Pride of JZ Kurilian Bobtails

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About the breed


Kurillian Bobtail is a natural breed, coming from the chain of Kurilian islands belonging to Russia and Japan. They have lived for many hundreds years as wild animals, as offspring’s of lynx and short-tailed cats. Russian hunters and geologists first brought these cats to the main land in the early 1950’s but they only were recognized as a breed in the late 1980’s. Many people were charmed by the incredible loyalty and bright personality of these creatures.
For many years Kurilian bobtails were considered the same breed as Japanese bobtails. But thanks to the real fans and enthusiasts of these breed now Kurilian Bobtails are recognized as an independent and very popular breed.

The main feature of the Kurilian Bobtail is a tail. It’s like a fingerprint very unique. You will never meet two similar tails! It can be bob or spring or pompom or rabbit’s puff tail but never the same.
Their back legs are longer than front that also make them look like a rabbit from behind.
In its natural, wild habitat, this cat is known to be both an excellent swimmer and fisherman and an exceptional rat hunter. It is said to be no problem for this cat to catch a 5 kg fish or a hare in the wild. People who live in Kunashir report that bear will run away from this cat! However, this breed is not well known out of its native territories and the western regions of Russia. It is still discovered in the wild on a chain of islands known as the Kurils, which run from the easternmost point of Russia to the tip of Japan's Hokkaido Island. The population is small and it is considered a very rare breed of cat. Part of the reason for its rarity is that there are just 2 or 3 kittens in a litter and it breeds only once per year in the wild.

The Kurilian's wild look is not reflected in the temperament of the breed. It is renowned for being both a clever and gentle clown. It has a great love for both human company and other species of pets, and it is perfectly happy living in an apartment in the city. In fact, the breed is smallish in the wild but it has developed onsiderably in size through being domesticated. The Kurillian's skill as a fisherman may explain why the Kuril is an excellent swimmer who loves nothing better than to play in a bathtub with a dripping tap! In fact, many Kurilian would like to join their owners in the bath, if allowed. The breed has also adapted its rat hunting skills to the confines of apartment living, proving to be both a peaceful and gentle companion of humans who loves to the pursue flies.

There are many breeds that are said to be doglike, however, the Kurilian Bobtail is outstanding in its gregarious and accepting nature. They will run to the door to greet their owner coming home and will be just as accepting of friends and strangers who visit the home. The Kurilian Bobtail does not shy from strangers or changes in their environment. In fact, they are remarkably accepting of change. Now that several members of the breed have made the 2-day journey from Russia to North America it is certain that it is a breed characteristic to 'go with the flow' and accept a change not only in environment but in human companionship with ease. This does not detract from the expression of interest in human company, but the breed seems to have an incredible trust of humans and simply wants to be in human company. They like to play hard and are very self-entertaining, but they also enjoy long periods of quiet companionship. One trait noticed by North Americans is that while they are not a lap cat the breed loves to lay at the feet of their owner.

This is a breed that seems to understand everything its owner desires and is easy to train to respond to voice command alone. Kurilians are also remarkable among cat breeds for their 'silent' nature. like the Pixie-Bob, another natural short-tailed breed (native to North America), they tend to be non-vocal except for a few musical trills which sound more like bird song than cat calls. The breed is not destructive to furniture or the home, yet it is still a cat with a cat's independant nature and a tendancy to do what it best desires. One more thing... unlike other breeds, the father of a litter spends as much time tending to the kittens as their mother does.
Used asserts from THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE KURILIAN BOBTAIL by Sharon Berg, FogForest Bobtails

Standard of the breed

BREED INDEX:
KBS – shorthair,
KBL – semi longhair.

HISTORY: breed is created on the base of aboriginal short-tailed cats occur on the Kuril Islands. Breeding program began in 1992 (by L. Ivanova, T. Bocharova and O. Mironova).

GENERAL: large or medium sized muscled animals. Compact powerful body with short, pompom shaped tail.

HEAD: large, in shape of trapezium, rounded in contours, wide at the cheekbone level. A gentle dip from the forehead to the broad, medium long, straight nose, without definite stop Well-developed wide chin. A bit rounded in profile.

EYES: rounded. Set far apart and slightly slanted. Any color from yellow to green. White cats, vans and harlequins can has blue or odd eyes.

EARS: medium sized, wide at the base, slightly slope forward. Set wide apart and medium high. Distance among the ears is equal to ear size. Ears are rounded at the tips.

BODY: compact, muscled, well-boned. Back shows delicate arch-like line from the shoulders to the higher rump. Legs medium in length, strong, sturdy, with rounded paws. Hind legs are longer than front.

TAIL: Composed of one or more kinks or curves or any combination thereof. May be rigid or flexible. The direction of tail is not important. Visible length of the tail (without the fur) from 3 to 8 cm. Size and shape of the tail should harmonize with the common appearance of the cat.

COAT: dense, thin in texture.
SH variety : short, with well-developed guard hairs and moderate undercoat.
SLH variety: long, with a lot of clothing hair, well-developed guard hairs and moderate undercoat. The decorative coat is desirable (ruff, frill, "britches", furnishing of the ears).

COLOR: all with the exception of color points, chocolate, cinnamon, fawn, lilac and the same combined with white.

PENALIZE: Tail length from 8 to 12 cm or less than 3cm. One-vertebrate tail. Delayed bobtail effect. Extreme arch-like back disharmonizing appearance of the cat. Slender type. Type likes the Japanese or Thai bobtail.



DISQUALIFY: Absence of the tail bone. Deformations of the spinal vertebrae. Short straight tail without kinks and curves. Tail longer than 12 cm.

Outcross with other breeds none

POINT SCORE:
Head, eyes, ears – 20
Body and legs - 30
Tail - 30
Coat and color - 15
Condition - 5
Total: - 100