Black Cat Short Tail Great Picture!

Unusual title but the usual high quality from Helmi Flick. The cat’s name is ‘Stubby’. You can see why! Don’t think that Stubby is a Manx or Pixie-bob because he is not. In fact I think he is a random bred cat with a short tail. Why a short tail? No idea. He might have lost a bit in an accident or been born with it. Short tailed cats are not uncommon in certain parts of the world (Asia for example).

I have not plastered a watermark over this image because it would spoil it and in any case people who abuse copyright are looking for cat breed photos and Stubby is not a part of a cat breed. OK.

Black cats are actually brown. You can see that in the picture on this page. You can see the brown melanin pigmentation when sun shines through the individual ‘black’ hair strands.

Stubby is relaxed in front of the camera and stretching. You can see his claws are out to grab the ground. This is a similar position to the one my cat makes when I stroke his back. It is a kitten response asking mother to lick his bottom! True. When kittens are very young their mother licks their bottoms to stimulate defecation to get things going. As we look after the domestic cat they think they are kittens.

I wonder how a cat feels without his tail? If he lost it he may have a problem initially. Tails are a useful appendage. In the wild cat species you will see a wide range of tail lengths and the longest and thickest are seen on the tree dwellers and rock climbers. The tails of the clouded leopard and snow leopard are like a long piece of thick rope. They are used to keep balance in high places.

I have a page on the genetics behind black cats and we know how maligned black cats can be because of the superstition surrounding them. Shame that. Black cats are the last to be adopted. If you are an old black cat life is harder but healthier..the genes that make the cat black seem to have a positive effect on health.