COLORS
The Japanese Bobtail is a natural breed and does indeed come from Japan; all Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) registered cats can be traced back to the original imports. Any color except the Siamese pattern or Abyssinian type agouti is permitted; the most popular colors are the mi-ke and those colors that can be used to create it: white, black, red, black and white, red and white, and tortoiseshell. Vividly contrasting colors and bold dramatic markings are preferred on the bi-colors. Bright colors, especially the calico (called mi-ke, meaning "three-fur", by the Japanese) are most preferred, but the Japanese Bobtail can come in any color.
The most popular color for a female Japanese Bobtail is calico, known to the Japanese as mi-ke (pronounced "mee-kay"). Red and white, and black and white, are common colors for both sexes. Solid-colored cats without white markings (black, blue, red, cream, tortoiseshell, solid white), tabbies (brown tabby, red tabby, blue tabby, cream tabby, patched tabby or patterned mi-ke) and dilutes (blues, creams, blue-creams, dilute mi-kes) exist, but are harder to find. Many Japanese Bobtails with a lot of white are either blue-eyed or odd-eyed (one blue and one gold eye); this is a flashy and popular color, and such kittens are generally more expensive. Smokes and silvers have recently turned up in the North American gene pool, but can be hard to find. In some associations, all colors and patterns are allowed. Preference is given to bold, dramatic markings and vividly contrasting colors.
While rare, Japanese Bobtails, especially predominantly white specimens, are more likely than other breeds to express heterochromia, or differing iris colors. One eye will be blue while the other is yellow (though in Japan, blue is referred to as silver while yellow is referred to as gold). This trait is popular and kittens displaying this "odd-eye" feature are usually more expensive.
As the Bobtail is an Asian breed, some registries allow the pointed (Siamese) and sepia (Burmese) colors, and some do not. Since imports from Japan can still be registered, the gene pool is still open to native cats.
THE TAIL
The tail is unique not only to the breed, but to each individual cat. Like our finger prints, no two tails are ever alike. The tail must be clearly visible and is composed of one or more curves, angles, or kinks or any combination thereof. The furthest extension of the tail bone from the body should be no longer than three inches. The direction in which the tail is carried is not important. The tail may be flexible or rigid and should be of a size and shape that harmonizes with the rest of the cat. It should be very gently handled as it is sensitive - some parts are usually fused. It's delightful to see that most Bobtails will indeed wiggle their little bunny tails, a trick that always elicits a smile.
The genetic factor which created the Japanese Bobtail is completely different from the Manx, a naturally tailless cat. Unlike the Manx, it is due to recessive genes and breeds true. The two breeds are not related in any way. Not only are their tails different, but the body types are completely opposite.
Although kinked tails are commonplace in the East, Kimura also noted that tail length in free-roaming Japanese cats "varies very much" and interestingly enough, "most Japanese cat fanciers pay very little attention to the ordinary Japanese cat."
While its tail is its calling card, the Japanese bobtail is not a breed wherein the caudal appendage wags the cat. Indeed, when cat registries in their infinite wisdom assign point values to the various parts of the bobtail's anatomy, color weighs as heavily as tail does (generally 20 points). Head, too, is allotted 20 points, while overall body conformation is worth even more.
Named for its inimitable posterior, the Japanese bobtail is distinguished by its curled tail, which is unparalleled not only to the breed but to each individual cat. In this world of scientific breeding, where all manner of genetic derivations are becoming increasingly common in cat breeding, the Japanese bobtail is no Johnny-come-lately. The breed has been sporting its distinctive tail for at least a thousand years.
In Japan, where the breed is a centuries-old mainstay, few give second-thought to the abbreviated appendage, but here in the United States the cat's posterior still generates raised eyebrows, making this friendly, beautiful cat a distinctive and treasured gift from the Orient.