American Bobtail (Shorthair) Cats

Tabby bobtail cat against a white background

Intense looking American bobtail cat lying against a green background

A lovely american bobtail with tabby markings

Ginger American bobtail kitten lying on a wooden floor

Alert young bobtail cat standing against a a white backdrop

History

The development of the American Bobtail cat began in the late 1960s. An American couple, called John and Brenda Sanders, were on holiday in Arizona when they saw a male tabby kitten with a short upright tail next to the road on an Indian Reservation. They liked the unique look of the kitten and decided to take it home with them and would later breed from him to produce more kittens with short tails.

The original male kitten was named Yodi and is now considered to be the patriarch of the American Bobtail cat breed. Some of the kittens that Yodi sired were outcrossed to non-pedigree long haired colour points but the desirable bobtail was always selected for. These kittens are considered to be the first of the American Bobtail breed and all had a longhaired coat. The shorthair American Bobtail came later after out crossings with short haired cats occurred.

In 1989 TICA (The International Cat Association) officially recognised the American Bobtail as a breed in its own right.

Although it is still possible to find feral cats with bobtails, modern breeders tend to stick to pedigree American Bobtail stock for their breeding programs. American Bobtails are an uncommon breed in America and very rarely seen in the United Kingdom.

Behaviour

American Bobtails are sociable cats who love to be around their whole family. They are not ‘one person’ cats and will enjoy the affection of anyone who wants to give it to them. They are great with children and other pets but won’t fawn after you for attention.

American Bobtails enjoy lounging on the sofa just as much as they love to be out and about. Some owners have reported that their American Bobtail has learnt to walk on the leash.