American Bobtail – Information, Health, Pictures & Training

American Bobtails are incredibly intelligent and loving cats that have a distinguishing wild appearance. They tend to be extremely interactive with their human family and show admirable bonds with great devotion. They were developed by natural selection to endure feral environments. They have substantial rectangular bodies of medium to large sizes. Their tail is flexible, expressive and short; and may be slightly curved, straight, slightly kinked or may have bumps along the end. No two tails are the same and whatever length is preferred. The natural bobtail can be perfectly seen above the back. When the cat is alert, it does not expand further than the hind hock. This distinctive tail makes it resemble closely to the bobtailed wildcat. Their head is wide modified wedge with a noticeable whisker break on top of a distinct, extensive, medium length muzzle. Their chins are strong, and the whisker pads are fleshy. It has a natural hunting gaze is brought about by its eye and brow giving off the expression of alertness and intelligence. They have an athletic and muscular appearance with its legs of substantial boning.

American Bobtails take a long time to reach its full adult size, between two to three years. Males tend to be bigger than females; the latter actually being proportionally smaller than the former. They come in all patterns and colors, with particular preference to ones that enhance the breed’s natural wild appearance. They come in two coat lengths: a medium longhair coat and a dense shorthair coat. Only light brushing and occasional bath is needed to keep this breed in tiptop shape.

Although this breed is still developing, breeders say that these cats are friendly, energetic, and playful, and display an uncanny intelligence for cleverly escaping fastened cages and closed rooms. They are very people-oriented; and they like to attract our attention by meowing or occupying available laps.

They can provide a warm, soft shoulder for their owners to cry on and even entertain them with their lovable antics. They like to play hide and seek or fetch for hours. American Bobtails entice their owners to play and their hunting instincts are demonstrated when they catch mid-air flying insects that have been unfortunate enough to come their way. If you have toys, they’d also like to carry it in their mouths as if it were a fresh catch from today’s hunting. Despite all the hyperactivity that seems to go with this breed, they are actually a quiet cat and are known to trill, chirp and click when pleased. They can easily be leash trained and they love going for walks with their owners. Whether a newcomer is two-legged or four-legged, American Bobtails get along well with them since they are an easy going breed.

The foundation stock for American Bobtails was feral domestic cats having a natural bobtail. They are a product of domestic bobtails from all throughout the United States with experienced breeders who worked together. Even with no known common heritage, its features bear striking resemblance to cats from thousands of miles away. Through selective breeding of similar type cats, Mother Nature has been aided in developing the American Bobtail into becoming a large, vigorous, wild-looking bobtail cat that can be seen nowadays. There was no standard breed of pedigreed cat incorporated to its breeding process. American Bobtails have a robust immune system and are very healthy, with no known genetic predisposition to health issues.

When you choose to own an American Bobtail kitten, make sure to look for a credible breeder who will be able to present you with a series of questions that can establish if you are compatible to owning one. You may experience waiting for a while. However, these cats are absolutely worth it for the entire family. It does not need to be brushed all the time and its bath can come as seldom as you like. Light brushing and occasional baths are all this breed needs. Breeders will make the kitten available twelve to sixteen weeks from the date it was born so it will have its sufficient time with the mother and littermates. They will be old enough to socialize and be fully vaccinated. They will be able to have a long, healthy and joyful life by being kept indoors, spayed or neutered, and provided with acceptable scratching posts.