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[ history ]

General Information

The Japanese Bobtail is a naturally occuring breed and is indeed native to Japan where it has been documented and painted for hundreds of years. Elizabeth Freret, having fallen in love with the breed in the early 1960's, imported 3 cats from Japan in 1968 which became the basis of the breed in the United States. At about the same time, Lynn Beck also imported 8 cats. These ladies would eventually write the breed's standard as they and several other breeders began working to develop the breed. In 1971, CFA gave it provisional status and full status in 1976.

Active and athletic, the Japanese Bobtail is a very friendly, loving cat good with children and strange people.

[ history ]

Appearance

The most recognizable feature of the Japanese Bobtail is the breed's namesake bobbed tail. This is a natural trait - the breeders do not dock or otherwise manipulate the tail. Instead, the vertabrae twist, curve and kink their way to produce a foreshortened tail and each one is unique. Although longer-tailed cats may be produced, show standard call for the tail to be no more than 3 inches long. It's hind legs are slightly longer than the front to compensate for the lack of taillessness.

The breed comes in both a long and short-haired variety and in all colors and patterns (although cats with Abysinnian-like ticking or point restricted color are disqualifiable as show cats). What might be referred to in other breeds as calico (white body with black and red, or blue and cream in the dilute variant) is called mi-ke (pronounced "mee-kay") It's fur is soft and silky, and sometimes referred to as draping kimono-like over the body. Its overall appearance should be that of a fine piece of Japanese porcelain.

[ history ]

based

1. http://cfainc.org/breeds/profiles/articles/japanese.html
2. http://cfainc.org/breeds/profiles/japanese.html