The Pixie-bob is an exciting breed of domestic cat that closely resembles the wild bobcat, but has no actual bobcat blood in its breeding lines. Thus, the Pixie-bob is considered wholly domestic for the purposes of ownership, cat registration, import, and export.
Originating wholly in the Pacific Northwest, the loyal Pixie-bob is a muscular, brawny cat bred to resemble the wild Coastal Red Bobcat found in the coastal mountains of the area. It is the only breed that accepts polydactyls (cats with extra toes) for showing.
These highly intelligent cats may look a little wild, but they have the loving personality of domestic cats. Often called “dogs in disguise,” the affectionate Pixie-bob is devoted to its family, and can be taught to walk on a leash and harness easily, so it can go along on family outings.
Pixie-bobs are said to be highly social, active (but not annoyingly hyper-active), brave and bold, and enjoy playing with other animals. Almost all Pixie-bobs prefer to be in the same room as their owners, and will follow their owners around the house. They are also known for their "chirps,” chatters, and growls. Most don't meow very often, and some don't meow at all. They are also capable of understanding some human words and phrases.
In the spring of 1985, Carol Ann Brewer, of Stone Island, Washington, purchased a polydactyl spotted male kitten with a short tail from a couple in the foothills of the Cascade Range. In January of 1986, she rescued a classic patterned male with a short tail who stood as tall as her knees, and named him Keba.
In January of 1986, she rescued another male cat. This cat was very large, and had a bobbed tail. While this cat was starving, it still weighed seventeen pounds, and was also so tall that it reached up to Brewer’s knees. He bred with a neighbor's domestic female named Maggie who delivered a litter of kittens in April 1986. Carol Ann took one of the female kittens, which had muted spotting on a reddish-fawn coat, and a wild “bobcattish” look, and named her “Pixie.”
By 1987, Carol Ann realized that these bobtailed cats had a really distinctive appearance, and she began looking for more cats with this look. She was also concerned about what would happen if she lost Pixie, and decided to create more cats that looked like her. In 1989, she documented a standard that represented the traits that were consistently being reproduced, and named the fledgling breed “Pixie-bob,” in memory of her original Pixie.
In 1993, Carol Ann approached TICA to begin the process of recognition for these unique cats, and in 1994 TICA accepted the Pixie-bob for Exhibition Status. The new breed was granted championship status beginning with the 1998 show season. “Silversprings Zeus” was the first Pixie-bob to attain an International Award.
It is not presently known what genetic similarity there may or may not be between the Pixie-bob and other breeds with suppression of the tail, such as the Manx, American Bobtail, and Japanese Bobtail.
Pixie-bob kittens are born in both long-haired and short-haired versions. The breed has a thick double coat with a woolly texture that stands off from the body, giving it a padded feel when petted. Long-hairs have a medium coat of up to two inches, with a soft, silky texture. Like the wild bobcat they are bred to resemble, some Pixie-bobs have lynx tips on their ears. Their facial hair grows downward, giving them the appearance of having a man's muttonchop sideburns.
The ideal Pixie-bob is a brown spotted tabby ranging in shade from tawny to a reddish brown. The spots are small and are muted by heavy ticking. The ticking is heavier in the winter months. Their eye color can be golden brown or gooseberry green. These medium to large cats are heavily boned, and have muscular, rangy bodies that give them a rolling gait like a wild cat. They have long heavy legs, with hind legs that are slightly longer than the front, and big paws with long thick toes.
Males weigh between twelve and twenty-two pounds, while the slightly smaller females range from eight to fifteen pounds. Their faces are similar to the wild bobcat, with the shape of an inverted pear, and a thick fleshy chin. They also have heavy brows over medium-sized, soft, triangular eyes.
The minimum tail length for a show-quality Pixie-bob is two inches, however, some cats will have tails shorter or longer than this. The original “Pixie” had a long tail. The tail is frequently kinked or knotted, but should be completely flexible and move naturally.
Cats normally have five toes on their front paws and four on the back paws. Polydactyl cats have greater than that number of toes. They may have more on one foot than on the others, and the extra toes tend to appear on the front feet before the back feet. The Pixie-bob is the only breed allowed by the breeder organizations to have polydactyl feet, and the maximum number of toes allowed is seven.
Janet, co-owner with LeeJo of “LeeJo’s & Evergreen Cattery; Northwest Pixie-Bobs,” was very cordial and helpful when I called her to obtain a bit of first-hand information about her breed. The first thing she said was that the Pixie-bob is very dog-like in its behavior—especially in its tendency to attach itself to one family member more than to the others, and to follow that person around the house from room to room. They love to travel, she said, and she takes them with her in the car in cages from time to time for no reason other than to keep them accustomed to riding. She also said that her cats have even been known to growl when strange cars come up the driveway, just as dogs do.
“Personality-wise,” Janet said, “Pixie-bobs are the best!” She confirmed that they are highly intelligent, quick learners, mischievous, lively, inquisitive, and active right up through old age. They love to get up to the high places in the house, and Janet recounted an incident in which one of her Pixie-bobs leapt up to the top of a set of blinds, skittered across it—closing the blinds in the process—and jumped down, fast as lightning. Like many of the other pure-bred cats I have researched for this website, Pixie-bobs have a great fascination with water, and will watch it intensely, play with it, and even dump their toys in their water bowls.
Some of Janet’s cats have turned out to be extremely vocal, talking all the time, while others have been relatively quiet. All, however, share the tendency to chirp, twitter, occasionally growl, and just generally make an interesting range of noises.
Pixie-bob kittens are very slow to mature—the full process takes four years. Normally, a litter is comprised of three or four kittens. A kitten may undergo a sudden growth-spurt at any time during those four years. Pixie-bobs are generally extremely healthy cats, with no genetic tendency towards any particular diseases. They are easy to groom and care for, and just seem to be an all-around wonderful breed of cat!
To contact Janet and LeeJo about available kittens, both pet and show quality, see the “Kittens for Sale” category in this pet website, www.pets4you.com.
With Thanks to:
www.wikipedia.org