Toybobs are a miniature cat breed with a bobtail. The breed originates in Russia. They are newish in the West. According to Giselle, a visitor who introduced this cat breed to me, they range in weight from 2-5 pounds:
Hi, I currently own two “Toybobs”, they’re a rare imported breed of miniature bob tailed cats from Russia. They range from 2-5 pounds full-grown. My 1 1/2 year old is slightly under 4 pounds and my one year old is a little over four pounds. I attached a picture of my one year old. (Giselle).
The breed has in fact been around since 1988. It has been bred for at least 10 years by Helen Krasnitchenko of Rostov-on-Don, Russia. Sarah Hartwell says that the breeder originally gave away her kittens rather than selling them. Eventually the Toybob became a recognised breed. So it would appear to be fairly well-established in Russia but almost unknown in Europe and America.
The breed standard says that this cat, when adult, is the size of a 5-6 month old normal domestic kitten weighing from 2-5 pounds. The body is compact with good musculature. The bobtail can be curved or straight and either in the form of a brush, a mini-spiral or pom-pom. This is not a dwarf cat meaning that the legs are of normal length and in proportion to the body.
In fact, the overall appearance is of a balanced cat. Although the photos and video show a pointed cat, any coat type is allowed and the coat length is semi-longhaired or short. The eye color should be consistent with coat type (e.g. blue eyes for a pointed cat). The breed standard in terms of open-endedness is much like a number of well-established breeds in the West such as the American Curl. This information is according to a preliminary breed standard, which is subject to possible change although it may have been refined already.
The reason for this cat’s small size is genetic inheritance (recessive gene, apparently). The originating breeder selected small founding cats carrying this gene and bred them. There are very few Toybobs in the West — “6 Toybob kittens TICA in 2011” (toybob-kittens.dk). These were the first Toybobs.
They are very cute, aren’t they? And of course they have a very short fluffy pom-pom like tail which makes them even cuter. In addition, people do like small companion animals. There’s a big market for small companion animals. There are less imposing and they fit into the household scene better. They are less conspicuous. I understand all these reasons but all of them are about people and what they want and desire. We should also remember the feelings and desires of the cat.
Wow how Cute, Its great to see a different type breed that you dont usually see around. Love those colour of the eyes. I love the look of Annie too thats amazing.
I agree she looks small because of the comparison in size the bed side table and lamp but a hard comparison would help. I can guess that they are what I would call “small cats” basically. Perhaps the phrase “miniature” is a bit misleading because it implies very very small but they are not tiny like teacup cats are meant to be.
Annie is gorgeous cat. I wish we could get a better sense of her size, but the photos do have show great detail. Love the video as well.
My thanks to you Giselle for prompting me to do a page on Toybobs. I like your new photo too. Good photography.
Great article! I really would love to see the breed get more recognition. They’re truly special little cats and everyone should know about them lol. (Added another pic of Annie)