Japanese Bobtail Cats & Japanese Bobtail Cat Breeders

The Japanese Bobtail is a breed of domestic cat with an unusual "bobbed" tail more closely resembling the tail of a rabbit than that of other cats. The variety is native to Japan and Southeast Asia, though it is now found throughout the world. The breed has been known in Japan for centuries, and it frequently appears in traditional folklore and art.

As in most other breeds, Japanese Bobtails may have almost any color (or colors, arranged in any number of patterns). Predominantly-white calicoes (literally 'triple-hair') are especially favored by the Japanese and by cat fanciers, and strongly represented in folklore, though other colorations are also accepted by breed standards.

The short tail is a cat body-type mutation caused by the expression of a Dominant Gene with variable expression. Generally, all kittens born to a litter will have bobtails as well, but progeny of only one bobtailed parent are much less likely to possess the trait. Since Japanese Bobtails are always born with a full complement of spinal vertabrae, they possess the full length of spinal nerves that control the lower intestine and anal sphincter, making them no more likely to suffer from megacolon or spina bifida than a normally tailed cat. The Bobtail gene only affects the number of tail vertabrae present.

Generally speaking, members of the breed are active, intelligent cats, with a strongly human-oriented nature, are easier to train to perform tricks than most breeds, and are more likely to enjoy learning human-mediated activities like walking on a harness and leash, and playing fetch. Considered an unusually "talkative" breed, they often interact vocally with people. Their soft voices are capable of nearly a whole scale of tones, leading to a folk belief that they can sing. Many owners also report a fondness for water, although this is not considered a breed-specific trait.

Check our listings for Kittens for sale here and click on the links to our breeders below to go to their profile page.  You can also click here to search for Registered Japanese Bobtail Breeders by location.