American Bobtail

Substantial

Coat

Solid:
Tabby: Any of the tabby combinations in any of the patterns, including golden tabby. Heavy tabby is accepted in the longhair variety.
Tortoishell: Any of the tortoiseshell combinations.
Torbie: Any of the torbie combinations of the allowed tabby combinations.
Smoke/Shaded/Chinchilla: Any of the above listed colours in any of the patterns on a silver or gold base.
Colourpoint/Himalayan: Any of the colourpoint combinations.
Mink: Any of the mink combinations.
Burmese: Any of the burmese combinations.
White Patterns: Any of the above colours can come with or without in any amount.

Eyes


Colourpoints have
Minks have
Catz with at least 75% white spotting may have one or two
Solid white catz may have any of the above.

Nose

Matches surrounding coat.

Faults

Wrong nose colour.

Disqualifications

None

Varieties

Shorthair, Longhair

Notes

The American Bobtail is a naturally-occurring breed of cat whose hunting gaze combines with its body type and natural bobtail to create a wild, intelligent appearance. They are medium to large, with a muscular build. Their most prominent feature is their short tail, which may be kinked or straight and has great mobility despite its length. They have vivid, outgoing personalities, loving people, play, and are easily trained to walk on leashes.

Developed from feral and random-bred domestic cats, the American Bobtail is the result of an attempt to create a natural breed. No recognized breed of pedigreed cat has been used in their development; however many bobtailed cats from across the United States were used, and even today some breeders keep an eye on their local shelter in case a natural bobtail appears, as they are still permitted to be used as foundation stock.

Type & judging remarks
Preference is given to colours and patterns which enhance the breed’s natural, wild appearance. Warm tones and strong patterns desirable in all tabbies (including silvers); body patterns desirable in lynx points and minks.

Breed Files

Filename: American Bobtail
Offset: 4324
Base: Calico
SCP: Russian Blue
Accepted: June 13, 2015
Notes: Includes shorthair and longhair varieties, three tail variations.

Filename: American Bobtail
Offset: F431
Base: Tabby
SCP: Tabby
Accepted: April 17, 2006
Notes: Includes longhair and shorthair, and several different tail types. 2nd gens may have longer forelegs (more sloping topline), they are equally accepted.

Filename: American Bobtail
Offset: 4E05
Base: B+W Shorthair
SCP: Chinchilla Persian
Accepted: March 9, 2005
Notes: Includes longhaired and shorthaired variations, as well as 3 tail lengths (shortest and longest shown). File includes several tabby furfiles. In 2nd gens, if a longhair is crossed to a shorthair, the tails do not always breed true. The severeness of the fault in a cat with the wrong tailtype is relative to how much the tail differs from the preferred shape, but is never a DQ.