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About the Japanese Bobtail

Origin: Japan
Japanese Bobtail cat
Photo from The Cat API
View Japanese Bobtail breedersSee Japanese Bobtail kittens

No breeder is on record here yet. Portugal’s FIFe member club does not list this breed in its breeder directory at all, so an absence here says nothing about whether anyone breeds it in Portugal.

Typical life span
14-16 years
Size
Small — from its typical weight
Weight
2.7-4.5 kg
Height
25-30 cm
Registry status
Recognised by TICA
Breed group
Short/Long-hair
Origin
Japan
Known hereditary risks
1 documented condition, with the test for each

About

What is a Japanese Bobtail?

Medium-sized cat with distinctive pom-pom tail and elegant, slender build. Traditional Japanese breed.

Japanese Bobtail history and origins

Ancient breed depicted in Japanese art for over 1,000 years. Symbol of good luck - the famous 'beckoning cat' (Maneki-neko) figurine is based on this breed. Mi-ke (tri-color) is the most prized pattern.

Japanese Bobtail appearance and size

Typically 2.7-4.5 kg and 25-30 cm at the shoulder — published as one range rather than separately for males and females.

Japanese Bobtail temperament and personality

Generally described as active, agile, clever, easy going, intelligent, lively, loyal, playful and social.

That is the breed in general, not a promise about one animal. Ask the breeder what their own line is like, and meet the parents before you decide.

Breed reference from The Cat API.

Pros & cons

Pros & cons for the Japanese Bobtail

What you get with the Japanese Bobtail

  • Commonly described as: “Active, Agile, Clever, Easy Going”

What you are taking on

  • One documented hereditary condition, none of them classed as serious — each with the test to ask a breeder for, on the health guide tab.

Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. The Cat API. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.

Characteristics

TICA divisions

TICA lists the Japanese Bobtail in these divisions. They are the registry's own groupings — usually hair length — not a list of colours: no registry we hold publishes one. Ask a breeder what colours their line produces.

  • Longhair

Temperament

ActiveAgileCleverEasy GoingIntelligentLivelyLoyalPlayfulSocial

Breed-level information from The Cat API. It describes the Japanese Bobtail in general; any individual animal can differ.

Health guide

Health & screening guide for the Japanese Bobtail

Known hereditary risks for the Japanese Bobtail breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.

1 condition documented

Health checklist (PDF)

Bones & joints

Vertebral variation associated with the bobtail trait (HES7 gene)

MonitorInherent to the breed

The breed's short, kinked 'pom-pom' tail comes from a dominant HES7 gene variant that is essentially fixed in the breed — all 12 Japanese Bobtails sampled in the founding genetic study were homozygous for it. Radiographic surveys found associated changes confined to the tail region (a reduced caudal vertebra count, hemivertebrae, occasional anomalous ribs), but these did not correlate with pain, mobility problems or reduced lifespan, and the mutation is a different gene from the one that causes the Manx's tail loss and its associated serious spinal and pelvic defects.

What to ask for

No DNA test is commercially offered, and there is nothing to request here — the vertebral variation is expected for the breed and has not been linked to illness

2 sources

Gallery

No photographs yet

This is where Japanese Bobtail owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.

A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.

Kittens

No kittens listed right now

No Japanese Bobtail breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.

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