About the breed
 

Do you want a cat who is loveable, outgoing, talkative, and unique?  Then a Japanese Bobtail may be just your cat.  The JBT is a natural breed from Japan.  Each tail is unique! and no two tails are alike.  JBTs come in several different colors and can be shorthair or longhair.  Their eye colors are green, gold, blue or odd-eye.   They are very intelligent and love to carry things in their mouth and may even play fetch.  They are good with children and other animals.  The JBT is considered the "Good Luck Cat of Japan."

 

The earliest written evidence of cats in Japan indicates that they arrived from China or Korea at least 1,000 years ago.  For ! hundreds of years, bobtailed cats were highly valued and guarded.  In 1602, Japanese authorities decreed that all cats should be set free to cope with vermin threatening the silk worms.  Buying or selling cats was forbidden, and from that time forward, bobtailed cats lived on farms and in the streets. Thus, the Japanese Bobtails are the "street cats" of Japan.  

They were first brought to the U.S. by American servicemen who had acquired
them as pets overseas.  The Bobtails attracted the attention of American cat breeders, including Mrs. Elizabeth Freret, who imported the first breeding stock to the U.S. from Japan in the 1960's.  Japanese Bobtails were granted Provisional Breed  status in 1971, and achieved Championship status in CFA in 1976.

Approved by FIFE in 1990.

 
General Appearance The Japanese Bobtail should present the overall impression of a medium sized cat with clear lines and bone structure, well muscled but rather elongated and rather slender than massive built. The unique set of its eyes, combined with high cheekbones and a long parallel nose, lend a distinctive Japanese cast to the face, especially in profile, quite different from the other oriental breeds. Its short tail should resemble a bunny tail with the hair fanning out to create a pom-pom appearance, which effectively camouflages the underlying bone structure of the tail.
Size Medium.
Head Shape Although the head appears long and finely chiselled, it forms almost a perfect equilateral triangle with gentle curving lines, high cheekbones and a noticeable whisker break.
Nose Long and well defined by two parallel lines from tip to brow with a gentle dip at, or just below, the eye level.
Muzzle Fairly broad and rounding into the whisker break, neither pointed nor blunt.
Ears Shape Large and expressive.
Placement Upright, set wide apart but at right angles to the head rather than flaring outward and giving the impression of being tilted forward in repose.
Eyes Shape Large, oval rather than round, but wide open and alert. When viewed in profile set into the skull at a rather pronounced slant. The eyeball shows a shallow curvature and should not bulge out beyond the cheekbone or the forehead.
Colour Eye colour should harmonize generally with the coat colour; also valid for blue and odd eyes. All colour varieties are permitted.
Body Structure Torso long, slender and elegant, not tubular, showing well developed muscular strength without coarseness. No inclination towards flabbiness or cobbiness. General balance of utmost importance.
Legs   In proportion to the body, long, slender and high, but not dainty or fragile in appearance. When standing the cat's front legs and shoulders form two continuous straight lines, close together. The hind legs are noticeably longer than the front legs, but deeply angulated to bend when the cat is standing relaxed so that the torso remains nearly level rather than rising towards the rear.
Paws Oval.
Tail   The furthest extension of the tailbone from the body should be approximately 5-8 cm, even though the tailbone, if straightened out to its full length, might be 10-13 cm long. The tailbone is usually strong and rigid rather than jointed (except at the base), and may be either straight or composed of one or several curves and angles. The tail is usually carried upright when the cat is relaxed. Hair on tail somewhat longer and thicker than body hair, growing outward to create a pom-pom or bunny tail effect which appears to commence at the base of the spine and which camouflages the underlying bone structure of the tail.
Coat Structure Short, soft and silky, but without a noticeable undercoat; relatively non-shedding.
Colour All colour varieties are permitted, except silver (shaded/shell, golden), ticked tabby and pointed – i.e. 25, 31, 32 and 33.
Nose leather
Paw pads		   Colour should harmonize generally with coat colour.
Remarks  
  • Males are proportionately larger than females.
  • Allowance must be made for jowls in the stud males.
Faults Head
  • Short round head.
Body
  • Cobby built.
Disqualification Tail
  • Tail bone absent or extending too far beyond the body.
  • Lack of pom-pom or non-fluffy appearance.
  • Delayed pom-pom effect, i.e. the pom-pom being preceded by 3-5 cm of normal tail with close lying hair rather than appearing to commence at the base of the spine.
Scale of Points Points
Total   100
Head General shape, nose, jaws and teeth, forehead, chin, placement and shape of the ears, shape and colour of eyes. 20
Body Shape, size, bone structure, shape of egs and paws. 30
Tail and shape. 20
Coat Colour pattern. 15
Quality and texture. 10
Condition   5