American Bobtail

Guide Note

The American bobtail is a sturdy breed of cat with a course overcoat, soft dense undercoat and a short tail.¹ The tail is straight or slightly curved and is about one to four inches in length although it may be shorter or longer. This breed is slow to mature taking one to three years to reach adulthood.²

Fast Facts

1. Tail usually is between one to four inches²
2. No relation to the Japanese Bobtail Cat³
3. Known to like shiny objects²
4. Travel well if introduced at a young age²
5. Good with strangers²

The history of the American bobtail is not very well known. First records of the show that it was a short tailed cat named Yodie, a male short-tailed brown tabby, was found in an Native American reservation in Arizona. Yodie's genetic background is unknown but it was theorized that he may have been the offspring of a bobcat and a domestic cat. Yodie was mated with a Siamese female and their offspring were the first set of American bobtails.³