ABOUT THE TOY-BOB

The Toy-Bob (or Skif-Thai-Toy-Don) is the product of a recessive dwarfish mutation. The breed originated in 1988 in the cattery of Elena Krasnichenko, a Thai Bobtail breeder from Rostov-on-Don in Russia. Presently, there are preliminary breed standards for the Toy-Bob only in WCF and FIFe.

We brought a pair of Toy-Bobs to the USA from Russia in 2004. Pashka America (pictured to the right) and Mikki (pictured below) are presently the only cats of this unique breed on the entire American continent and they live here at the Sacred Spirit Cattery.

In appearance, this breed closely resembles the Thai Cat (or Traditional Siamese), but is distinguished by its smaller size and naturally bobbed tail.

An adult Toy-Bob can weigh from 2 to 5 pounds. The body is compact and well muscled, with a short, strong neck. The head is not overly large and is rounded with a slight break between the forehead and muzzle. It has rounded cheekbones and a medium-short broad muzzle. The Toy-Bob has large, slightly bulging but surprisingly beautiful and entrancing, eyes of a blue color (any shade is permissible). The legs are proportional to the body and the tail consists of one or more vertebrae with an overall length from 1 to 3 inches. It can be in the form of a “bob”, a “miniature spiral”, a “brush” or a “pom-pom”. A long tail, or the absence of a bend, is considered to be a defect.

The coat is of middle stiffness, short, and well expressed with a thick undercoat. Presently, Toy-Bobs come in only one color, seal-point. But it is permissible for them to have white coloring on the tips of their feet, which gives them a little more “variety”.

It is possible to speak for hours about the disposition of a Toy-Bob because they are absolutely different from all other breeds of cat. It even takes a great effort to call them cats at all. It would be better to say that they are lemurs or small dogs. As its name implies, this cat is much like a toy. Once you take a Toy-Bob into your lap, it will lay there quietly until you are ready to move. They are remarkably trusting of people and are only slightly aggressive to cats with which they are not yet familiar. On seeing its human, a small Toy-Bob will run up, flop over on its back, and wait there patiently until you rub its belly.

Despite its small size, the Toy-Bob is practically fearless. They do not fear fire and are difficult to startle. You will always see them with their eyes opened in photographs since they do not dread the flash.

It is worth noting other “canine” peculiarities of these small cats. The Toy-Bob can easily be taught to perform simple commands, such as retrieving an item. The sound made by a kitten most closely resembles a bark. Adults are relatively quiet, but will usually announce to their humans that they are in the room.

It is also worth noting that the breed, because it originated in fairly severe climatic conditions, has an excellent immune system and is rarely ill. Potential breeders will want to know that the breeding male Toy-Bob is completely free of musk and does not spray to mark his territory.

Therefore, considering everything that we have written here (and even what has not been written), we of the Sacred Spirit Cattery can say, with a clear conscience, that the Toy-Bob is unique among all feline breeds.