The Tale of Tails!

October 9, 2025

Cat Breeds With Unusual – Or NO – Tails

Liz Watson
CFA Judge Emeritus

Yes, Virginia, those are naturally occurring tails! Let us talk about those breeds with unusual tails that have developed through genetic mutation, each unique to its specific breed. These include the American Bobtail, Japanese Bobtail, and Toybob.

The oldest of these breeds is the Japanese Bobtail (JBT), seen in Japanese art for more than a thousand years. CFA accepts them in two divisions: longhair and shorthair. The first JBTs were brought to the United States in 1968, and the shorthairs were accepted into championship showing in CFA in 1978; the longhairs not until 1993. Both divisions have a tail that exhibits a fluffy, pompom effect – but the structure of each tail is unique, comprised of a series of twists, turns, and kinks. It can extend no longer than three inches from the body, but those three inches are never straight. The pompom effect must occur from the base of the spine. However, a tailbone must be present. Thus, when you gently feel the tail you should be able to feel that tailbone. According to the CFA standard, the tail may be flexible or rigid and should be of size and shape to harmonize with the rest of the cat. It should reflect a bunny tail with hair fanning out to create that pompom-appearance which effectively camouflages the underlying bone structure of the tail. The tail is allotted 20 points in the breed standard, and all the disqualifying factors for the breed have to do with the tail. One of the disqualifying factors is a “delayed pompom” that starts an inch or so from the base of the tail. In this breed, the structure of the tail is extremely important in evaluating the entire cat. The tail mutation in the JBT is recessive and no outcross breedings are allowed: Japanese Bobtail x Japanese Bobtail only.

Next in championship acceptance is the American Bobtail (ABT), which came in 2006. The genetic mutation of the ABT tail is dominant, so domestic longhair and shorthair cats may be used as outcrosses. The structure of this tail differs from that of the JBT, as  the ABT tail is short, but may be straight, curved or slightly kinked. The straight tails should exhibit a “fat pad” at the end. In length, the tail must be visible above the back when alert and not extend beyond a stretched hind hock. In other words, you see a tail as opposed to the powder puff of the JBT. There are 15 points on the ABT tail, a disqualifying feature being a total lack of tail or one that is full length.

The Toybob is a cat newly accepted for championship showing in CFA. This breed was primarily developed in Russia, and according to the standard the name is derived from “toy” (a playful, small-sized cat) and “bob” for the bobbed tail. The tail itself is naturally bobbed with kinks and curves in any combination, but can also be almost straight. The tail minimum is two vertebrae and maximum length is down to the hock. The standard allots 10 points for the tail; although “bob” is in the name of the cat, the tail is not the defining feature of this small-structured breed. It is noted that because of their small stature, they retain a kitten-like appearance even as adults. The only disqualifying factor regarding the tail is one that is manually docked, the complete absence of a tail, or one that goes beyond the hock.

It would be remiss to not mention the Manx, the tailless breed. But some Manx do have full-length tails and others are given the term “stumpy,” which usually means a tail of about an inch or so. There is also the “rumpy-riser,” which has a short tail bone that the judge will feel as the rump is being examined. Therefore, four common Manx tail lengths can be seen: “rumpy” which is the tailless show specimen, then “rumpy riser” (penalized only if the rise stops a judge’s hand while feeling the roundness of the rump), “stumpy” (must be transferred to AOV – Any other variety – if a visible tail joint), and full-length (cannot be shown). The stumpy and long-tailed Manx are important in breeding programs, as rumpy x rumpy pairings are not desirable. The show specimen is tailless, and points allotted in the CFA standard for this feature are five. While Manx is our only true tailless breed, taillessness is but a part of the standard that stresses roundness in all aspects of structure.

Thus, CFA features only four breeds with unique hind ends: three with bobbed tails and one tailless. All four of these breeds are delightful to own: The American Bobtail has a rugged structure, the Japanese Bobtail a refined one, then the serene, imperturbable, small, kittenish Toybob, and finally, the round-all-over Manx … Good companions all! To see these unique breeds, please look for a CFA show near you and talk with the breeders for first-hand information.