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Encyclopedia > Japanese Bobtail (cat)
A Japanese Bobtail cat, with the short tail clearly visible
A Japanese Bobtail cat, with the short tail clearly visible

The Japanese Bobtail is a breed of cat with an unusual 'bobbed' tail more closely resembling the tail of a rabbit than that of an ordinary feline. The short tail is caused by the expression of a recessive gene. Thus, so long as both parents are bobtails, all kittens born to a litter will have bobtails as well. Unlike the Manx and other cat breeds, where genetic disorders are common to tailless or stumpy-tails, no such problem exists with the Japanese Bobtail. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 682 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1647 × 1447 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 682 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1647 × 1447 pixel, file size: 1. ... A cat breed is an infrasubspecific rank for the classification of domestic cats. ... Binomial name Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Felis lybica invalid junior synonym The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal. ... Genera Pentalagus Bunolagus Nesolagus Romerolagus Brachylagus Sylvilagus Oryctolagus Poelagus Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Dominance relationship. ...


The Japanese Bobtail is a small domestic cat native to Japan and Southeast Asia. The breed has been known in Japan for centuries, and there are many legends and myths, as well as pieces of ancient art, featuring it. Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ...


Japanese bobtails may have almost any color, but "Mi-ke" (三毛 mike?, literally "three fur", and composed of red, black, and white coloring) or bi-colors are especially favoured by the Japanese. Much like any other breed, the colors may be arranged in any number of patterns, with van and calico being common among purebred cats, though other colorations are also accepted.[1] A tortoiseshell cat. ...

Contents

History

The earliest written evidence of cats in Japan indicates that they arrived from China or Korea at least 1,000 years ago. In 1602, Japanese authorities decreed that all cats should be set free to help deal with rodents threatening the silk-worms. Buying or selling cats was illegal, and from then on, bobtailed cats lived on farms and in the streets. Japanese Bobtails thus became the "street cats" of Japan. Korea (Korean: 한국 in South Korea or 조선 in North Korea, see below) is a geographic area, civilization, and former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. ...


The Japanese Bobtail is mentioned in Kaempfer's Japan. First published in London in 1701/02, it is the first book written by a Westerner about the flora, fauna, and landscape of Japan. Engelbert Kaempfer, a German doctor, wrote: "there is only one breed of cat that is kept. It has large patches of yellow, black and white fur; its short tail looks like it has been bent and broken. It has no mind to hunt for rats and mice but just wants to be carried and stroked by women."[citation needed] Engelbert Kaempfer (September 16, 1651 - November 2, 1716) was a German traveller and physician. ...


The maneki-neko ("beckoning cat"), a Japanese Bobtail seated with one paw raised, is considered a good-luck charm. A maneki-neko statue is often found in the front of stores. In 1968 the late Elizabeth Freret imported the first three Japanese Bobtails to the United States from Japan. In 2001 the first registered litter of Bobtails in the UK were bred under the "Solstans" prefix. The Maneki Neko is often used as a piggy bank. ...


Legend

There is a legend in Japan about why the Japanese Bobtail lost its tail. It states that a cat was warming itself too close to a fire, and set its tail on fire. It then ran through the town, burning many buildings to the ground. As punishment, the Emperor decreed that all cats should have their tails cut off. Look up Legend in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...


Breed Standard

Head: The head should form an equilateral triangle. (Not including ears)


Ears: Large, upright, set wide apart but at right angles to the head and looking as if alert.


Muzzle: Fairly broad and round neither pointed nor blunt.


Eyes: Large, oval rather than round. They should not bulge out beyond the cheekbone or the forehead.


Body: Medium in size, males larger than females. Long torso, lean and elegant, showing well developed muscular strength. Also balance is very very important.


Neck: Not too long and not too short, in proportion to the length of the body.


Legs: Long, slender, and high. The hind legs longer than the forelegs.


Paws: Oval. Toes: five in front and four behind.


Coat (Shorthair): Medium length, soft and silk.


Coat (Longhair): Length medium-long to long, texture soft and silky gradually lengthening toward the rump.


Tail: The tail must be clearly visible and is made up of one or more curves.


The Japanese Bobtail is a recognised breed by all major registering bodies: CFA ([3]), TICA ([4]), FIFe; Shorthair only ([5]) with the exception of GCCF (UK).


General

Japanese Bobtails usually have litters of three to four kittens with newborns that are unusually large compared to other breeds. They are active earlier, and walk earlier. Affectionate and generally sweet-tempered, they enjoy supervising household chores and baby-sitting[citation needed]. They are active, intelligent, talkative cats with a well-defined sense of family life. Their soft voices are capable of nearly a whole scale of tones; some people say they sing. Since they adore human companionship they almost always speak when spoken to, and sometimes carry on "conversations" with their owners. [1] [2] Because of their human-oriented personality they are easy to teach tricks and enjoy learning things like walking on a harness and lead, and playing fetch.[2]


Ocular heterochromia

normal eye color and odd-eye color
normal eye color and odd-eye color

While rare, Japanese Bobtails, especially predominantly white specimens, are more likely than other breeds to express heterochromia, or differing iris colors. One eye will be blue while the other is yellow (though in Japan, blue is referred to as silver while yellow is referred to as gold). This trait is popular and kittens displaying this "odd-eye" feature are usually more expensive. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... An example of heterochromia in a human. ... The human iris The iris is the green/grey/brown area. ... An odd-eyed white cat An odd-eyed cat is a cat with one blue eye and one green, orange or yellow eye. ...

References

  1. ^ a b Fanciers Breeder Referral List: Japanese Bobtail URL: [1]. Accessed on: June 2nd, 2007.
  2. ^ a b Cat Fancier's Association, Inc: Breed Profile: Japanese Bobtail URL: [2]. Accessed on: June 2nd, 2007.

External links


  Results from FactBites:
 
Japanese Bobtail - Japanese Bobtail Cat - Japanese Bobtail Breeders (263 words)
Japanese Bobtail cat breed is a natural breed that originated in Japan.
These cats were imported into Japan from southeast Asia over 1000 years ago.
In 1971, the Japanese Bobtail was given provisional status in The Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) and was accepted for championship competition in 1976.
Japanese Bobtail Breed Standard - Australian Cat Federation (Inc) (781 words)
The Japanese Bobtail should present the overall impression of a medium sized cat with clean lines and bone structure, well-muscled but straight and slender rather than massive in build.
In the solid colour cat the coat colour should be of uniform density and colour from the tip to the root of each hair and from the nose of the cat to the tail.
Delayed bobtail effect (i.e., the pom-pom being preceded by an inch or two of normal tail with close-lying hair rather than appearing to commence at the base of the spine).
  More results at FactBites »

 

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