Pixiebob CAT PROFILE (on CatChannel.com)

Pixiebob Personality and Persistence
By Theresa Meyers
Sharleen Horne searched for the source of the eerie sound. A baby raccoon apparently had found its way inside, and now its distressed cry echoed through the house. Horne rounded a corner and came upon the true source of the noise: her Pixiebob, Curly. The 4-year-old cat stared at her and then, with golden eyes half shut, made the noise again.

"I'm always surprised at the sounds they'll make," says Horne, owner of ExpresivePixie Cattery, in Marysville, Wash., and breed chairperson for The International Cat Association. "They don't meow. Instead, they chirp and chatter; but mimicking a baby raccoon was a new sound even I hadn't heard."

Pixiebobs or, as some call them, "Pixie-Bobs," constantly surprise. The breed's wild bobcat looks belie a loving, playful, devoted nature. The heavy-hooded eyes, spotted coat and short tail draw attention-people sit up and take notice, but the incredibly dog-like personality keeps people hooked.
That combination attracted Tonya Butler, owner of WhistlinPixie Cattery in Phoenix, Ariz., and vice president of the International Pixiebob Society. "I love the wild look, but I had to have a breed that would work with my young children," Butler says. "As far as temperament, with kids this is the most phenomenal cat for a family."

Legendary Beginnings
The Pixiebob bears a remarkable resemblance to the Pacific Northwest coastal red bobcat. "At first when these cats came to me, I didn't believe the stories of matings between wild bobcats and barn cats," says Carol Ann Brewer, breed founder and owner of Stone Island cattery in Bellingham, Wash. "When I had babies, I had to accept it. Their appearance brought back to me that this was something people had been talking about for hundreds of years."

In the 1980s, Brewer acquired cats she believed resulted from unplanned matings of bobcats and barn cats. Because she had no proof of this, she called them Legend Cats. Two of them produced a kitten that Brewer named Pixie.

"She had such a wild beauty that I knew I couldn't stand not having her face around for the rest of my life," Brewer says. Brewer selected three other Legend Cats from local sources and set out to create a breed based on Pixie as its standard. TICA granted the Pixiebob experimental status in 1994. A founding board consisting of Brewer, Bernida Flynn, Gail Chaney and Pam Richcreek further developed and promoted the breed, leading to its acceptance into the New Breed and Color category in 1995 and Championship in May 1998. Because DNA testing has not revealed any wildcat genetic markers, TICA classifies the Pixiebob as a domestic cat, not a hybrid

Natural Beauty
Although the Pixiebob's bobcat ancestry remains unproved, the breed standard explicitly calls for a wild look. This cat peers at you through hooded, deep-set eyes with bushy brows. The head has an inverted pear-shape with prominent whisker pads, a fleshy chin and a broad nose.

Adult males can weigh 12 to 22 pounds, while females weigh 8 to 12 pounds. Their prominent shoulder blades produce a rolling gait. Deep, powerful flanks, a well-developed chest, a naturally short tail, a primordial belly pouch and brown spotted tabby coat with a mousy-gray undercoat all contribute to their wild appearance. Unlike with any other breed, the TICA standard allows for polydactyl cats with up to seven toes per foot.

Like wild bobcats, Pixiebobs can change color with the seasons. Their coats can vary from warm tones with distinct markings in the summer to a muted, grayish cast with tipping that gives the impression of a dusting of snow in the winter. "I've had people come over in different seasons who didn't believe it was the same cat," says Gail Chaney, owner of NativeSon Cattery in Roy, Wash., and a member of the TICA Pixiebob Breed Committee. While Pixiebobs don't normally shed much, their winter frost-tipped guard hairs tend to shed in spring, Horne says.

The breed has long and shorthaired varieties. Shorthairs have a woolly coat, resilient to the touch and waterproof. Longhairs have silky coats with a "mutton chop" look on the cheeks. Both require little, if any, grooming.

Pet-quality kittens might have classic or marble rather than spotted tabby markings, or their coats may be too dark. Causes for disqualification in the show ring also include docked tails, excessively long hair or fine boning, according to Heather Johnston, owner of Mystic Pixies Cattery in Orlando, Fla., and secretary of the International Pixie-Bob Society.

While it has no known health problems, the breed is extremely sensitive to vaccines, Brewer says. Chaney recommends feeding meat in addition to commercial food to provide the nutrition these cats need to grow to their full size.

Dog in Wildcat's Clothes
The Pixiebob personality resembles that of a family dog. Pixiebobs even wag their tails when they play, Johnston says. They develop strong bonds and may require more time and attention than the average cat. While open and warm with their family, they behave cautiously around strangers and sometimes go into hiding.

Many will play fetch without training, take well to a leash, love to travel in the car, enjoy playing in water and get along well with children, Butler says.

With their wild looks and dog-like personalities, Horne says this cat can convince dog lovers the value of felines. "If you come up against a person who's had dogs all their life, this is the cat for them," Horne says.