An American Bobtail is a 3.2-7.3 kg cat with a shaggy coat, a short tail, and four screens worth booking. The year splits cleanly: coat work is weekly except under the tail and behind the ears, weight work is monthly and starts the day the cat is neutered, and the screening calendar runs on three clocks because hip, heart and kidney problems appear at different ages.
The year at a glance
One table, six checkpoints. The tail column is not a joke: it is where mats and hygiene problems hide.
| Period | Coat and tail | Weight | Health task |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan-Feb | Weekly comb; check under the tail weekly | Monthly; neutered adults gain 10-15% in year one | Annual exam, dental check, murmur grade |
| Mar-Apr | Shed: comb twice weekly for 4 weeks | Every 2 weeks; cut 10% if rising | Echocardiogram if due; kidney values from age 3 |
| May-Jun | Bath every 2-3 months if greasy | Monthly; 4.5-6 kg is the working range | Flea and tick control; harness training restarts |
| Jul-Aug | Comb weekly; trim sanitary hair monthly | Monthly; heat cuts intake 10% | Hip check: watch the jump down from 1.5 m |
| Sep-Oct | Shed: twice weekly; ears and tail base | Every 2 weeks; the gain season | Dental scaling if tartar covers a third of a tooth |
| Nov-Dec | Weekly; bath before the heating season | Monthly; winter gain of 200-400 g is normal | Bloodwork yearly from 7; blood pressure from 9 |
Coat: shaggy, not long, and still a mat risk
The coat is double and shaggy, and the longhair version carries a ruff and britches. A weekly session with a metal comb, 10-15 minutes, holds it; the two places that mat are behind the ears and under the tail, where friction and moisture do the work. Comb the tail base every week even though the tail is short, because a mat there sits against skin that is rarely checked and becomes a hot spot fast.
The short tail also changes hygiene. A bobtail cannot lift a tail clear of the litter the way a full-tailed cat does, so check the underside after every stool for the first year, and trim the hair around the vent to 5 mm if anything sticks. A soft cloth and warm water handles a mess; wipes with fragrance cause contact dermatitis on this coat.
Bathe every 2-3 months only if the coat looks greasy, and dry to the skin. Spring and autumn each bring a 3-4 week shed: twice weekly combing then, and expect a hairball every 2-3 weeks. More than one hairball a week is a reason to add a lubricant paste, not another brush.
Weight: the neuter is the turning point
Adults run 3.2-7.3 kg, with males at the top. An average adult takes half to three-quarters of a cup of dry, or 5-6 oz of wet, each day, measured, and cut roughly 10% in the 8 weeks after neutering, because metabolic rate drops while appetite does not. Most of the breed's obesity starts in that window and is blamed on "calming down".
A neutered adult at 5 kg needs roughly 200-230 kcal a day; a large male at 7 kg, 260-290. Feed two meals and stop free-feeding. Weigh monthly on the same scale. Body condition target is 5 out of 9: ribs under a light layer, waist visible from above, and a clear tuck. A cat at 6 out of 9 should lose 1-2% of body weight per week, no faster, which for a 6 kg cat is 60-120 g a week.
Screening: hip, heart, kidney, three clocks
Hip dysplasia is reported in the breed and is screened by radiograph, usually at 12-24 months under light sedation for a cat intended for breeding. In a pet, the trigger is functional: a bunny-hopping gait, reluctance to jump down from a 1.5 m shelf, stiffness after sleeping, or lameness that lasts more than 48 hours. Any of those earns an X-ray rather than a course of painkillers.
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is screened by echocardiogram at 12-18 months, then every 12-18 months. A murmur of grade 3 or louder, or a resting respiratory rate above 30 breaths a minute on three consecutive checks, means an echo within two weeks; open-mouth breathing is an emergency. Polycystic kidney disease has a DNA test, so ask for both parents' results, and add a kidney ultrasound at 12 months with creatinine and SDMA from age three. Call the vet for drinking over 45 ml per kg per day, weight loss of 5% in three months, or creatinine above 1.6 mg/dL on a rising trend.
Exercise: a strong jumper needs somewhere to land
Give it two 15-minute wand sessions daily and a tall tree, and it will use every inch of it: it jumps from floor to 1.5 m without a warm-up and will climb door frames if nothing higher exists. Give it a 1.8 m tree with a platform big enough to lie flat on, and a window perch. A netted balcony or a daily harness walk does more for the hunting drive than any indoor toy.
Because the body is long and heavy, landings matter. Put the tree away from hard tile, add a rug under the main jump line, and do not encourage leaps from the top platform to a shelf. A cat that starts hesitating before a jump it managed last month is showing you something; that is the moment to book, not the moment to buy a ramp.
Six mistakes that catch owners out
- Free-feeding through the neuter, which adds 10-15% body weight in the first year.
- Skipping the tail base and behind the ears when combing.
- Using a litter box sized for a 4 kg cat; this breed needs 1.5 times its body length.
- Assuming a short tail means a spinal problem, and missing an actual hip problem.
- Letting the cat jump from height onto tile, then treating the limp as a sprain.
- Buying without PKD DNA results from both parents.
What to book, and when
- Weekly comb including tail base; twice weekly for 4 weeks each spring and autumn.
- Monthly weight from the day of neutering, with a 10% food cut in the first 8 weeks.
- Hip radiograph at 12-24 months if gait is odd; otherwise a functional check yearly.
- Echocardiogram at 12-18 months, then every 12-18 months; kidney ultrasound at 12 months.
- Dental check yearly; bloodwork with SDMA yearly from seven.
Frequently asked
How often should an American Bobtail be groomed?
Once a week with a metal comb for 10 to 15 minutes, twice a week for four weeks during the spring and autumn sheds, and the tail base needs attention every single week. That spot mats against skin nobody looks at, and a mat there turns into a hot spot quickly, so comb it before the back.
How much should I feed an American Bobtail after neutering?
Cut roughly 10 percent of the daily calories in the eight weeks after surgery, because metabolic rate falls while appetite stays. An average adult takes 1/2 to 3/4 cup dry or 5 to 6 oz wet a day, and a neutered 5 kg cat needs about 200 to 230 kcal, measured and split into two meals with no free-feeding.
What health problems should I watch for in a Bobtail?
Four: hip dysplasia, screened by radiograph if gait is odd or lameness passes 48 hours; hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, screened by echocardiogram from 12 to 18 months; polycystic kidney disease, which has a DNA test plus a kidney ultrasound at 12 months; and obesity, which usually starts in the weeks after neutering.