pixie-bob
Sweet, sociable, affectionate, playful
Overview
Origin
United States, Africa
Life Span
13-16 years
Height
10"-12"
Weight
8-18 pounds
Group
Medium-to-large sized short-haired
Price
$1800 - $3000
History
As rumor has it, the Pixie-Bob cat breed got its start when a barn cat and a coastal bobcat had a litter of kittens together. Even though today's Pixie-Bob cats have no while Bobcat DNA, their size suggests that there might be something to this old story.
The first records of Pixie-Bob cats come from Carol Ann Brewer of Mount Baker, Washington. In 1985, she bought a male cat with a short tail, a spotted coat, and polydactyl paws. The following January, she rescued a starving male cat that weighed in at 17 pounds even though it was skin and bones. This cat, named Keba, also had a bobtail and was rumored to have been produced as a result of a meeting between a domestic female cat and a male Bobcat.
Keba mated with a neighbor's brown tabby female cat and in April 1986, that Queen had kittens. Brewer One of the females and named her "Pixie." The following year, Pixie became a founding member of the Pixie-Bob breed.
For the next few years, Brewer searched for cats that were believed to be the result of naturally occurring meetings between domestic cats and wild bobcats. She added 23 of them to her breeding program in all, using the term "Legend cats" as a trademark. Other breeders joined the effort, collaborating with Brewer to form a broad genetic pool. Eventually, today's Pixie-Bob breed was fully developed.
Carol Ann Brewer led efforts to register the new breed. The International Cat Association granted recognition in 1993 as part of the exhibition category. In 1996, TICA granted new breed and color status. In 1998, the Pixie-Bob cat was finally granted championship status.
Care
Nutrition
Pixie-Bob cats can be quite large, meaning they often need more calories than the average cat. These kitties thrive on a high-quality diet that's high in protein and low in carbohydrates, with real meat or fish as the primary ingredient.
Grooming
Pixie-Bob cats tend to have thick, luxurious coats. While they take care of daily grooming on their own, these kitties benefit from once or twice weekly brushing sessions aimed at removing loose hair that can contribute to hairballs and contribute to excess shed fur on your furniture and clothing.
Exercise
Even though Pixie-Bob cats have a strong appreciation for comfortable beds and naptime, they spend their waking hours engaged in physical activity aimed at keeping you entertained while satisfying their natural urge to run, jump, and climb. It's important to provide plenty of enrichment for these cats. Even if you can't build a catio outdoors, you'll want to provide your Pixie-Bob cat with at least one big, strong cat tower that's equipped with a large platform on top.
Health
Pixie-Bob cats typically enjoy good health. Some males have cryptorchidism – an issue that can be resolved with surgical neutering, but that renders a cat unsuitable for showing as an intact male.
Breed Standard
Body
Pixiebob cats should be medium to large in size, with prominent shoulderblades and a slight upward slope from shoulder to hip. The chest should be broad and a primordial belly pouch may be evident.
Head
The head should be medium to large, forming an inverted pear shape. The chin should align with the nose and the muzzle should be full, with a definite whisker break and fleshy whisker pads. The nose should be wide and slightly convex with a slight nose bump and large brick-colored nose leather.
Eyes
The eyes should be heavily hooded, with a soft triangle shape and medium size. The eyes should be positioned one eyes’ width apart. Eye colors include gold, brown, and gooseberry green.
Ears
The Pixiebob cat’s ears should be of medium height, with wide, deep bases. They should be positioned as much on the sides of the head as the top, and should display rounded tips. Lynx tipping is desirable, and is more prominent in longhair cats. The ears should have thumbprint markings on their backs.
Color
Pixie Bob cats may be of any shade of brown spotted tabby, with a white or cream band surrounding the eye and mascara markings that extend from the outer eye corner down to the cheek. The coat should display small to medium spots that are muted by ticking. The belly must display spots.
Coat
A Pixiebob cat’s coat may be short or medium length, with longer belly hair. The texture shold be soft to semi-dense depending on length.
Tail
The tail should be a minimum of 2 inches long, and may not be longer than hock length. Kinks and curls are accepted.
Legs & Paws
The legs should be long and muscular, with heavy boning. The hind legs should be longer than the forelegs.