The Clouded Jack Cat is an experimental cat breed that was accepted or registered with The International Cat Association (TICA) in 2015. It is a three-way hybrid being a cross between the Savannah, Bengal and PixeBob. The first two are wildcat hybrids and the third is a standard domestic cat with a short tail created by selective breeding.
The thing about the Clouded Jack is that it is an incredibly rare breed of cat. I had never heard of it until the recent news media story of a suspected bobcat which caused a school in Scranton, Pennsylvania to close.
The students were sent home out of an abundance of caution as they believed a bobcat was roaming around the school. Note: bobcats are frightened of people. They normally disappear and don’t attack. I suppose if cornered and defensively aggressive they could harm a child. But it would have been very unusual for a genuinely wild bobcat to be in the school. Too many people. Too much human noise.
The Clouded Jack cat is a pet and he was trapped and taken to an animal shelter where he was found to have a microchip. Their name is Kashi. He had been missing from his home for three months. He was reunited with his owner.
Game Warden Jon Bowman said that the Clouded Jack “looks identical, [has] the colors of a bobcat, [and] it’s missing a tail. So, it’s erring on the side of caution, we want to make sure all the students are safe and the staff are safe.”
The PixieBob is meant to look like a bobcat and some people ask if it is a domestic cat x bobcat cross. It is not. It is entirely domestic. It is a simulated bobcat! This is one reason why the Jack Cat resembles the America bobcat.
Note: My thanks to Sarah Hartwell of messybeast.com for the information about this breed. There is a dearth of information about the breed.
SOME MORE PAGES ON THE BOBCAT:
What a beautiful cat. I recently read the story about the cat that roamed the school. I’m so happy he was reunited with his family. I can’t imagine the fear and sadness when losing a pet cat. Microchips are so important.
Thanks for visiting and sharing your thoughts, Erica.