The mysterious Asian, Mekong bobtail - aristocrat of the cat’s world. Legends of ancient Siam depict cats of this breed decorated with jewels of Thai princesses. And, in contrast to princesses, Mekong kittens’ tails were decorated exclusively. However, it's not just legends coming down to us from the depths of centuries.
History of the origin:
First old-Siamese looking cats with a short broken tail were brought to Russia from the countries of South-West Asia and the Middle East (Al-Shah from Iraq, Conchitta from China Laos - from Laos, Rama - from Burma, Nyan - from Vietnam, Alsun - from Mongolia, Zbišek and Olesya - from Iran) by Russian diplomats. These animals and their descendants became the main breeding material in the work with this breed group, called Thai Bobtail.
Initially, feline experts considered Thai bobtails descendants of Thai cats (THA) with long incorrect tails, obtained as a result of closely related crossbreeding.
The first preliminary standard on Thai Bobtails (TVT) was developed by O.S. Mironova and approved at a seminar of experts felinologists WCF from Russia and the CIS on the native cat breeds of Russia in December 1994. The standard forbade the crossing of a Thai bobtail with a Thai cat, since the structure of the head, set of eyes, size and set of ears, the body format of these breeds were different.
In 1998, a revised Thai Bobtail standard was adopted at a meeting of a panel of expert felinologists (ICEF), also prohibiting interbreeding.
The club “Korgorushi”, Thai bobtails were seriously engaged in the mid-1990s. At first, it was difficult due to the lack of breeding material. Cats that had several tribes in the pedigree, had to knit on certified animals, and this did not always bring the desired result. But there was always a strict selection and control of animals allowed for breeding.
The number of Thai Bobtails in the club has sharply increased after the published article “In the footsteps of a living legend” in the magazine “Friend” in 1998 (authors - I. Shustrova and L. Esina). The most important thing - among those who responded to the article were the owners of Thai bobtails, who had a couple at home - a male and a female, which greatly expanded the possibilities of breeding. Simultaneously with the advent of new pedigree lines, control was tightened. Animals with fixed tails, tails that have less than 3 vertebrae, with a visible length of more than 1/4 of the body length and a “bob back” tail were not allowed to breed.
L.K. Yesina (http://ok.ru/video/7271941595) played a huge role in the invaluable contributory to the development of the Thai bobtail. Only such an enthusiastic and purposeful person could bring the started business to its logical end - the approval of the breed standard at the WCF General Assembly in August 2004. From that moment on, the breed became known as Mekong Bobtail (MBT). For reference: The Mekong is a river in Southeast Asia, which flows through the territory of many countries from which the first animals were taken, which became one of the founders of modern Mekong bobtails.
Renaming Thai Bobtail to Mekong is a conscious step that allows avoiding the association of the Thai cat and Mekong bobtail once and for all. Mekong bobtail is not a Thai cat with a short tail, but a separate independent breed.
Fifteen years have passed since the Mekong bobtail standard was approved. Currently, more than 600 Mekong bobtails are registered in the clubs of Russia, Belarus, Ukraine, Latvia, Poland, Germany, and the United States, including animals not only in seal point strength, but also seal tabby point, blue point, chocolate point , blue cream point, red tabby point, red point. Mekong bobtail is more convincingly proving its competitiveness. Representatives of this breed came out on Best, became its winners, and also won first places in the WCF ring.
Among Mekong bobtails are World Champions, World Champions candidates, European and International Champions.
As breeders of Mekong bobtails, we would love to preserve the natural purity of these magnificent animals so that the years spent on the formation of the breed are not in vain. (T. Tereshina, President RFOO "Korgorushi", WCF Expert (SH, SOSH), from the ‘Cat magazine.info”, № 12 (62) 2009)
Description of Mekong bobtail breed:
Graceful Eastern beauty emits wisdom and peace of mind. These animals are amazingly beautiful and a great example of that. Some felines can boast their Roman nose. Their little slanting eyes are always bright blue. Upper eyelid - almond-shaped, the lower eyelid - rounded. Dimensions of representatives of this breed are usually average.The weight of these cats is small, an average of about 5.5 lb. to 9 lb. They have a unique character, inherent only to Mekong’s – their rear legs’ claws are not hidden inside, so when they are walking these elegant cats make a little “clink” sound. Special attention is worthy of a Mekong bobtail’s tail. Mekong bobtails are remembered primarily by an unusual tail. Unlike their brethren, these cats are decorated with a neat little tail, similar to a fluffy pompom. And in nature, there are no two identical tails - each one is unique, like fingerprints. Another legend, reports that the progenitors of this breed often converged in unequal battles with poisonous snakes inhabiting the Ancient Siam. Thanks to much sparring, the Mekong bobtail has an original body structure - the skin of the cats is loosely attached to the muscles. In earlier times it prevented the penetration of snake venom, and in our time it allows you to grab the pet at any point without any harm to it! The fur of a Mekong bobtail is smooth, shiny, short and almost without an undercoat.
A smooth-haired cat belongs to a group of color-points
All colors are officially recognized, except for white. The limbs, tail and muzzle, of course, are of a darker color. Modern breeders are working on the development of new colors. For example, the priority is to breed cats with lilac, gold and cream wool color-points.
The most traditional are the following color-points:
- Seal point - the most famous traditional color for such pets, is a cream color of the main coat in combination with black points.
- Blue Point - light wool color with blue points.
- Flame - previously quite a rare color, but now gaining popularity. The main coat is a delicate cream shade, and the paws, tail, ears and face are brick colored.
- Turtle color-(can only occur in females).
- Chocolate color - light wool color that is supplemented with chocolate points. The eyes of such cats are often lilac.
- Tabby (black, red, etc.) - a variety of color variations.
Personality:
The sociable nature of these animals is bound to be a joy for the owner. These cats are cheerful and friendly, getting along with all family members. This is a vivid example of close friendly relations and mutual understanding between man and animal. They do not like being alone. Therefore, they are intended for those owners who will be able to give the pet enough attention and not leave it for long periods, like leaving for business trips. Mekong bobtails are protectors by nature. They will protect you and their property.
Brave and inclined to learn, they are animals that behave more like dogs. Mekong’s love to play, and will gladly learn to “bring the ball” and perform other simple commands. In addition, these pets are better than others when walking with a harness (conventional leashes for cats are not recommended). The talkativeness of the Mekong is not obtrusive. It will not persistently ask for anything, annoying the owner. Instead, such a cat will gaze at you with its sapphire eyes, occasionally making an unusually expressive sound. Mekong’s don’t scratch people. If they do not like someone's attention, they will bite rather than attack with claws. However, the peaceful nature of this cat does not allow it to cause harm to man. In addition, this breed is very inquisitive. They try to accompany the owner everywhere and follow them literally on their heels. Unlike all other cats, the Mekong’s look a person in the eye and they will not be the first one to look away. Thanks to their curiosity and devotion, the Mekong’s received the nickname of "dogs in the cat's world", which fully justifies their character.
Parenting of this breed, is most often dealt with by the father, which is not characteristic of the animal world. It is the father who teaches the cubs the wisdoms of the cat's life, shows them how to use the scribe, teaches them to hunt and accustoms them to adult food. Genetic diseases for this breed have not been noticed. On the contrary, everyone agrees that the Mekong’s are a very healthy breed. The life span of the Mekong Bobtail is 20-25 years.
