By Lili Soeprapto (Netherlands) (28th Oct 2015)
Hello Michael. Here a little little story from the Netherlands. My man and myself always had cats. Our beloved ‘guys’ died last year from old age and we were heartbroken. After a while I gave my husband a kitten (Suki) for his birthday and he was over the moon with her.
Suki is a very sweet girl and after a couple of months we decided to get her a little brother to play with. And Bima came into our lives. And Bima is a ringtail.
We never heard of a breed with curly tails nor did we ever see a cat like that. I do not know if his parents are from California so for all I know Bima is a Dutch ringtail.
He is 6 months old now and very sweet and talkative and always within reach. He likes to play with Suki and they love each other but Bima loves to play with us. He is strong and athletic and he loves to play with water. A very special boy! 🙂
By Michael
The American Ringtail cat is a rare cat breed that some of us have heard about. It is an American creation and not yet established. However, there is no reason why this genetic anomaly cannot surface in the Netherlands. Therefore I have called this post “Dutch Ringtail Cat” which is exactly what Bima is unless for some reason he was shipped from America where he was bred. This is highly unlikely. It is much more likely that the genetic mutation took place in the Netherlands and so here we have an excellent example of this cat. Thanks Lili for sharing.
As you know Bima is a classic (blotched) tabby cat. His ringtail is very pronounced as as good as the American, bred version.
P.S. Americans come forward occassionally and show off their ringtail cat. These are often not registered ringtails. They are random bred cats carrying the genes which make the tail curl over. You can see their cats on this page (comments section).
Hello, I’m also from the Netherlands and my kitten who is now 9 weeks old also is a Ringtail! There’s no way he has any connection to the US, so it’s nice to see other Dutch Ringtails! Mine is also a grey tabby, born in Zierikzee.
Dear Michael,
Hi to you, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.
The Dutch Ringtail Feline, is absolutely “drop-dead” gorgeous.
I live near Sydney, but my family and I come from The Netherlands, and this is the very first time that we have come across this beauty.
If you can, please tell me about their nature and disposition?
I truly hope that you enjoy, the rest of the week.
Kindest Regards,
Cecilia
Hi Cecilia. The Dutch Ringtail and American Ringtail are rare purbred cats. They are based on (selectively bred from) random bred cats. I would seriously expect their characters to be fine and pleasant like any well socialised cat. The good thing about buying a purebred cat is that the breeder will ensure that her cats are well socialised to people and I’d hope other animals to ensure they have pleasant personalities and get on with people confidently. The only sure fire way to be certain that the cat you want to adopt has a good disposition and warms to you is to meet them before adoption. That said and as mentioned a good breeder will make sure their character is good.
Cynthia Berry, I rescued to American Ringtail Females from a friend in 2014. I could find no info on Singaling Cattery and the Registering of American Ringtail Cats. I did read that they had trouble getting females in the litters.
I have been breeding them with other breeds, Siamese and others. I now have one Queen and a male that I breed with and they are Flame Point, Tabby Tortie, Tortie Kittens. They have long, medium and and short Hair. I am on my 5th year and mine do not have curly kinky tails, but they do start curling in C or S curves and have all the breed chacteristics and trill, are loyal and so on. I am hooked and so love this breed but it is not registered.
Thanks Shelley for sharing your experience.
Hello,
I am seeking to adopt an American Ringtail cat kitten. After an extensive search, and a couple of false leads, there is no one known in the US breeding them. I have found one breeder in Australia and one breeder in Canada. Do you know of anyone in Europe. Specifically, I am seeking to adopt a black female Ringtail kitten. I had 9 wonderful years with my cat but sadly, she died of cancer earlier this year.
Thank you for posting about your cat. Any suggestions are appreciated. Cindy Berry
Thank you for commenting. I was going to advise you to contact the breeders of the American Ringtail cat and ask them for advice because it would have been likely that they know other breeders. However, their website no longer exists which tells me that they have stopped breeding. My impression is that this breed has failed to take off and has floundered. It does not surprise me that you have struggled to find a breeder. Sadly, I am unable to help you. I wish it could have been different. I wish you the best for the future.