The Pixie-bob is a large, wild-looking cat with a bobbed tail and a deeply devoted, dog-like loyalty to its family.
How the Pixie-bob coat is built, and what that means when you groom it.
Critical: A Pixie-bob should not be shaved.
The undercoat keeps heat out as well as in, and the outer coat shields the skin from sun and insect bites. Clipping the whole coat off removes both. It often grows back patchy, soft or a different colour, and in some animals the guard hairs never return properly. Brush the undercoat out instead of cutting it off.
The Pixie-bob is a large American cat with a bobcat-like look and a calm, deeply loyal nature that many owners liken to a dog.
The Pixie-bob is a large domestic cat bred to look like the North American bobcat while holding on to an easy house-cat nature. Adults commonly range from 3.6 to 7.7 kg, and toms sit at the heavier end. The breed carries a muscular frame, a short bobbed tail, and heavy bones that give it a rugged shape.
Behind the wild looks sits a calm cat that wants to be near its people. Owners often call it devoted, and it tends to attach to one household rather than keep its distance. Plenty of these cats trail their owners from room to room, settle in the car without fuss, and take to a harness.
The coat runs short to medium and usually shows a brown spotted tabby pattern. Extra toes, known as polydactyly, are allowed in the breed, which sets it apart from most pedigreed cats.
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | United States |
| Size | Large (3.6 to 7.7 kg) |
| Lifespan | 13 to 16 years |
| Group/role | Companion cat |
| Good with | Families, children, other pets when socialised |
The Pixie-bob works for a home that wants a hands-on, affectionate cat and can spare it daily attention. Its social streak makes it a poor match for houses where it would be left on its own for hours on end. Families with children and other settled pets usually get on well with the breed, and so do owners who enjoy training and lead walks.
The Pixie-bob was developed in the United States during the 1980s from spotted, short-tailed cats, and it took its name from a foundation queen called Pixie.
The breed goes back to the Pacific Northwest of the United States in the mid-1980s. Carol Ann Brewer, a breeder in Washington State, took in short-tailed spotted cats from the area and set out to fix their wild look in a domestic line.
A female kitten from that early work, named Pixie, became the foundation cat that gave the breed its name. Brewer paired Pixie with similar local cats to settle a steady type: a heavy build, a spotted brown coat, and a short tail.
The International Cat Association (TICA) took the Pixie-bob on for registration in 1994 and later granted it championship status. Early sales talk claimed bobcat blood, yet DNA work has turned up no wild bobcat genes, and the breed counts as fully domestic.
The Pixie-bob is still fairly scarce. Breeding sits mostly in North America, with smaller numbers in Europe and elsewhere.
The Pixie-bob is a large, heavy-boned cat with a short bobbed tail, a brown spotted tabby coat, and a look modelled on the wild bobcat.
The Pixie-bob carries a solid, muscular body with a broad chest and long back legs that produce a slightly rolling walk. The head takes the shape of an inverted pear, with full heavy cheeks and a strong brow. Many cats show lynx-like tufts at the ear tips. The tail is short, usually 5 to 10 cm, though the odd cat has a longer or shorter one.
| Trait | Standard |
|---|---|
| Height | Around 25 to 30 cm at the shoulder |
| Weight | 3.6 to 7.7 kg |
| Coat | Short or medium, dense, with a woolly feel |
| Colours | Brown spotted tabby in shades of fawn to reddish brown |
| Eyes | Gold, brown, or gooseberry green; heavy hooded brow |
The accepted colour is brown spotted tabby, running from pale fawn through tawny to a deep reddish brown, with small to medium spots scattered across the body. A light or white belly and ticked guard hairs turn up often. The standard allows a short coat and a medium woolly coat alike. Polydactyl feet, carrying up to seven toes, are permitted and count nothing against the cat in the show ring.
The Pixie-bob is calm, devoted, and clever, with dog-like loyalty that keeps it hands-on with the family while staying gentle around children and pets.
The Pixie-bob sits among the more dog-like cat breeds in the way it behaves. It bonds hard with its household and tends to pick a favourite person to shadow. Many learn to fetch, answer to their name, and walk on a harness.
Around the family the breed is affectionate and even-tempered. It puts up with respectful children and generally gets on with cat-friendly dogs and other cats, above all when they meet early. With strangers it stays reserved rather than scared, warming up in its own time.
This is a quiet cat. Rather than meow, many Pixie-bobs chirp, chitter, or give a soft growl, and some barely make a sound. That low-noise habit suits flats and shared living spaces.
| Trait | Rating |
|---|---|
| Affection | 5 |
| Energy | 3 |
| Trainability | 4 |
| Vocalness | 2 |
| Shedding | 3 |
The Pixie-bob needs a weekly brush, moderate daily play, and steady human company, with a low grooming load on short coats and a bit more on the woolly medium coat.
The Pixie-bob settles into houses and flats alike, so long as it has company and height to climb. It fares badly when left alone for long stretches and often does better with a second, compatible pet. Keep it indoors or limit outdoor time to a secure run, which guards it from traffic and theft.
Feed the Pixie-bob a complete, protein-forward cat diet portioned to its large frame, split across two meals, with careful weight control to fend off obesity.
