Black Devon Rex: The "Rare" Color That Keeps Winning Shows
The internet sells black-and-white Devon Rex as rare. CFA's own show results say otherwise, eight seasons running: the receipts, and the breed's dark-coated founder.
Published August 21, 2026 3 min read
Contents
Search for a black-and-white Devon Rex and the listings whisper "rare." Here is what the documents say instead. 's own breed page carries a gallery of recent titled cats, and black and black-and-white Devon Rex appear among the winners across at least eight consecutive show seasons, 2017-18 through 2024-25.
A color that titles at the biggest US registry season after season is not a rarity; it is a staple. The one consumer color article we found that publishes any rarity scale at all ranks solid black in its MOST common tier, "Very common". It does not rank black-and-white as rare either. No registry publishes a rarity ranking of any Devon Rex color: we checked all five documents directly.
Why the "rare" label survives anyway
Because it sells. This breed's registries are completely color-open (the colors hub has the five quotes). No color is restricted, no color needs special breeding, and no color has a registry-recognized scarcity. A listing that leans on "rare" to justify a premium is leaning on air. No named cattery we read in any of four markets charges by color at all, and the flat-price policies are stated in the breeders' own words.
Reading a black Devon Rex
Black on this breed comes with an asterisk the solid-coat breeds do not carry. The rexed coat is short, wavy and thin in places. So a black Devon Rex often reads charcoal-to-brown where the coat is sparsest, and the loose curl catches light differently from a flat coat. Black-and-white (bicolour) adds the tuxedo geometry to the elf face. Both are ordinary, always-available classes at every registry that names classes at all.
The founder was a dark cat
The breed's own history runs through a dark coat. Kirlee, the single foundation tomcat behind every Devon Rex (born 15 July 1959 near Buckfastleigh, Devon), is described as "brownish-black" in 's, 's and 's current accounts, and as "a black smoke" by the UK Devon Rex Owners Club's own history. Two descriptions from two source families, both dark; we print both rather than picking. Every black Devon Rex on a sofa today is wearing something close to the founder's own coat. That is a better story than an invented rarity.
The rarity claim vs the record
consecutive show seasons (2017-18 to 2024-25) with black or black-and-white Devon Rex among the titled cats
8
registries that publish any color rarity ranking: we checked all five documents
0
color premium at any named cattery with a stated policy, in any of our four markets
$0
The vet's take
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Frequently asked questions
Are black and white Devon Rex cats rare?
No source supports it: CFA's own titled-cats gallery shows black and black-and-white Devon Rex winning across eight straight show seasons, the one published rarity scale ranks solid black "Very common," and no registry ranks color rarity at all.
Do black Devon Rex cats cost more?
Not at any named cattery we read: US and Australian catteries with stated color policies price FLAT, one explicitly refusing color premiums. Treat a "rare colour" surcharge as a red flag.
What color was the first Devon Rex?
Dark: Kirlee, the 1959 founder, is "brownish-black" per TICA, CFA and GCCF, "a black smoke" per the UK Owners Club. The sources disagree on the exact term and we print both.
Why does my black Devon Rex look brownish?
The rexed coat is short, wavy and sparse in places, so black reads warmer where coverage thins: coat texture, not a color fault at home.
Community questions
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This is information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot tell you what is wrong with your cat. Our rule is a simple one: if something is wrong with your cat, call your vet, and call an emergency clinic if it is out of hours. Nothing you read here is a reason to wait.
Medical information applies to every reader. Prices, legal duties and common practice do not: unless stated otherwise, they are given for the United States, and they differ in the UK, Canada and Australia, and often between states or provinces. Check with your own vet and your own local authority.
Our sources
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