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Kurilian Bobtail

Breed Profile

(from http://www.usa-pride.us)

The Kurilian Bobtail is a natural breed which existed in isolation for approximately 100 to 150 years on a volcanic chain of islands strung between Russia and Japan known as the Kuril Islands.  This map shows a satellite image of the islands from WorldSat International, Inc.  These islands belong to both Russia and Japan but are mostly uninhabited.  The Links page has several websites with pictures of the islands.  In Russia there are several documents referring to cats with a short tail, which were brought home from the islands by the members of the military or scientists in the middle of the 20th century. The character of these cats made them very popular even without being promoted as a pedigreed cat. Although many people brought these cats home from the islands, there were no Russia cat clubs and therefore no breed standards to guide those who raised them.

The first cat exhibitions of the Kurilian Bobtail occurred in 1990 and many foreign experts were concerned that these Russian cats with a short tail were just a Japanese Bobtail of a heavier type. Even today, it cannot be said that the Kurilian Bobtail and the Japanese Bobtail have an entirely different genetic background. In fact, it is probable that the Kurilian Bobtail was the original source of mutation for the short tail in the Japanese. The difference is that the Japanese Bobtail is a created breed with a similar tail. However, the Kurilian are cats of the wild type with a wild origin. Russian Breeders have kept this distinction in the Kurilian, while others have created the elegant Japanese Bobtail.

In contrast, the genetics of the Manx is entirely different from the genetics of the Kurilian. The bobtailed gene has absolutely no harmful consequences such as the Manx gene and it has allowed these cats to exist in their natural environment and interbreed without intervention from man for centuries.

The Karelian Bobtail (though the name is similar) is also a separate mutation from either the Manx or the Kurilian. The Karelian Bobtail originated in the region of St. Petersburg, in the western regions of Russia. It has a recessive tail gene while the Kurilian Bobtail gene is dominant. If compared to other breeds, the features of the Karelian are more like the Norwegian Forest Cat while the Kurilian is closer in appearance to the Siberian population from the Far East.

Genetics and Breeding

For the Kurilian Bobtail there is no outcrossing to other breeds, only Kurilian to Kurilian is permitted. The existing population on the Kuril Islands is numerous enough to support the development of the breed without outcrossing as it is always possible to bring a new animal into a breeding program.

Temperament:

These cats have well-balanced character. Despite their wild look they are gentle, intellegent and enjoy human company. Kurilians used to be fisherman and hunters on their home islands and unlike other cats they like playing in water.