American Bobtail Grooming

About the American Bobtail

Several cat breeds have short or absent tails and the genetics differ in each, which is worth setting out because owners and groomers reasonably assume they are variations of one thing.

The Manx and Cymric carry a dominant mutation that affects spinal development generally, and it brings real problems: a shortened spine in some cats, and difficulties with the hind legs, bladder and bowel. That is the site's most serious cat welfare warning.

The Japanese Bobtail carries a recessive gene affecting the tail vertebrae only, with no associated disease.

The American Bobtail carries a third gene, dominant like the Manx but affecting only the tail, and it is not associated with spinal disease either. The breed is generally robust.

Same visible feature, three different genes, and only one of them a welfare problem.

The tail, and the three way comparison

An American Bobtail's tail is short but not absent, typically about a third of normal length, flexible, expressive and carried above the back. Every one is different in length and shape, and a completely tailless cat is not correct for the breed.

The gene is dominant, so one copy produces the bobtail, and unlike the Manx mutation it acts on the tail vertebrae rather than on spinal development generally.

The practical result is that none of the Manx and Cymric handling rules apply. There is no sensitive rump to protect, no risk of a shortened spine as a breed trait, and no bladder or bowel complications attached to the gene.

The tail is normal tissue with normal sensation, so it is handled like any cat's tail: not avoided, not pulled.

On the longhair variety the tail carries a fair amount of coat and is worth combing through, since it collects debris.

Worth saying to a vet or groomer who knows the Manx situation, because the assumption travels and it changes what somebody looks for.

A shaggy coat, in two lengths

The coat is described as shaggy rather than plush or silky, and that is accurate: it is resilient, slightly unkempt looking, and it comes in short and long varieties with a dense undercoat in both.

The shorthair is medium short and dense, needing a comb through once or twice a week.

The longhair is medium long and shaggier, with a ruff, britches at the back of the hind legs and feathering on the tail and belly. Because there is a genuine undercoat underneath, it does mat, and it needs combing every two or three days.

The places that fail are the usual ones for a double coated cat: the britches, the ruff, behind and under the front legs, and the belly.

Use a fine metal comb to the skin rather than a slicker over the surface.

Never cut a mat out with scissors, for the reason given on every cat page here: cat skin is thin and lifts into the blades.

Neither variety needs bathing and neither should be clipped, since a shaggy double coat that is clipped often returns with a changed texture.

The seasonal change, and the weekly check

American Bobtails have a real double coat and they shed seasonally, with a heavier change in spring and autumn over several weeks.

Comb daily through it, especially on a longhair, since that is when the loose undercoat gets caught and starts to felt.

It is also the main control on hairballs.

Outside the seasonal changes, once or twice a week for a shorthair and every two or three days for a longhair.

Use the session as a hands-on check: lumps, scabs, parasites, and whether the cat is still reaching its own back end.

New matting on the rump of a cat that used to keep itself immaculate is a weight, arthritis or dental pain signal, and it is a veterinary conversation before a grooming one.

These are slow maturing cats, taking two to three years to reach full size, and they are muscular and heavier than they look, so feel for ribs rather than judging by outline.

An easy cat to handle

American Bobtails are notably social, adaptable and even tempered, often described as dog like, and they are commonly used as therapy cats for exactly that reason.

For grooming that is straightforwardly good. A cat that tolerates handling well makes a coat that needs combing every two or three days entirely manageable at home.

Start in kittenhood, keep sessions short, and turn the cat over each time so the belly gets genuinely checked rather than assumed.

Claws want tipping every two to three weeks. Provide a sturdy post, since this is a strong muscular cat, and never consider declawing.

Ears and teeth get the ordinary weekly attention.

Because they adapt well and travel well, a salon visit is less of an ordeal for this breed than for most, though there is nothing about the coat that requires one unless it has been neglected into pelting.

What to tell your groomer or vet

Say the short tail comes from a gene affecting the tail only, with none of the Manx spinal problems, since the two get grouped together.

Say the tail has normal sensation and is handled like any cat's tail.

Say which coat length it is, since the longhair needs combing twice as often as the shorthair.

Ask for a fine metal comb to the skin, including the belly and britches.

Say the coat is not to be clipped, and never scissors on a mat.

Ask for claws tipped and mention if the cat has been reaching its back end less.

Keeping the coat between grooms

Common Questions About the American Bobtail