American Bobtail Cat

The American Bobtail is an american cat rare outside of the United States. Around 1964, an American couple named Sanders was vacationing near an Indian reservation in Arizona when they noticed a wild-looking kitten with a short, upright tail. They adopted the kitten and named him Yodie. He was crossed with Michi, a Siamese. A kitten from this litter, crossed with a cream-colored cat, was the origin of the breed. The Bobtail's distinguishing feature, its short tail, was the result of a mutation caused by a dominant gene. Initially, the Bobtail's coat was short. However, Himalayans (Colorpoint Persians in Britain) were introduced and resulted in a medium-length coat. The breed was recognized by T.I.C.A. in 1989. The semi longhair American Bobtail, the longhaired version of the American Bobtail, has the same characteristics as its cousin.

Descriptions:

Body : Moderately long and substantial with a rectangular stance. Chest full and broad. Slightly higher in hips with prominent shoulder blades. Hips substantial almost as wide as chest. Deep flank. Muscular and athletic in appearance. Allowance should be made for slow maturation.

Ears : Medium. Wide at base with slightly rounded tips, as much on the top of the head as on the side. Ear tipping and furnishings highly desirable. Lighter colored thumbprints on the back of the ears desirable on all tabbies including lynx points.

Tail : Short, may be straight, slightly curved or slightly kinked or have bumps along the length of the tail. Tail set in line with the top line of the hip. Tail to be broad at base, strong and substantial to the touch, never fragile. Must be flexible, expressive and not kinked to the point it impairs the natural movement of the tail. Straighter tails being preferred over kinked tails. Straight tails should exhibit a fat pad at the end of the tail.

Coat : LENGTH: Medium-longhair, slightly shaggy. Tapering to slightly longer hair on ruff, britches, belly and tail. RUFF: Slight, mutton chops desirable. TEXTURE: Non-matting, resilient. DENSITY: Double coat. Undercoat present, not extremely dense. MISCELLANEOUS: Seasonal variations of coat should be recognized. Coat may be softer in texture in dilute colors, lynx points and silvers. Undercoat may be mouse gray in tabbies.

Fault : Tail too long or too short affecting the balance and appearance of the cat. Tail kinked or knotted out of shape. Tail rigid, fragile or set low. Straight tail not exhibiting a fat pad. Round eyes. Weak chin. Extremely short muzzle or nose break. Cottony coat. Disqualify: Total lack of tail or full-length tail. Odd eyes. Delicate bone structure. Incorrect number of toes.

Head : Broad modified wedge without noticeable flat planes or doming, in proportion to the body. Observable muzzle break above a well-defined broad medium length muzzle. Fleshy whisker pads. Cheekbones are apparent. Slightly concave curve between nose and brow with good length between brow & ears. Distinctive brow is evident by a slightly rounded forehead to eye ridge; brow border is fleshy creating an almost hooded appearance to the eye. Nose wide, nose leather large. Chin strong and wide in line with the nose. Widening of the head and stud jowls apparent in adult males.

Eyes : Large. Almost almond in shape. Deep set. Outside corner angled slightly upward towards the ears. Medium-wide apart. Distinctive brow above the eye gives the cat a natural hunting gaze

Neck : Medium in length may appear short due to musculature.

Character : The American Bobtail is a medium to large, naturally occurring, bobtailed cat. It is a noticeably athletic animal, well muscled, with the appearance of power. The body is moderately long and substantial with a rectangular stance and prominent shoulder blades. The tail is short and is to be clearly visible above the back when the cat is alert, not to exceed the hock in length. It possesses a strong, broad modified wedge shaped head, with a distinctive brow above large almost almond shaped eyes. Females are generally proportionately smaller than males with type a more important aspect of the breed than size. The American Bobtail with all of its combined characteristics possesses a distinctive wild appearance and an exceptionally amiable disposition.

Personality : The expression is one of intelligence and alertness