American Bobtail LH (ABL) 

The American Bobtail is a medium-sized to large cat of natural origin. It is a noticeably athletic animal, well muscled, with the look and feel of power.

It possesses a unique natural hunting gaze that combines with the breed’s body type and natural bobtail to give the American Bobtail a distinctive wild appearance.

Females are generally proportionately smaller than males with type a more important aspect of the breed than size or tail characteristics. 

The body is moderately long and substantial with a rectangular stance. Chest full and broad.

Slightly higher in hips with prominent shoulder blades. Hips substantial almost as wide as chest.

Deep flank. Muscular and athletic in appearance.

The legs and feet are in proportion to the body, of good length and substantial boning.

Paws large and round. Toe tufts desirable.

Allowance should be made for slow maturation.  

Short, with a minimum length of 1 inch (3 cm) actual bone. May extend to the hock, but not past it.

Straight tails are ideal, a tail may be slightly knotted or kinked and also may becurled or hooked at the end, as long as the tail remains flexible where attached to the body.

The tail must be flexible at the base of all variants. The tail length of at least 1 inch (3 cm) may only be undercut in young animals.

The head shape is a broad modified wedge without noticeable flat planes or doming, in proportion to the body. Cheekbones are apparent.

In profile slightly concave curve. Widening of the head and stud jowls apparent in adult males.

Brow – distinctive, evidenced by a slightly rounded forehead to eye ridge; brow border is fleshy creating and enhancing the top line of the eye.

The nose is wide, being equally as wide from the inside corner of the eye through the length of the nose into a large nose leather.

Muzzle/Chin – Observable whisker break above a well-defined broad medium length muzzle. Fleshy whisker pads. Chin strong and wide in line with the nose.

The ears are medium. Wide at base with slightly rounded tips, wide-set, upright with a slight outward tilt. Ear tipping and furnishings highly desirable.

Lighter colored thumbprints on the back of the ears desirable on all tabbies including lynx points. 

The eyes are large. Almost almond in shape. Deep set. Outside corner angled slightly upward towards the outside edge of the ears. Medium-wide apart. Distinctive brow above the eye creates a top line to the eye and produces the breed’s natural hunting gaze.

Eye color has no relationship to coat color.

The coat is medium-longhair, slightly shaggy, close to the body.

Tapering to slightly longer hair on ruff, britches, belly and tail; ruff-slight, mutton chops desirable.

Texture-non-matting, resilient; undercoat present, not extremely dense.

but not dull and close to the body. Undercoat is present but not extremely dense.

The coat is longer on the neck, hind legs, belly and tail.

A long ruff, a beard that falls in a triangle from the cheeks and "knickerbockers" on the hind legs are desirable.

Any genetically possible color or combination of colors is allowed (excluding sunshine and amber).

Siamese points are also allowed.

All patterns with any amount of white are recognized. 

• Stop

• tail overly long, past the hock

• round eyes

• total lack of tail or full-length tail

• delicate bone structure

• incorrect number of toes (polydactyly/oligodactyly)

Domestic SH/LH