The Karelian Bobtail is a breed of

cat The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...

that originated in the Lake Ladoga region of the Republic of Karelia,

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

History

The breed was first recognised by the

World Cat Federation The World Cat Federation (WCF) is an international association of cat clubs. It was founded in 1988 in the city of Rio de Janeiro, and continues to have a strong presence in Latin America, Western Europe, and in countries of the former USSR. It ...

in 1994.

Characteristics

Karelian Bobtails can be either short-haired or long-haired. The tail varies from 4 to 13 cm in length, and has longer hair than that of the body. Unlike similar breeds such as the

Kurilian Bobtail The Kurilian Bobtail is a cat breed (or breed group, depending on registry) originating from the (disputed) Russian Kuril Islands, as well as Sakhalin Island and the Kamchatka peninsula of Russia. Short- or long-haired, it has a semi-cobby b ...

, the bobbed tail is

recessive In genetics, dominance is the phenomenon of one variant (allele) of a gene on a chromosome masking or overriding the effect of a different variant of the same gene on the other copy of the chromosome. The first variant is termed dominant and t ...

. All colours except cinnamon, chocolate, fawn and lilac are acceptable; all patterns are acceptable also except for colorpointing. The Karelian Bobtail has a soft undercoat and a glossy and thick top coat.

References

Cat breeds originating in Russia Cat breeds {{felid-stub