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.

Make a list of cat breeders in the areas you are willing to travel to.This information can be gleaned from the internet, telephone directories,local papers, pet magazines and cat groups.If you are set on a particular breed, then a quick phone call to each will eliminate those that offer other breeds.To further shorten your list,ask other cat owners for their recommendations and experiences,both positive and negative.

Once you have your shortlist, you need to visit each cat breeder and ask questions.Reputable cat breeders should be happy to answer your questions and show you around their premises. If not, you have to ask yourself if they are hiding something. Most,however are passionate about cats and will love talking about them. How do they avoid breeding them into their stock. If the answer is that the breed is perfect, with no congenital defects, be wary! No breed is perfect and a reputable breeder should tell you about any possible faults.

How long have they been breeding cats? How many breeds do they have? Do they show their cats? The answers to these questions should give some indication of their expertise. Concentrating on a couple of breeds,along with showing the cats, means that they are more likely to be careful about the bloodlines than breeding lots of different breeds. How large is their breeding business. Try to avoid someone who is overwhelmed and stressed by trying to breed too many cats at one time,or who is just in it for the money and so uses mass-production.

Does the breeder give adequate care and attention to the kittens? Ask for a tour to see the kittens’ living conditions. Are they handled so they are used to humans? Have the cats been tested for infectious diseases? A reputable breeder should have records to support his answers. Any cat can become ill but it is how the breeder deals with it that is important. Sick cats should be separated from the healthy ones. Asking these questions should give you an idea of the honesty and integrity of the cat breeders and help you with your choice. When you have made your choice of breeder and kitten, it is a good idea to have a vet do an independent health check. A breeder with nothing to hide should not object – especially if you are paying!