The standard of the appearance of the Japanese bobtail, the character and health of the pet, the rules of care and maintenance of the animal in the home: hygiene of the eyes, ears and wool, catering, the cost of a kitten. The Japanese Bobtail is a breed whose origins are quite interesting, but when you first meet this representative of the feline world, it may seem that you are looking at an ordinary, unremarkable cat, only with a short tail. But, a few minutes pass and everything becomes clear, more precisely, the attitude towards the pet changes. Taking a closer look at it, you understand that it is by no means the tail (according to the Japanese, without negative energy) its main advantage, there is something magical and enticing in this breed, maybe this is their graceful and mannered behavior or a smart, piercing look, or the character of cats, which can endear anyone.
Each person finds in the Japanese bobtail some of his own virtues, for which he is loved and appreciated, and cats, in turn, try not to disappoint their owner and they do it at the highest level.
Japanese Bobtail cats make excellent pets, companions and friends. These short-tailed murziks are able to support and amuse in a moment of melancholy, and when they are clearly not up to them, they will not get bored. Bobtails do not need any special care, but it is still worth adhering to some rules to make him comfortable.
Appearance standard of the breed Japanese Bobtail
Representatives of this species cannot boast of either a long fluffy tail or huge body parameters. These cats belong to the middle weight category, the body weight of an adult cat varies from 2.5 to 3.5 kg, while the male half of the bobtail is more weighty - from 4 to 5.5 kg.
- Head of these representatives of the feline world has the shape of an almost regular equilateral triangle, turned upside down, which has a certain characteristic roundness. Without clear lines and sharp corners, all the lines of the skull are neat and smooth, but at the same time, the cheekbones and chin are well visualized on the cat's face, but it is quite wide, but correctly harmonizes with the whole body.
- Eyes Japanese Bobtail are planted under a slight, at first sight imperceptible, slope, which is clearly visible in profile. The size of the eyes is large, they have an oval configuration, the look is always curious, kind, but at the same time wary.
- Auricles - this is another outstanding feature of this breed of cats. They are relatively large, erect, turned mainly towards the head. Set fairly wide. Looking at the ears of Japanese cats, one gets the impression that they listen to all the sounds every minute and try to catch even the smallest rustles.
- Nose - long, straight, without grooves and humps, well expressed due to two parallel lines, the length of which is from the eyebrows to the tip.
- Torso with a small body weight, it is relatively long, which gives the whole image of a cat a certain thinness, but this is not so. On the body of these animals, muscles are well developed, which gives these seals slenderness and grace. The back line is absolutely flat, the shoulders and hips are at the same level.
- Wool usually of medium length, with a very short undercoat, which is hardly noticeable. The tail and hind legs are “dressed” in a “fur coat” made of longer wool, which grows in all directions, thus, the tail process of a Japanese bobtail often resembles a “pompom”, and the hind legs seem to cover woolen pants.
- Colors. In principle, the official standard of the Japanese Bobtail breed implies an absolute variety of colors, but bicolor cats are considered the most valuable and highly pedigree - the basic background, which is saturated white, without any ebb and flow. The secondary color can be black or bright red.
As for the caudal process, this is the most amazing and remarkable part of the body of cats of this unique breed. Each pet has its own individual tail, in the world there are no two Japanese bobtails with identical tails, they all look similar, but in shape they are like human fingerprints. The tails of animals are very short, but the anatomical structure of this short process is the same as the full-fledged tail of seals of other breeds, it's just a very reduced copy. There are four most common forms of Japanese seal tails:
- Pushed back bobtail - this is an even tail, in its structure there are from 5 to 7 vertebrae, its tip is made with a kind of curl, which is the last deformed vertebra. This tail end configuration is not acceptable by some standards, but it does exist.
- Spiral, this name was given to one of the variants of the bobtail's tail due to the kinks along the line, which are located at an acute angle, forming something like a spiral. This type of caudal process has from 3 to 15 vertebrae. In terms of functionality, it can be inactive, well mobile or completely motionless.
