Mekong Bobtail
A colourpointed bobtail from the Mekong region, once a temple cat of Siam. The tail is kinked, and no two kinks are alike.
Photo by Shirto, CC BY-SA 4.0
Overview
The Mekong Bobtail is a colourpointed short tailed cat from Southeast Asia, standardised in Russia from cats originating around the Mekong. It was once grouped with the Thai and Siamese cats and is now recognised separately.
The tail is the identifying feature and it is deliberately variable: the standard requires at least three vertebrae with kinks or curves, and no two tails are alike.
Temperament
Sociable, gentle and dog like. Mekong Bobtails are affectionate and follow their people, and they are known for being unusually good with strangers.
They are moderately active and moderately vocal, without the volume of a Siamese. They generally get on with other animals and with children, and the females are notably protective of kittens.
Care and grooming
A weekly rub down for the short close coat. There is little undercoat and shedding is light.
The short tail here is not linked to the Manx spinal problems. There is no widely documented breed specific disorder, though the population is small enough outside Russia that gene pool breadth is a fair question.
Living and exercise
An ordinary indoor household. They are adaptable and they settle well.
They are among the longer lived cats on the shelf at fifteen to eighteen years, and they remain rare outside Russia and eastern Europe.
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