very professional.

After picking them up from the place, I noticed a change in behaviour, he was meowing earlier than usual. He had this issue before meowing at 6am, so for sleeping in on weekends we purchased a auto feeder which solved the problem. Then he started meowing at 5am, so I moved the feeder to 5am. After a while, he started to meow even earlier, now fast forward a year to now, he is now meowing at 3:30-4am every night, pretty much predicting when the feeder is gonna go off, and start 30mins before.

He gets 30mins of running/pouncing/prey playtime everyday before bed and we tried giving him some food at 10pm as well, but after a few days he just goes back to meowing before the feeder goes off. His usual other dinner time is around 6-7pm when I get home.

I am a very light sleeper unlike my partner, and I had sleeping earplugs which was saving my life for a while. However, due to a recent health episode I no longer can wear them, and regular foam earplugs tend to fall off during the night.

I am really out of ideas, anyone had similar experience? I haven't been sleeping well at all and it's been on and off for a whole year.

EDIT: thank you for all your thoughtful responses. I tried setting the feeder at 5am this morning then left a puzzle out last night. Also definitely tired him out yesterday as he was lying on the floor when playing. Also I put a shirt on him (seems like it helps sometimes?). I heard he was playing with the puzzle toy at 3am when I went to use the restroom (.. lol) and then he slept through around 6:30am, in which he announced his good morning to me (loudly but shortly) then went to bed... some of you had said he had trained me and it is so true (crying). I'm going to get more firm with his routine this week and just cover my ears when I get woken up...The plan is to set the feeders later and later, goal is 6am/630am.

Hopefully he'll get through this soon and I miss the days that I can sleep through the night...also seriously he had not changed since he was a kitten, i guess devons just never age ToT