- Panicle - this is a tail, the kinks of which are located at obtuse angles, can move a little, be completely non-functional and well mobile. This type of tail is considered the longest of all, its maximum length is approximately 11-12 cm.
- Stump it is considered the most, that neither is a short tail process and more resembles a small outgrowth. It is devoid of any functionality, it is a kind of decoration. Consists of 2-6 miniature vertebrae, which are either connected in such a way that they cannot move, or are simply tightly spliced with each other.
The color of the iris is usually in harmony with the background of the color, most often the eyes of the kittens can be yellowish or blue. But this breed has one more feature, babies with heterochromia are often born in the litter, who may have one blue eye and the other, for example, yellow. Cats with this feature are the most thoroughbred and exclusive, because of this trait, the cost of such unique pets can increase significantly.
Character of cats of breed Japanese Bobtail
The Japanese are accustomed to proudly asserting that their aboriginal cats are, in all respects, the most ideal pets, many may think that this is how they advertise their fellow countrymen, but this is not entirely true, or rather not at all. The fact is that seals of this breed really received from nature that set of qualities that can easily give them the status of an "ideal pet".
These immigrants from the country of the Rising Sun are very nimble and active, it is extremely difficult for them to sit quietly for more than five minutes in one place, but at the same time they are not harmful. A cat will never make a mess in the house simply because she was bored. These pets will always find myself a fascinating activity when they are alone, most often it will be games with some favorite toy, which this fluffy will always carry along and drive around the house with it. It can be either a soft toy or a ball, or an ordinary string, which will be presented to you as an invitation to the game. But you should not refuse if you are not busy, since your four-legged friend may be offended and yearning, having concluded that they do not like him.
Living in a family, the Japanese Bobtail immediately chooses one of the family members and he becomes his best friend, whom he is looking forward to from work, so that he can then follow him. But this is not pursuit in any way, the cat just wants to be there, well, a little attention from you. These purrs treat the rest of the family with respect and vigilance, they will allow themselves to be scratched behind the ear, they can even lie down to sleep nearby, but they will only invite their “favorite” to play.
Japanese Bobtails are smart, neat and well-mannered from birth, but very easy to train. They happily take walks in the fresh air, so they get used to such an attribute as a harness almost the first time.
As for small children, then you should not worry about them, but more about the animal. Due to the fact that the cat has no aggression at all, he can endure all the games of children for a long time, however, you need to make sure that the child in no case grabs the pet by the tail, he is also special because he is easily injured …
Japanese Bobtail Health
Probably, for the reason that initially these short-tailed animals lived most of their lives in outdoor conditions, the breed developed a fairly strong resistance to various diseases. Timely vaccinations, balanced nutrition, hygiene and a lot of love and attention on your part - these are, perhaps, all the components of the good health of your furry.
Like most cats, Japanese Bobtail can also become infected with parasites, both external and internal, so regular courses of anthelmintic therapy and a thorough examination of the body should be carried out, especially after long walks along the street, for ticks, fleas and other intruders.
The most common problem that happens to these kittens is injury, namely tail injury. Therefore, you need to carefully monitor your pet, especially when playing with a child or other animals, such as a dog.
Caring for a Japanese bobtail at home
In principle, the concept of "caring" for this pet does not include anything extraordinary or unusual, these cats are not picky in food, obedient, smart and clean enough, but you should adhere to some rules.
- Bathing. As for such procedures, it is not only possible to do this, but also necessary. Seals of this breed are very supportive of water and themselves will not miss the opportunity to splash in the bathroom. Wash your Japanese Bobtail as needed, with optimal regularity once a month. It is best to wash with a normal skin shampoo and conditioner. So the "fur coat" of the Japanese fluffy will look well-groomed, and the hair will be shiny and delicate.
- Hygiene of the eyes. Cats usually cope with secretions from the eyes on their own, but in order to disinfect, it will be good to wipe the Japanese Bobtail's eyes with a cotton pad weekly, having previously soaked it in tea leaves, furacilin solution, a weak solution of potassium permanganate, or simply in a decoction of herbs, for example, chamomile or calendula. It is necessary to wipe the eyes with a damp cotton pad.
