This wildcat look-alike has a home-loving personality, is affectionate and loving, but not too demanding on its owner. The main feature is a short, as if stumpy tail. 

History of the breed

The American Bobtail is a rather young breed, its ancestor was discovered in 1965. The Sanders couple found an abandoned kitten near an Indian reservation in southern Arizona. The kitten looked like a kitten, except for one "but": it had a short, like a hare, tail bent upwards. His "bride" was a Siamese kitty, and the first litter had a tailless kitten, which gave rise to the breed. After a while, breeders became interested in short-tailed purrs, and from that moment the work on breeding the American Bobtail began.

True, there is an opinion that it appeared as a result of mutations in the breeding of ragdolls. Another version is based on the assumption that the ancestors of the American bobtail could be Japanese bobtail, manx and even lynx.

As for the unusually short tail, it should be recognised that this is undoubtedly the result of a genetic mutation.

The American Bobtail standard was developed in 1970, the breed was recognised in 1989.

American Bobtails are only bred in North America, it is almost impossible to buy a kitten outside of North America.

Care

The care of the American Bobtail is not complicated, but must be constant. A short-haired pet is combed out once a week, a semi-long-haired one three times more often. It is important to bathe the bobtail regularly, as well as care for the eyes, ears, teeth, trim the claws as needed.

In order to maintain the health of the American Bobtail, it is necessary to carefully monitor the balance of its diet.

It should be noted that the American Bobtail is a breed of late puberty. A sexually mature individual becomes sexually mature at the age of two or three years.

In general, these are very healthy cats, hereditary diseases are not noted. It happens that kittens are born without a tail at all.