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Grenouille Japanese Bobtails
Japanese Bobtails Since 1975 - Welcome, Kon'nichi Wa

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BREED DESCRIPTION

Even though it is known by an English name, the Japanese Neko is really an ancient breed. Manuscripts, paintings, and other art give evidence that it has existed as an identifiable breed in Japan for at least 1,000 years. As with all ancient breeds, there are legends and traditions surrounding the cat and its origin. One is that this breed originated when a cat was sleeping near a hearth and a spark flew out, igniting its tail. The cat sped through the streets of the Imperial City, setting all the houses on fire as it ran. The city was destroyed and the emperor was furious. In his anger, he decreed that all cats must have their tails cut short, thus the bobtail came into being.

There are sketches of it in ancient ruins and documents, sitting next to geishas. In the times of Gotokuju, in Tokyo, the walls were decorated with paintings of one of these cats, whose name was Maneki-Neko, which means "Welcoming Cat." They used to say it brought good luck. Many Japanese and Chinese shops in North America display a small statue or "piggybank" of the JBT next to their cash register. Long popular in Japan as house pets, JBT's made their way to the USA in 1968 when an American breeder, Judy Crawford, sent the first pair to the United States. Later, she brought 38 of these cats with her when she returned home. Elizabeth Freret assisted in getting the breed recognized by CFA, (Cat Fanciers Association), in 1976. In Europe, it was recognized as a breed in 1989 by FIFE, Federazione Internazionale Felina. The breed became popular and is now recognized for championship status by all North American Cat Registries.

Unique Tails:

Japanese Bobtails are distinguished by their short curled tails, a trait that is unique to the breed but differs on each individual. The bones of the tail are fused and kinked, and with the extra length of the fur on the tail, the tail exhibits its characteristic pompon or bobtail look. Incidentally, the gene responsible for the Bobtail is not related to the Manx gene, and no Bobtails are born without any tail, or with the congenital problems of the Manx.

Body Type and Colour:

These distinctive cats have high cheek bones, large, high-set ears, and large eyes that are set into the skull at a rather pronounced slant. The set of the eyes gives the breed its distinctive look when compared to other oriental breeds. Excellent pets, Japanese Bobtails are medium-sized and can be either short-haired or longhaired. They come in many different colours and patterns ranging from solid, tabby, bi-color, particolor, tortoiseshell and calico. In Japan, the good-luck color pattern is the traditional calico (red, white and black), called Mi-Ke (pronounced mee-kay). A cat with this pattern is highly favored in Japan and equally prized in the United States.

Affectionate and Intelligent:

Japanese Bobtails are very affectionate, intelligent, and enjoy a lot of play. They require little grooming and shed very little, making them particularly attractive to owners who find shedding a problem. Not particularly vocal, Bobtails express themselves well with their body language. They make ideal family pets and adapt well to life within a family.

Care and Grooming:

Light daily brushing is recommended. A bath is given 4-5 days before a show, and if the coat seems spikey, or if a male has a greasy tail, repeated the day before the show. Ears are cleaned with cotton swabs to remove any oil accumulation, and some breeders shave or pluck out the hair on the inside of the ears to make them appear larger. Special attention should be given to the feet and heels - a little baking soda and hydrogen peroxide will whiten the feet. A moist chamois to wipe down the coat will make it lie flat, and feel silky.

Standard - Shorthair  

The JBT is medium sized, with a long body, firm and well-muscled but not tubular. The head appears as an equilateral triangle, with a long nose, pronounced rounded muzzle, and oval eyes, which may be blue, green, gold or odd-eyed, depending on the colour of the coat. The large ears, are set erect - not flared, and have rounded tips. The feet are dainty and oval shaped, and the tail is short ,10 to 13cm, (up to 3 inches from the end of the body), with a curved shape, which makes the hair fan out, forming the desired pom pom, with longer hair than on the body. The legs are long - the hind legs longer than forelegs, and the coat is soft and silky and medium in length, with no undercoat.

Japanese Bobtail Longhair:

Longhaired kittens are born to shorthaired parents when each of the parents carries a recessive longhair gene - at a ratio of 1 Longhair to 3 Shorthairs. LH to LH produces all Longhairs.The Standard for the LH JBT is the same as for the SH, except for the coat length, which is semi-longhair, with ruff and pantaloons.

Coat Colour:

All colours are accepted with the exception of the Siamese point pattern and Agouti (ticked) Tabby. Preference is given to bold, splashy, flashy combinations of the body colours in random patterns. Eye colour may be blue, odd-eyed, green or gold, depending on the coat colour, and the amount of white. High grade white spotting is typical of the breed, though solids and tabbies and torties without white are found.

Tips:

The unique tails of Japanese Bobtails are somewhat delicate and must not be handled roughly. Homes with very young children may not be the best environment for these cats. Litters are usually of three to four kittens that are vigorous and large at birth, and mature quickly. Because the Longhaired Japanese Bobtail is still very rare, there is likely to be some waiting period before a longhaired kitten can be acquired.

Health Concerns:

Genetically linked defects have not been reported in this breed. It is not associated with a lethal gene.

Here are some of my favourite links!

The American Cat Fanciers Association My home in the Cat Fancy! I've been a member since 1974, and have shown Japanese Bobtails here since 1976...when they were still listed as "Any Other Variety". I've been a Judge since 1983, and am a member of the ACFA Genetics Committee.

Fanciers Breeder Referral List (FBRL) JBT Page Let me invite you to visit Barb French's wonderful FBRL Site for listings of lots and lots of North American and other serious cat fanciers!

Cats in Canada A listing of Breeders and Fanciers of purebred, registered cats in Canada - free listings of many Registered Catteries in Canada, sorted by breed, province, kitten availability, and feline friends looking for retirement homes - drop by for a visit.

Barb Belanger's Home Page You're invited to visit my main page, and enjoy my Cats and Photo Pages - pictures of some of my favourite cats since I started breeding JBT's in 1977; and if you like, some of my other interests - Sewing, Travel and Emergency Nursing.

A special site to showcase my kittens born this August '98! Surf over - they're so cute!

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Looking forward to meeting you! Sketches of Buddy and Pookie with thanks to Peter Rempel

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