American Bobtail breed guide

Easygoing and tolerant, the American Bobtail is an excellent companion for children and has proven quite compatible with dogs. It seems tuned to human moods. CFA reports American Bobtails seeking out distressed owners to offer a purr or cuddle.

CFA adds that the breed is used in special needs classrooms and with people who have PTSD or anxiety disorders.

Descended from self-sufficient cats, American Bobtails are independent but bond strongly with their families. They invent their own games, mostly about hunting: stalking a toy, pouncing on it and carrying the captured prey around in the mouth.

Relatively quiet, they trill, chirp or click when something interests them. They take easily to a leash and like walks.

A weekly brushing or combing keeps even the long-haired coat in order. Baths are optional if the brushing keeps pace, though a bath may reduce shedding.

The diverse gene pool leads CFA to expect no significant health problems. Still, the tail mutation could make a cat susceptible to spine and hip problems, some of them heritable.

Cats born completely tailless may have incontinence and responsible breeders remove those cats from their programs.

A brown tabby stray named Yodie, bred to a seal point Siamese, produced short-tailed kittens and showed that a dominant bobtail gene existed in feral cats. Breeders then worked with feral bobtails from across the United States and Canada.

Cats from thousands of miles apart with no common ancestry looked strikingly alike. CFA calls the result one of its most diverse breeds.