Japanese Bobtail Cat

Japanese Bobtail Cat:

The Japanese Bobtail is a breed of cat with an unusual 'bobbed' tail more closely resembling the tail of a rabbit than that of an ordinary feline. The short tail is caused by the expression of a recessive gene. Thus, so long as both parents are bobtails, all kittens born to a litter will have bobtails as well. Unlike the Manx and other cat breeds, where genetic disorders are common to tailless or stumpy-tails, no such problem exists with the Japanese Bobtail.

The bobtail is a small oriental cat native to Japan and Southeast Asia. The breed has been known in Japan for centuries, and there are many legends and myths, as well as pieces of ancient art, featuring it. The Maneki Neko, or 'beckoning cat' is a bobtail.

Japanese bobtails may have almost any colour, but calico (called "Mi-ke", meaning "three-fur") or bi-colours are especially favoured by the Japanese. The Japanese Bobtail is a breed of domestic cat that originated in Japan; it is featured in many ancient prints and paintings.

A Calico (called "Mi-ke") Japanese Bobtail cat

The earliest written evidence of cats in Japan indicates that they arrived from China or Korea at least 1,000 years ago. In 1602, Japanese authorities decreed that all cats should be set free to help deal with rodents threatening the silk-worms. Buying or selling cats was illegal, and from then on, bobtailed cats lived on farms and in the streets.

So,the Japanese Bobtail cat, are the "street cats" of Japan. In 1968 the late Elizabeth Freret imported the first three Japanese Bobtails to the United States from Japan. The beckoning cat, which is a Bobtail seated with one paw raised. Considered to be a good-luck charm, a maneki-neko statue is often found in the front of stores. Look around the next Japanese restaurant you visit you’ll likely spot one. In 2001 the first registered litter of Bobtails in the UK were bred under the "Solstans" prefix.

General

Japanese Bobtails usually have litters of three to four kittens with newborns that are unusually large compared to other breeds. They are active earlier, and walk earlier. Affectionate and generally sweet-tempered, they enjoy supervising household chores and baby-sitting.

Japanese Bobtail Cats are active, intelligent, talkative cats with a well-defined sense of family life. Their soft voices are capable of nearly a whole scale of tones; some people say they sing. Since they adore human companionship they almost always speak when spoken to. Because of their human-oriented personality they are easy to teach tricks and enjoy learning things like walking on a harness and lead.

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Japanese Bobtail Cat to Cat Art