The American Bobtail is one of only three breeds in the Cat Fancier’s Association’s Provisional Class, which is where cat breeds are placed until they show that they are able to stay true to their standards. This breed is a lightweight compared to many other breeds, weighing in at seven to fifteen pounds.

The American Bobtail received its name because of its extremely short tail. While no one is completely sure how this breed was developed, cat fanciers suspect that the American Bobcat, Manx, and Japanese Bobtail breeds are all ancestors of the American Bobtail. However, while the Manx can be completely tailless and still are able to compete in the show ring, the American Bobtail must have a tail. The tail should be short enough to stop before it reaches the cat’s hocks.

While many cats have a sleek, slender appearance, the American Bobtail standard calls for a stocky, muscular cat with big paws and a slightly wild appearance. This cat’s head is wedge shaped, but broader than normal. The Bobtail breed can be a shorthair or a longhair, but even shorthair cats do not have smooth coats. The shorthair coat still is long enough to give the cat a bit of a shaggy look. While the Bobtail can come in any color, fawn and white, blue tabby, red tabby, and brown tabby are the most common colors. Shorthair cats are much more common than longhair cats, since the shorthair gene is actually dominant.

Since American Bobtails are very friendly and a bit nosy, they are prone to get into quite a bit of mischief if they are unsupervised and become bored. If you are away from home for long periods of time, you should be sure that there are plenty of toys available so that your cat can amuse himself and still keep out of trouble. Since this breed is fairly sociable, you may also want to add a second cat to the household to avoid having your cat feel too lonely.

When the Bobtail was first developed, this breed had quite a few common health problems. However, in the late twentieth century, concerned devotees of the breed worked to rid it of most of these problems. Today, the American Bobtail is a strong, sturdy cat. Since even the shorthair has a coat of some length, you will need to groom your cat at least once a week. Although the longhair coat does not tangle easily, you may need to groom your longhair Bobtail a bit more frequently.

“Ain’t it funny how time slips away” sang Willie Nelson. Well sometimes it’s not only funny but downright scary too! You look at your cat and
realize, although it seems like only yesterday you brought her home as a very playful kitten, she is now a senior cat.

Time has marched on, for both you and your cat. Older cats of course, can give you just as much delight and love, as young ‘uns, but they do need a bit of senior cat care to help them enjoy their later years.

At what age does your cat become senior? Many veterinarians consider a cat to be senior at around ten years of age. But this is a very loose figure. There are plenty of well cared for ten year old, or older, felines who are as fit as the proverbial fiddle.

What Does Senior Cat Care Entail?

It may mean more regular visits to your veterinarian, not necessarily for expensive treatment, but so that conditions related to aging can be diagnosed and treated before they cause problems.

It is an important part of senior cat care to keep a check on your cat’s teeth. Many older cats suffer with dental (and gum) problems. The pain can cause them to loose interest in their food and hence not get the nutrition they require.On the subject of your older cat’s food, cats nutritional needs change as they advance in years.

As cats get older they become less active and, if kept to the same diet she or he enjoyed as a younger kitty, may become overweight. Senior cat foods are designed to benefit the digestive system of elderly cats and cut down the chances of obesity. Your senior feline may find several small meals throughout the day easier to digest than one or two larger ones.

Senior Cat Care and Behavioral Change.

Caring for a senior cat means being aware of any change in their behavior.Perhaps your cat cannot now move like they were once able to. This could be due to painful arthritis, seek advice from your veterinarian. Your pet may not be able to leap up onto their favorite perch as they once did, fixing another perch lower down as a midway point may help.

Sometimes cats that have been friendly become aggressive when they age, this can be because worn joints are causing discomfort. Likewise an older cat may be less tolerant with young children and other pets.
Senior cats sometimes have accidents when using the litter tray. This happens for a variety of reasons and you will want your veterinarian to
check if there is any medical problem. One simple reason that your senior cat may be missing the tray is that it is too high sided. No problem when your feline friend was young and fit, but now he or she needs a tray that she can easily climb in and out of.

Failing eyesight, hearing and sense of smell all mean that you may have to make allowances for your aging feline friend. Remember that,
reaching out to pick up a cat that cannot hear your approach is likely to startle him or her.

Cats of any age snooze at least for some of the time during the day, but your older cat may have taken to sleeping most of the time. As part ofyour senior cat care, enjoy a gentle play session with your cat each day. Playing helps your cat exercise and this may help to slow down aging.Naturally the exercise should not be too strenuous for your older cat.

Caring for a senior cat also means making sure that she or he is warm and has somewhere to sleep out of drafts. You may need to groom your cat more frequently too as older cats often become less able to groom themselves.

Your cat has brought you joy through the years and she, or he, can continue to do so now they are older with the help of senior cat care.