Short tailed Cats – the Japanese Bobtail

Ever seen a rabbit’s tail on a cat?  Well, if you have seen the Japanese Bobtail, then you have seen as near as you get.  This breed of cat is known for its short or bobbed tail and is native to Japan and south-east Asia though it is now found around the world.  It has been prominent in Japanese folklore and art for centuries and the predominantly white calico cats are particularly favoured by them.

About the breed

As with many ancient breeds, no-one knows for sure where the breed came from though one legend says it crossed from the Asian continent over one thousand years ago.  By the 1600’s the authorities had declared all the cats should be set free in order to deal with the threat of rodents that were harming the silk worms, crucial for the silk industry.  It was even decreed that buying and selling the cats was against the law and they became the street cats of Japan.

By the early 1700s, the first book written by a Westerner on the flora and fauna of Japan detailed the bobtail.  Germany doctor Englebert Kaempfer wrote that it was the only breed of cat kept in the country and that it had ‘large patches of yellow, black and white fur; its short tail looks like it has been bent and broken’.  He also said that it wasn’t interested in hunting for mice and rats but simply wanted to carried and stroked by people.

The first person to bring a Japanese bobtail to the west was Elizabeth Freret in 1968.  The breed was accepted for Championship status by the Cat Fanciers Association in 1976 and a long haired variety was accepted in 1993.  The breed remains rare but there are breeds in North American and in Europe as well as in Japan.

Description

The cat is described as being medium in size with males larger than females.  They have a long body that is lean and elegant with clear musculature.  They have a triangular shaped head with large eyes that are set wide apart.  Their muzzle is fairly broad while the ears are upright and set at right angles to the head when alert. 

The tail of the Japanese bobtail is caused by a body type mutation that is recessive – this means two bobtail parents will have a bobtailed kitten but a bobtail with another breed will not.  It isn’t associated with any skeletal disorder such as those that affect the Manx breed and otherwise ranks as one of the most genetically diverse breeds of cat. 

There are some predominantly while cats that have eyes of different colours, known as heterochromia.  One eye will be blue and the other gold or yellow and these cats are considered more valuable than other variations.

In personality, these cats are active and intelligent, strongly human-orientated and great at learning tricks and trained behaviours.  They are very attentive and alert cats as well as being very talkative with their owners.