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Other than the Japanese Bobtail's impressive and interesting
appearance,
the
overriding topic of interest in relation to this cat is the history of
the breed and the myths and stories surrounding it as they are rooted
in the history of the country.
Sculptures and illustrations made centuries ago apparently depict the
Japanese Bobtail. A current, extremely common and commercialized
depiction of this cat can be seen in the good luck charm, the Welcoming
Cat. This is the Maneki
Neko ("Beckoning
Cat") figurine. The figurine
is a very
stylized and kitsch representation of the Japanese Bobtail, beckoning a
customer in.
The Japanese way to beckon is with the palm outwards and the fingers
waving in. The Western way is the back of the hand outwards.
The figurine is doing it the Eastern Way and Ninja, above, the Western
way.
The history behind the Beckoning Cat is worth telling, briefly. There
are many stories. One concerns a 17th century cat called Tama who lived
with a priest. The priest wanted the cat to contribute to
temple life.
A dignitary was visiting the temple during a rainstorm and sheltered
under a tree. Tama welcomed him in. Shortly afterwards, lightning hit
the
tree. As a reward the dignitary helped the temple. The legend was born.
This story is an amalgam of the two I recite on this page: Maneki
Neko Cats.
In another story from the same period a cat's head (yes, just the head)
saved the life of a
geisha called Usugumo by biting the head of a snake nearby. Moments
before being beheaded the cat had pulled at the hem of the geisha's
robe to alert her to the snake but an admirer thought the cat a "goblin
cat" and beheaded her. The raised left arm of the figurine/statue
symbolizes the
arm of the cat pulling at the robe.
There are apparently many other stories. The favorite colors
of
the Maneki Neko are the same as the cat (see
below). {return
to top}
"When i frist saw a Japanese Bobtail I
fell in love. It was the
sweetest thing I have ever saw, even though it does not have a tail...."
They are one of the oldest pedigree cats in the world. There are
written accounts going back to about 2,000 years apparently1.
Other sources say that it originates in 5th century BC. Let's say it
really is next to the Egyptian
Mau in terms of the length of its
domestication.
It is said that this cat was imported into Japan from China and/or
Korea about one thousand years ago. In 1701 a writer (travel
writer perhaps) said that the Japanese only keep one type
of cat, the Japanese Bobtail, with a preference for the bicolor and
tricolor coat. The calico
(tricolor) is
called mi-ke,
meaning "three-fur" (meaning three
colors of fur, white, black and orange). The term calico is used in the
USA. The term is tortoiseshell-and-white in the UK. See Kiku
below for a
calico coated cat.
It
is said that cats in Japan with normal length tails might have been
persecuted while cats with the bob tail were not. This would have
enhanced the natural development of the Japanese Bobtail2.
There is a possibility that there is a link between this cat and the
Kurilian Bobtail. These breeds do, though, have different appearances.
However, the short tail of both breeds is due to the natural mutation
of a recessive
gene.
The Kurilian Bobtail is thought to have evolved on the Kuril
Islands. These islands are off the north coast of Japan's Hokkaido
island. Russia is nearby. Some believe that the Japanese Bobtail
originates from the Kurilian
Bobtail. It could be visa-versa.
Often the exact nature of a
cat's origins are a little hazy.
On this
page, I speculate that the Japanese Bobtail of today does not
come
from Asia but from America. This is confusing.
They
had a privileged place in Japanese society. Japan,
incidentally, has
good animal welfare laws which makes me surprised about their
whaling
exploits. The restricted gene pool in Japan ensured that the recessive
gene that produces the bobbed tail become more visible in the cat
population.
Here's a potted history in table form. {return to top}
Date
Event
600-700 AD
Believed
that the original domestic cats (the precursor to the Jap. Bob.) came
with Buddhist monks to Japan from Manchuria and Korea to keep the rats
from destroying the rice paper scrolls1.
1000
Allegedly
documentary evidence that
Japanese
cats, in general, came from Korea or China.
1602
Due
to rodents damaging silk worms affecting the silk trade (silk comes
from the cocoon of the silk worm), cat
owners ordered to release cats (i.e. not care for cats making them
feral). This led to this breed becoming street cats.
1702
Written
record by travel writer of the
presence of this breed being cared for in Japan.
c.1945
American
soldiers bring back Japanese Bobtails from Japan1.