- Ear care. To ensure that your pet from Asia does not have hearing problems, it is extremely important to monitor the hygiene of the ears, as cats can have a profuse discharge of earwax. Due to the anatomical location of the ears of the Japanese Bobtail, it will not be difficult to see problem areas, if you notice a little sulfur - you can start cleaning. To do this, you can use ordinary cotton swabs, if you have never done this before and you have an inherent fear of injuring a cat, you can buy special sticks for small children. They are equipped with a special limiter, which will warn you against undesirable, but possible, due to inexperience, consequences. As an aid, you can use disinfectants that are available to everyone, for example, a 3% solution of boric acid, hydrogen peroxide or chlorhexidine. If desired and available, you can purchase special ear cleaners for pets at the veterinary pharmacy, they show the best results in dissolving earwax. Among the domestic ones, a good option would be Bars, Otoklin, or the more budgetary Rosinka. There are also foreign substances, they are better, but an order of magnitude more expensive, the leaders among them are Leo Cat Cleaner, Otifree and products of the Hartz brand. All these funds, in addition to being released specifically for animals, are also hypoallergenic, which reduces the risk of a hypersensitivity reaction to one or another pharmaceutical drug. Such a procedure as cleaning the ears is not one of the favorite activities for the Japanese Bobtail, so the cat needs to be taught to it from early childhood and gradually.
- Hair care. For a Japanese bobtail to always look neat, and there is no wool in your house, it will be enough to comb it out daily with a medium-hard brush.
- Tray training. The kitten needs to be introduced to this attribute on its first day of living in your house, so that everything goes well, you can buy a substance for toilet training cats at the pet store, which usually shows high efficiency. Your task will be to keep the litter box always clean, otherwise expect "surprises" in the nooks and crannies of your home.
- Claws. For the comfort of the Japanese bobtezl and the integrity of the furniture, it would be best to bring a scratching post with your pet. Due to its ingenuity and curiosity, Japanese Bobtail will quickly figure out what it is for him.
- Nutrition. This issue must be approached with great responsibility, because errors in nutrition, lack of food, low content of nutrients in it or an abundance of food can be seen in the appearance and behavior of your pet. In our modern era, it is possible to simplify the selection of a balanced diet, since ready-made delicacies are sold at every corner. If you prefer these, it is imperative that they are of high quality. Among the leaders of cat food in terms of quality and content of vitamins, minerals and nutrients, the following brands stand out - these are Iams, Hill's, Pro Plan, Nutro, Acana, Royal Canin, Eagle Pack "," Bosh "," Orijen ". In the event that you have decided to feed your Japanese bobtail with natural food, then the following foods should be present in its diet: meat, the best solution would be lean beef, offal (liver, lungs), exclusively sea fish, dairy products, eggs, fish fat, vegetables and cereals. It doesn't matter what you make from this list of foods, the main thing is that the food suits your Japanese Bobtail's taste and that the ratio to plant foods is 2: 1.
- Leisure. By bringing such an active and lively friend into the house, you will have to take care of what your pet will do during your absence or when you simply do not have time to play with him.
So that the Japanese Bobtail does not have to be bored, you can set up his personal amusement park for him, it can be all kinds of climbing devices, shelves, tunnels or small trees. You can also spread a variety of small toys around the house that will catch your eye, and excite the interest of a cat wandering around the rooms. It can be balls, various glomeruli, mice with laces and all other little things that are available in pet stores. If you absolutely did not have time to do all this, then there is one one hundred percent win-win option - a cardboard box. And if you add a crumpled sheet of paper to it, then you can be calm, your inquisitive purr is busy for at least a day and is carried away by these interesting objects.
Buying a Japanese Bobtail kitten
It is quite difficult to find such a pet on the territory of Russia, but absolutely real. The average cost for a purebred short-tailed seal of Japanese origin ranges from $ 500 to $ 600. The price for a kitten with different eyes can be two or even three times higher.
For more information on Japanese bobtails, see the video below:
