A German Rex is built for company
A German Rex generally does well with other pets because it is one of the more companionable cat breeds, preferring shared space to solitude. Many German Rex cats actively befriend a resident cat, curl up near a calm dog, and treat other animals as part of the social group. That outlook gives multi-pet homes a real head start compared with a fiercely territorial breed.
Head start is not the same as instant harmony. A German Rex arriving in a new home is still a newcomer entering territory that already smells of other animals, and the resident pets have their own routines to defend. The breed's friendliness pays off when the owner manages the first weeks properly instead of opening every door on day one.
Introducing a German Rex to a resident cat
Start a German Rex in one room with its own litter tray, food, water, and scratching post, and let both cats learn each other's scent under the door. Swapping bedding between a German Rex and a resident cat, then feeding both near the closed door, builds a calm association before they ever meet face to face. Short visual introductions through a gate or cracked door come next.
When meetings finally happen, keep them brief and let the German Rex or the resident cat walk away freely. Hissing at first sight is communication, not failure; chasing, cornering, or staring matches are the signs to separate and slow down. Most German Rex pairings settle over a few weeks, and two cats need enough litter trays, feeding spots, and resting places that neither has to compete for basics.
A German Rex living with a dog
A German Rex can live happily with a dog whose behaviour around cats is already known to be calm. The first meetings should be with the dog on a lead, rewarded for ignoring the cat, while the German Rex has a high escape route it can use at any moment. A German Rex will often choose to approach a settled dog on its own terms, and that voluntary approach predicts success far better than forced closeness.
Dogs with a strong chase drive, or dogs who have never lived with a cat, need a much slower plan and honest adult judgement. Never leave a new German Rex alone with a dog until weeks of relaxed shared time have passed, and keep feeding areas separate so neither animal guards food from the other.
Small pets and honest limits
A German Rex retains normal feline hunting instincts, so free-roaming birds, hamsters, or fish in open bowls are not safe companions however friendly the cat seems. Small pets in secure enclosures in a separate area can coexist with a German Rex, but the cat should never be given unsupervised access. Friendliness toward cats and dogs does not extend into prey animals, and no training reliably removes that distinction.
Ask what the individual German Rex has lived with before, because a cat raised alongside dogs arrives with very different confidence from one who has never seen one. Rescues often hold exactly that detail. KinsLe helps here with Transferrable Profiles, so a German Rex's recorded experience with other animals reaches the new owner instead of being lost at adoption.