They are active and high energy cats. Toys
are going to de rigeur
then. A cat tree is also recommended as they are jumpers but not "couch
potatoes". This breed is also said to be very people orientated. This
may be a consequence of the exceptionally long period of domestication
(from the 5th
century AD).
As to the appearance it is so well illustrated in Helmi's fine
photographs
I
won't use too many words to describe this cat. Also, coming soon is a
discussion on the breed standard in which I discuss appearance in
relation to the standard. Update:
Please see Japanese Bobtail Breed
Standard.
Popular colors are those illustrated in Helmi's photographs; calico
(Kiku above) and bicolor black and white (Ninja, the header
photograph). The pattern is a Van pattern.
You
can also
find this breed in solid colors, tabbies and dilute
colors (creams, blues etc.). Cats with lots of white sometimes have
heterochromia (odd eye color). One
eye will be
blue
(silver) and the
other yellow (gold). This is due to the white spotting gene (Piebald
gene) that produces the bicolor and calico coat.
The
gene
prevents eye pigmentation reaching one eye as well as
affecting coat pigment migration.
Perhaps it is useful to compare this cat with the other bobtailed cats,
particularly the Manx and the Kurilian Bobtail. The Japanese Bobtail is
lighter framed and it could be said more elegant than the stocky
Kurilian and Manx.
The shortened tail occurs naturally and it should not be longer than 3
inches for a show cat (per breed
standard). You can see that Kiku's tail has typically fluffed up like a
pom-pom on top of a hat. For the longer haired cats the pom-pom is even
more pronounced. Each tail in unique and like a cat's version of our
finger
print.
The tail bones are either fused together or there are one or two mobile
joints. Apparently it is thought by some people that the tail has the
same number of vertebrae as a "normal" tail. The tails "don't necessarily have the same
number of vertebrae"1.
The tail is rigid.
The Japanese Bobtail is active, energetic and affectionate. They have
stable characters making them good with children and other
pets including dogs. You should schedule in some play time
and ensure she has some companionship either human or cat or both. {return
to top}
A short note about health. Japanese Bobtail breeders say that this cat
does not have the same issues of potential ill-heath due to the
tailless gene that are encountered with the Manx, another
bobtailed cat.
This is because the mutant gene is, it seems, different and recessive.
There are no health issues, it seems with this breed, that are linked
to the
mutated gene. However, this may not be the complete picture.
The gene may cause the spine to become shortened. For me the jury is
out on health issues. Read about Manx cat health issues on the Manx
cat page.
Grooming
requirements are low both for longhaired and shorthaired Japanese
Bobtails. This is because there is no undercoat. It is the undercoat
that catches combs. This also precludes matting. The long haired cats
have semi-long hair.
2008: I will stick to my simple test. If the breeder is in the first
three
pages
of a Google search it indicates that they are established and
organized - a fair test but only an indicator - please ask questions
and visit the cattery.
Janipurr
Japanese Bobtails [link]
Located in the San Francisco Bay area, California, USA.
Cat-Chi
Cats
Located in the Washington DC area, Virginia, USA.
These are the only two catteries with their own website in the first
three pages as at 2008 - things change.
Can we hear from you if you live with a Japanese Bobtail cat?
Do you have a great story about the Jap Bob? Please share it!
What Other Visitors Have Said
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Bobtails in Japan
Firstly, please allow me to humbly say, I don't think you should use the term "Jap", as in Jap Bob. It really is equivalent to "nigger". If I wrote about ...
Sweet Ivy helps us through our grief
Ivy is now about 4 years old. My daughter and I rescued her through a Siamese Group from an over crowded City Animal Shelter.
Ivy loves to ride on ...
My Japanese Bobtail Story!
My wife and I went to the local animal shelter because my wife wanted to get a kitten. There was only one kitten there that was eligible to be adopted,...
Maneki Neko Cats
I have not been to Japan but my girlfriend has so she is familiar with the Maneki Neko cats, which can be seen in the form of little ceramic statues in ...
My Cat Stubs
I have a male Japanese Bobtail named Stubs (though I call him Bubbles or Bub Bub). I don't know what the price of one of these cats usually runs at, but ...
Japanese Word For Cat
People want to know the Japanese word for cat. It immediately comes to my mind even though I don't speak Japanese because of the well known beckoning ...
Note:
1. Cat
Fancy magazine
August 2010 - Elisa Jordan. Forgive me for quoting verbatim sometimes
but it is for the sake of accuracy and I have promoted the magazine! 2. The Encyclopedia of the Cat by Dr Bruce
Fogle page 164.