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History and Legend of the Japanese Bobtail
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 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 Maneki-Neko 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 of Amulet Cattery 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 hair on the tail is longer than the hair on the body.
This extra length gives the tail its characteristic pompon or bobtail
look. Incidentally, the gene responsible for the Bobtail is not related to
the Manx gene.
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. They come in many different colours and patterns ranging
from solid, tabby, bi-colour, particolor, tortoiseshell and calico. In
Japan, the good-luck colour pattern is the traditional calico (red, white
and black), called Mi-Ke (pronounced mee-kay). A cat with this pattern is
highly favoured 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 combing and brushing is recommended.
ACFA STANDARD
General: The Japanese Bobtail Shorthair is a
medium sized cat with long clean lines resulting from straight slender
boning and firm muscle tone. Allowance should be made for the male cat
being larger in size than the female. The unique shape and set of the eyes
combined with high cheek bones and a long parallel nose lend a Japanese
cast to the face unlike any other Oriental breed. The short tail bends and
kinks with the covering hair fanning out to cover the underlying bones and
produce the distinctive pom-pom, fan or bunny-tail appearance.
Head:
Shape: A gently curving equilateral triangle from the outer bases of the
ears, across the top of the face and down the chin. Attention should be
given to the high cheek bones. The nose is long and well defined by two
parallel lines from tip to brow and displays a gentle dip at, or just
below, eye level when viewed in profile. There is a slight, but noticeable
whisker break. Stud jowls are allowed in males. Muzzle: Gently rounded,
with slight whisker break. There should be a strong chin with a straight
bite. Ears: Large, tall and expressive. Outer ear margins from two
vertical parallel lines set at right angles to the top line of the face.
The ears should be penalized if flared or cradle set. The ears when held
straight give the impression of being tilted forward. Eyes: Should be large and oval, defined from below by markedly high
cheekbones. In profile, the eyes can be seen to have a distinct slanted
set and do not protrude beyond the orbit. NOTE: Green, gold and copper
eyes are acceptable in all coat colours, and blue and odd eyes are
acceptable in all the white and "and white" coat colours.
Body:
Long, straight and slender, neither fragile nor heavy boned. The
neck should be long and slender. The body should be medium in size, with
good muscle tone. It should be neither tubular nor cobby.
Legs: Long,
slender and medium boned. The back legs are noticeable longer than the
front when extended so the rear slants upward. When flexed and relaxed,
the back legs cause the back to appear level. Long legs.. the hind
legs longer than forelegs.
Feet: The paws are oval in
shape, with five toes in front and four in back.
Tail:
Length: Short, not extending more than three inches from the body.
Boning:
Kinked and/or fused vertebrae along the entire length of the tail. The
last bone may be gently felt to be pointed, not blunt. Hair: The hair of
the tail fans out against the direction of the underlying bones, giving
the appearance of a pom-pom, fan or bunny-tail depending on the
configuration of the bone structure. NOTE: The tail is to be examined
gently, with no pulling, twisting or attempts to straighten.
Coat - Shorthair:
Medium in length, fine and silky without a noticeable undercoat. It should
be neither short and close lying, nor long enough to display a ruff and
pantaloons. A slight fringe on the belly and the britches is allowed.
Coat - Longhair:
Medium long to long, soft and silky without a noticeable undercoat. The
cat may have a ruff. The coat will lie fairly flat and flow into
'pantaloons' on the hind legs. Relatively non-shedding.
Colour:
All colours are acceptable in the Japanese Bobtail Longhair except for
ticked tabby and point-restricted markings. In keeping with the
traditional Mi-Ke [pronounced mee-kay] Neko or calico, of Japan, colours
within the red/black/white spectrum are most often seen, and these when
bred together will produce tricolored females. In all colours, preference
is given to bold, dramatic markings and bright, vivid colours and strong
contrasts, rather than specific amounts or proportions of any given colour.
Nose and paw pad leather is to be appropriate to the indicative coat
colour.
Withhold Wins:
Absence of tail, tail extending too far beyond the body, or for delayed
bob, i.e. kinked portion of tail preceded by an inch or more of straight
tail covered with flat, close-lying fur. Lockets or random spots of white
in an otherwise solid colored cat. White spots in an otherwise
tortoiseshell or patched tabby cat.
Japanese Bobtail Longhair:
Longhairs are born in
shorthair litters when each of the parents carries a recessive longhair
gene at a ratio of 1 Longhair to 3 Shorthairs. LH bred to LH produces all
Longhairs.
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, therefore.
Because the Longhaired Japanese Bobtail is
still rare, there will likely be a waiting period before a longhaired
kitten can be acquired.
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