American Bobtail
The short tail is a natural mutation and no two are the same length. It takes two or three years to finish growing, and it follows people around like a dog.
Photo by torbakhopper from San Francisco, CC BY 2.0
Overview
The American Bobtail is a substantial, shaggy cat with a short tail that is genuinely different on every individual. The standard allows anything from an inch to nearly half length, straight, curved or kinked, and no two match.
It was developed in the United States from a bobtailed feral cat found in Arizona in the 1960s, and the tail gene is dominant and unrelated to the Manx gene, which matters because it does not carry the same spinal risk.
Temperament
Steady, sociable and unusually dog like. American Bobtails follow people around, greet visitors and are frequently used as therapy cats for exactly that reason.
They are slow to mature, taking two to three years to reach full size, and they play well into adulthood. They are also good travellers, which is rare in a cat and worth knowing if the household moves often.
Care and grooming
A weekly comb for the shorthaired version and twice weekly for the long, with more attention through moult. The coat is shaggy rather than fine and does not mat readily.
No well documented breed specific condition, though as with any large slow maturing cat it is worth keeping weight in check, because a heavy bodied cat with joints under load ages less comfortably.
Living and exercise
They are sturdy enough for children and patient with dogs, which makes them a reasonable family cat.
They want interaction rather than solitude and will follow a person from room to room. A leash and harness work with this breed better than with most, and a bobtail on a walk is not an unusual sight.
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