Pixie Bob breed description
Pixie Bobs are a domestic cat breed with a resemblance to Bobcats, which originated in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. Pixie Bobs are not genetically related to Bobcats and this has been proven via DNA testing. Bobcats were not used as breeding stock in establishing the beautiful, wonderfully personable Pixie Bob breed, and reputable Pixie Bob breeders have not (and will not) use Bobcats in their breeding programs. You may notice some Pixie Bob breeders touting their Pixie Bob cats and Pixie Bob kittens as being descended from "original Northwest lines". Since the breed originated in the Northwest, are descended from "original Northwest lines".
Pixie Bobs are solid, muscular cats with a heavy bone structure. They take three to four years to fully mature, and grow like large breed dogs in that they go through phases where some parts grow faster than others. Pixie Bob females average weight is 10 to 15 pounds, while Pixie Bob males tend to be larger at an average of 12 to 18 pounds. However, these are averages and some Pixie Bob cats - both male and female - can be larger or smaller.
The Pixie Bob has a double coat, can be either short-haired or long-haired, and is soft, silky, or both. Pixie Bobs can be grouped into two main color categories: warm tones and cool tones. Warm-toned Pixie Bob cats primarily have browns, golds, russets, and tans in their coats. Cool-toned Pixie Bob cats primarily have greys and black in their coats, with a completely black Pixie Bob being quite rare. Pixie Bob coat patterns range from spots to stripes, with or without rosettes. On occasion, a Pixie Bob can be one solid color, exhibit classic tabby marking, or even be marbled, and Pixie Bobs with rosettes tend to be less common. Pixie Bob coats always exhibit ticking in varying degrees. A ticked hair has different colored bands along its length. This can be as simple as two colors in two or three bands, or as complex as three or more colors in several bands. Naturally, some Pixie Bob cats exhibit more ticking than others, and on some Pixie Bobs the ticking is simply easier to see due to their coloration.
Pixie Bobs can have tails of various lengths, ranging from a riser tail of shorter than one inch all the way up to a full-length tail - or even no tail, at all! The Pixie Bob breed standard states the tail bone should be between two inches and hock length. Pixie Bob tails may have bends or kinks in them and may have a "hook" at the end of the tail. These traits are normal, do not impair the Pixie Bob cat in any way, but are not specifically bred for and cannot be predicted. Most Pixie Bobs' tails have a black tip, possibly preceded by black rings around the tail. We do not dock our Pixie Bob kittens' tails because we feel our Pixie Bobs' overall beauty is damaged by the loss of the black tip and any accompanying rings. Also, it is inhumane to our Pixie Bob kittens because kittens are born with their tails fully formed and, therefore, docking can result in the cat suffering from phantom tail all its life.
A Pixie Bob's face should be particularly wild-looking, similar to that of a Bobcat. The face should be wide, with big cheeks and chins. Pixie Bobs' eyes should be medium-sized, deep set, overarched by a strong, straight, pronounced brow ridge. Pixie Bob eye color should be either Gold or Gooseberry Green, with Gold preferred. Bobcat tips on the ears is a desired trait in Pixie Bobs. However, this trait may or may not change over the course of a Pixie Bob cat's life and this cannot be predicted. Therefore, this trait cannot be guaranteed like hair length, color, tail length, or polydactyly (discussed in the next paragraph).
Pixie Bobs may exhibit polydactyly (also called polydactylism). A straight-footed Pixie Bob has the normal number of toes, with five on the front feet and four on the back. A polydactyl Pixie Bob has more toes than usual. The front feet may have six or seven toes, with seven being the usual maximum. The back feet may have five to seven toes, with seven again being the usual maximum. Since polydactyly is such a dominant trait in Pixie Bobs, the Pixie Bob breed is the only breed not disqualified at shows for exhibiting the trait.
Pixie Bobs are intelligent and loyal cats with a dog-like devotion that makes them excellent companions and affectionate household pets. The Pixie Bob breed exhibits an unusually strong bond with their family and make excellent companions for children. These highly intelligent cats easily train to walk on a harness and quickly learn to play fetch and other games. Pixie Bobs tend to be quiet cats with an occasional chirp, growl, or other noise used to talk to their humans. Pixie Bob cats are very adaptable, love to travel, get along well with other pets, and are often referred to as "the dog of the cat world". The Pixie Bob temperament and personality will fast transfix you and you'll become deeply enchanted with this beautiful and agreeable breed. If a Pixie Bob sounds like the cat for you, be sure to check if we have Pixie Bob kittens for sale.
