The Mekong Bobtail is a lean 3.6-4.5 kg cat with a Siamese-family metabolism and two weak points worth building a calendar around: a tight Oriental jaw that collects tartar early, and airways that over-react. It also runs cold and loses weight fast when ill, so the monthly weigh-in is not optional bookkeeping.
The year at a glance
| Period | Coat and ears | Weight, breathing, vet |
|---|---|---|
| January-February | Rubber mitt weekly, 2 minutes; ears weekly | Monthly weigh-in; room at 21-24 C; heated bed in use |
| March-May | Weekly, plus a second pass in the spring moult | Annual check and dental look; brush teeth 3 times a week |
| June-August | Weekly; check ears for wax in humid weather | Dust-free litter; no plug-in air fresheners; water bowls refreshed twice daily |
| September-October | Weekly; nails every 3 weeks | Autumn weigh-in; count sleeping breaths monthly |
| November-December | Weekly; keep the bed off cold floors | Year-end weight; vaccine and parasite dates; scale teeth if tartar shows |
Coat and ears: two minutes, once a week
There is almost no undercoat to trap dead hair, so a two-minute pass with a rubber mitt once a week is the whole grooming routine; matting is not a problem this coat has. The spring moult in March and April is the only time it needs a second weekly pass. Bathing is rarely necessary; a cat that is greasy at the tail base needs a vet look at the skin before it needs shampoo.
Ears deserve more attention than the coat, because the sparse covering lets wax build up where you can see it. Wipe the folds weekly with cleaner on gauze. Brown discharge with a sour smell, or scratching at one ear for 3 days, is an otitis check rather than another wipe.
Weight: the monthly number that matters most
Adults sit at 3.6-4.5 kg (8-10 lb) with very little fat reserve, which is why illness shows on the scale before it shows in behaviour. Weigh monthly before breakfast and write it down; a 150 g drop in a cat this size is 4 percent of body weight and worth a call. Feed 50-65 g of dry or 115-140 g (4-5 oz) of wet a day, split into two or three meals, because one large meal produces begging and vomiting in equal measure.
Ribs should be easy to feel and the waist visible from above. If the coat starts to look dull and the spine feels sharp, that is a 48-hour check, not a wait for the next appointment.
Breathing: asthma is the breed's quiet risk
Oriental and Siamese-related lines are over-represented in feline asthma, and a chronic cough is not something to treat with an air freshener. Keep the litter low-dust and unscented, ban scented candles and plug-ins from the rooms the cat uses, and keep the cat away from smoke entirely. A cat that coughs after exertion or at night, or sits with its neck extended, needs a chest X-ray rather than a wait.
Count sleeping breaths monthly: under 30 a minute is normal. A resting rate of 40 or more, coughing more than once a day for a week, or any open-mouth breathing means a vet visit within 24 hours. Blue gums, gasping, or a cat that cannot settle flat is an emergency.
Teeth: the Oriental jaw problem
The jaw is narrow and the tooth row tight, so tartar builds along the upper molars by age two in many cats. Brush three times a week from 8 months with a finger brush, and book a professional scale every 12-24 months once tartar is visible at the gum line. Chews are not a substitute: they clean the tips, not the gum margin.
Red, swollen gums, metallic breath or dropping food means a dental appointment within a week. Drooling, pawing the mouth, or 24 hours without food is same-day, and the reasons are set out under dental disease.
Warmth, company, and vertical space
With so little fat, this cat feels cold at temperatures a heavier breed shrugs off. Keep the main room at 21-24 C, give it a heated bed at 35-38 C or a covered bed with a wool blanket, and keep beds off tiled floors and away from balcony doors in winter. It also wants company: a closed door is treated as an insult, and a cat shut out of the bedroom will yowl and scratch within minutes, not hours.
Exercise is high for its size. Two proper play sessions of 10-15 minutes, one of them fetch up and down a hallway, plus a vertical route from shelf to shelf at 1.2 m and 1.8 m. A bored Mekong Bobtail redesigns shelves and ambushes ankles at night. The basics are in indoor enrichment.
The heart check and the yearly plan
HCM is reported in Oriental-type lines, so a baseline echo at 12 months and a repeat every 12-18 months is sensible, with 6-month intervals once a murmur appears. Ask for both parents' reports. The annual visit should include a careful listen, a dental look, and a weight trend, not just a vaccine.
Mistakes that cost the most
- Free-feeding a cat that cannot afford to lose condition quietly.
- Using scented litter or plug-in fresheners in a breed prone to airway disease.
- Treating a weekly cough as hairballs for a month.
- Skipping the scale in a cat whose weight is its main health signal.
- Leaving the bed on a cold tiled floor in winter.
- Assuming small appetite means small calories and never measuring the food.
When to call the vet the same day
Coughing more than once a day for a week, resting breaths above 40, open-mouth breathing, blue gums, a 150 g weight drop with a dull coat, 24 hours without food, straining in the litter box, or gums that bleed on a soft brush. Any cat that stops grooming and hides under the bed for a day is telling you something.
This month: a baby scale, an unscented low-dust litter, a heated bed, a monthly breathing count written next to the weight, and a dental appointment booked for the 24-month mark.
Frequently asked
How do I tell asthma from a hairball in a Mekong Bobtail?
A hairball ends with a retch and a produced hairball, usually once every week or two. Asthma is a dry cough that repeats, often at night or after play, without bringing anything up, and the cat may sit with its neck stretched. Coughing more than once a day for a week needs a chest X-ray.
Why does my Mekong Bobtail feel cold all the time?
The breed carries very little body fat, so it loses heat faster than a heavier cat of the same size. Keep the main room at 21-24 C, offer a heat mat at 35-38 C or a covered bed, and keep beds off tiled floors. A cat that shivers or has cool ears should have its temperature checked.
How much should a Mekong Bobtail weigh?
Adults run 3.6-4.5 kg, or 8-10 lb, and the breed should look lean rather than padded. Weigh monthly before breakfast, because a 150 g loss is roughly 4 percent of body weight in this cat and shows up on the scale long before it shows in behaviour.