The Pixie-bob is an obligate carnivore and does best on a complete diet built around animal protein. Because the breed is large and muscular, feed to body condition rather than a set cup measure. Keep fresh water on hand at all times, and lean on wet food to help with hydration.
| Life stage | Amount per day | Meals |
|---|---|---|
| Kitten (to 12 months) | Free-fed or 3 to 4 measured portions | 3 to 4 |
| Adult (1 to 7 years) | About 250 to 320 kcal, adjusted to weight | 2 |
| Senior (7+ years) | Slightly reduced calories, watch weight | 2 |
Hold treats under 10 percent of daily calories and lean towards single-ingredient meat treats. A balanced commercial diet rarely needs anything added, so bring in omega-3 or joint support only on veterinary advice. Cut portions back if the cat puts on weight, since a large frame can mask creeping obesity.
The Pixie-bob is generally healthy and lives 13 to 16 years, and sensible heart and dental screening plus care of polydactyl paws support a long life.
The Pixie-bob is a hardy breed with a usual lifespan of 13 to 16 years. The gene pool runs small, so good breeders screen their breeding cats and keep records of any inherited faults. Routine veterinary care, weight control, and dental hygiene do most of the work in a long, healthy life.
| Condition | Signs | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Dental disease | Bad breath, drooling, eating less | Common in cats; head it off with brushing and cleanings |
| Obesity | Weight gain, low activity | Portion control and play keep it away |
| Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy | Lethargy, fast breathing, fainting | Heart screening advised in breeding lines |
| Polydactyl nail issues | Ingrown or curled spare nails | Check and trim extra toes on a regular basis |
The Pixie-bob is clever and willing, so it takes well to reward-based training for tricks, recall, harness walking, and everyday household manners.
The Pixie-bob ranks near the top of the trainable cat breeds. Its brains and its wish to stay close to people leave it open to short, upbeat sessions. Many owners teach fetch, sit, recall, and harness walking. Keep sessions short, a few minutes each, and stop while the cat still wants more.
Pixie-bobs mature slowly and have small litters, and the limited gene pool means breeding belongs with registered programmes that health-screen their cats.
Pixie-bobs come into sexual maturity later than many cats, often around 9 to 12 months, and some lines keep filling out over two to three years. Queens tend to have small litters of two to four kittens. Mothers are usually attentive, and kittens stay with the litter until at least 12 to 14 weeks before they head to new homes.
With such a narrow gene pool, breeding is best left to registered breeders who screen for heart disease, track polydactyly, and steer clear of close inbreeding. Kittens want early socialisation with people and household noise to hold on to the breed's confident, devoted nature. Buyers should look for health records, registration papers, and a written health guarantee from a responsible breeder.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Sexual maturity | About 9 to 12 months |
| Average litter size | 2 to 4 kittens |
| Gestation | Around 63 to 67 days |
| Weaning age | About 8 weeks |
| Recommended rehoming age | 12 to 14 weeks |
Cats sit outside the National Dog Database, so a free United Pet Club record is what stands behind your Pixie-bob's chip.
With no national database covering cats, the record behind your Pixie-bob's chip is entirely yours to provide. A free United Pet Club profile does it: your number, her photo, her details, one scan away. Registering your cat is free for life and done in minutes.
Pop the fifteen digit number from the vet paperwork into your free United Pet Club account, check your phone number is current, and your Pixie-bob's chip finally points somewhere. Every brand is accepted, every update free, and the record answers scans at any hour. Microchip registration is the link in the middle.
It's a matter of creating a free United Pet Club account, adding her name, colouring, and a photo, and saving. The record is free for her whole life, indoors or out.
Adding the fifteen digit number to your free account with your current details is the whole job. The lifetime plan never charges for the record or its updates, whatever the chip brand.
There's no national requirement the way the dog database works, though some councils encourage it and shelters chip on rehoming. Requirement or not, a registered chip is what turns a found Pixie-bob into a phone call.
Nothing at all. Profile, chip registration, and every later update are free under the lifetime plan.
Common questions about the Pixie-bob cover its size, temperament, care needs, lifespan, suitability for families, and how easily you can find one.
The Pixie-bob is a large cat. Most weigh between 3.6 and 7.7 kg, with toms heavier than queens, and some take two to three years to reach full size.
It is calm, devoted, and clever, with a dog-like loyalty to its family. The breed stays quiet, often chirping rather than meowing, and tends to follow its favourite person around the house.
No. Short coats need a weekly brush, and the woolly medium coat needs a few brushings a week. The real needs are daily play and steady company, since the breed hates being left alone for long.
A typical Pixie-bob lives 13 to 16 years. Routine veterinary care, dental hygiene, and weight control help it reach the top of that range.
Yes, on the whole. They are patient with respectful children and usually get on with cat-friendly dogs and other cats, above all when the introductions come early.
Despite the early claims, DNA studies have turned up no bobcat ancestry. The breed counts as fully domestic, bred to look like a bobcat rather than descend from one.
The breed is fairly uncommon. Most breeders sit in North America, with smaller numbers elsewhere, so expect a waitlist and buy only from registered breeders who health-screen their cats.
