Japanese Bobtail

Cat of Good Fortune

Many believe that the Japanese Bobtail is a cat of good fortune.

This is the ultimate lucky cat. Especially cats with three colors are thought to be auspicious.

The Japanese Bobtail is an ancient cat breed from the Far East.

Appearance

It is now considered an exclusively Japanese cat.

These cats are white with patches of red and black.

They are known as Mi-Ke actually meaning “three-fur” or popularly translated as “three-colors”.

The Japanese Bobtail has a muscular body.

The cat has a distinctive stump tail which is about 2 -4 inches (5-10 cm). It sort of looks like a pompom, it is thick and fluffy.

Two Japanese Bobtails mating will produce Bobtail kittens. They come in most colors, except silver.

Temperament

The Japanese Bobtails are quite vocal. They will often speak back when spoken to.

These cats love to play and interact with their human family.

You may discover that they will follow you around from room to room.

The Japanese Bobtail is an affectionate cat that needs a lot of attention.

Japanese Bobtail History

Until the 17th the Japanese Bobtails had a very high position in society. These cats were extremely popular with the aristocracy.

These upper class members of society enjoyed walking their cats on a leash, showing off their beautiful pets to the world.

That all came to an end when an official decreed was announced that every single noble cat was to be set free. The reason being the country was in desperate need of rodent controllers. All cats were officially to be public mousers.

After the discharge of the cats from the world of aristocracy, the Japanese Bobtails were known as Kazoku Neko, meaning “family cat”.

In 1968 an American woman named Judy Crawford who had lived in Japan for 15 years sent two Japanese Bobtails to the United States. The cats were delivered to an American breeder named Elizabeth Freret.

These two Japanese Bobtails were a female named Madame Butterfly and a male named Richard.

Not long after Judy Crawford, who also was a cat breeder came back to the United States bringing 38 Japanese Bobtails. She continued her work as a cat breeder.

These cats soon became popular. In 1978 the Japanese Bobtails were given full recognition by the CFA.