American Bobtail Breeders and other related Links
American Bobtail
History
The American Bobtail originated about 40 years ago with found feral cats having a natural bobtail. It is a powerful looking cat, strong and robust, as befitting its heritage
The American Bobtail originated in the late 1960s with a male brown tabby kitten with a bobtail found on an Indian reservation in the Southwest U.S. The couple who found the kitten raised him and later bred him to a long-tail female. The subsequent offspring formed the foundation of the American Bobtail breed. Contrary to its rugged appearance the American Bobtail is not a "wild" cat, but descends from naturally occurring bobtailed cats found in the wild.
In other words, you will not find any bobcats (Felis rufus or Lynx rufus) in an accepted breeding program.
The American Bobtail is a sturdy, rugged-looking breed, fitting to its heritage of survival in a feral environment. Physically, the American Bobtail is a medium to large cat, with either short dense coat or a longer, shaggy-appearing coat. American Bobtails come in all colors and patterns, however since breeding to other recognized breeds are not allowed, "points" would not normally appear. Male American Bobtails can easily surpass 15 pounds, and females are somewhat smaller.
Type and characteristics
Body, legs and feet
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. Legs and Feet - in proportion to the body, of good length and substantial boning. Paws large and round. Toe tufts desirable in longhaired varieties. Five toes in front, four in back.
Head
Shape - broad modified wedge without noticeable flat planes or doming, in proportion tp the body. Cheekbones are apparent.
Eyes
Large. Almost almond in shape. Deep set. Outside corner angled slightly upward towards the ears. Medium-wide apart. Distinctive brow above the eye creates a top line to the eye and produces the breed's natural hunting gaze.
All eye colors acceptable, eye color can be copper, gold, yellow or green; blue in bi-color/van, colorpoint, lynxpoint or odd-eyed white cats.
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
The tail is flexible and expressive and 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. Straighter tails should exhibit a fat pad at the end of the tail and are preferred over kinked tails. Length - Must be long enough to be clearly visible above the back when alert, not to extend past a stretched hind hock in length. Neck - medium in length may appear short due to musculature.
Coat
Shorthair Cat: length-medium, semi-dense; texturenon- matting, resilient with slight loft; density-double coat, hard topcoat with a soft, downy undercoat; 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.
Longhair Cat: 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. (Text The Cat Fancier Association -Breed Standard American Bobtail)
Temperament
You will notice an expression of intelligence and alertness in an American Bobtail, as befitting its history of survival. They are described by fond owners as "fun, friendly, talkative, outgoing, and great climbers."
American Bobtails are great family cats, and get along well with other animals and children. If you feel the "call of the wild," you might consider an American Bobtail cat as a companion.
Genetic Concerns
If you feel that you have a better description for this category we would love to hear from you chendel@calwisp.com
American Bobtail Breeders and other related Links
More Breed Descriptions on the Net
CFA Breed Standard: American Bobtail
www.cfainc.org/breeds/standards/american-bobtail.html
American Bobtail: FBRL Breed Page
www.breedlist.com/american-bobtail-breeders.html
CFA Breed Standards
http://www.cfa.org/breeds.html
TICA
www.tica.org/
http://www.ticaeo.com/Content/Publications/STANDARD.htm
ACF Breed Standard - (The Australian Cat Federation)
http://www.acf.asn.au/Standards/Contents.htm
ACFA Breed Standard - The American Cat Fancier Association
http://www.acfacats.com/breed_standard.htm
CCAFC Breed Standards - Canadian Cat Association Feline Registry
http://www.cca-afc.com/en/show_info/standards.html
FIFe Breed Standards - Federation Internationale Feline
http://www.fifeweb.org/
GCCFBreed Standards - Governing Council Cat Fancy
http://www.gccfcats.org/breed.html
LOOF Breed Standards- Livre Officiel des Origines Felines
http://loof.asso.fr/loof/racine/default.asp?id=212
WCF Breed Standards - World Cat Federation
http://www.wcf-online.de/english/ES/standard.htm
To Top
