Pixie Bobs are quite a new and less popular breed due to their non-acceptance into well known cat associations like the U.K. based GCCF, or FiFe which currently spread through Europe, Asia and South America. Due to their lack of acceptance towards the breed, it remained somewhat in the shadows of famous breeds like the Maine Coon, Ragdoll, British Shorthair and so on.
It is a shame as the Pixie Bob is truly a unique, beautiful and loving cat! I would like to share the wonderful features of this amazing feline with you.
1. Unique, wild look
Pixie Bobs are very muscular (and tend to be a bit fatty too š) with a heavy bone structure. They seem to have shorter front legs than back legs so their body is slit downward, making them look like a sneaking predator about to pounce. This wild characteristic is intensified by their lynxed ear tips and longer facial hair that look like a manās mutton chop sideburns. Their eyes which can either be gooseberry green, or golden brown have a flat top eyelid. Their spotted tabby coat comes in either short hair or semi-longhair. Both hair lengths are recognised by the American TICA cat association.
When a Pixie Bob walks towards you, you can truly feel their resemblance to the wild bobcat, which some claims, they descend from. Their elegance and wild look is incredibly stunning every time. Only if they wouldnāt have such funny voice and lovely nature, I might even get worried! š
2. Polydactyl feet a.k.a extra toes
One of the first things my friends notice when they come over is Onyxās feet. āOmg, heās got such big hands!ā, āWow, he has paws like a tiger!ā, and so on.
The reason behind this is that Onyx as well as Pixie Bobs are commonly polydactyl cats which means that they have a couple extra digits on their feet. A ānormalā cat has 4 toes on each back leg and 5 toes on each front leg, so 18 in total. Pixie Bobs are āallowedā, (by TICA for showing), to have 7 toes tops on each leg.
Onyx has 6 on the front and 5 on the back legs so 22 little toes in total. I just love them. š On his front paws, his extra digit is like a thumb which has its own little squishy paw. Itās adorable! I am so obsessed with them, I constantly rub them and he just loves it. Nothing better than a frontal and rear feet massage. Imagine, having 4 feet. <3 You should see his face...like being in a spa...or a brothel. š
3. Different tail lengths
Pixie Bobs come in all sorts of tail lengths but their most common and officially accepted tail length is 2 inches which is considered a bobtail, hence the name of the breed. However bobtails are the most common with the Pixie Bob, they also come in all varieties of lengths. Some have very very short tails while some have full length tails like my Onyx.
I could swear his tail is even longer than any other catās tail Iāve ever encountered. Hmmm...not like I encounter too many cat tails but you know what I mean. He loves his tail, man! He even talks to it I think. There is never answer from the tail so he gets fed up he just bites it. But the tail is very cautious! When he pounces, the tail jumps away. Again, and again. And this goes on until Onyx is worn out and the tail wins.
4. Pixie Bob language
Speaking of speaking! Heās got the funniest language there is in the cat world...right after Savannahs. Although they are half Servals so they arenāt included in this competition. So have you ever heard a cat asking questions? I mean, like proper question marks. Have you ever heard a cat wandering around the house and talking to himself? Maybe singing? If you havenāt, you should definitely meet a Pixie Bob. I could swear they have their own language.
They have such wide repertoire of sounds, from short bleat-like sounds, to proper loud meows.
Please listen to the video above for a demonstration. š
5. Your new shadow
When Onyx first arrived he was a nervous for a week but not about the new place, but the new people. I was so worried that he wouldnāt be a friendly lap cat but soon he became my shadow. We go everywhere together. We do everything together. It can get tricky though when you prefer your cat to stay out of your business for once, but I guess you just have to deal with it. Itās either do it with the Pixie Bob, or listen to his heart-breaking crying until you let him in or up the table.
We go to sleep and wake up every day together. We have our daily routine. Sleeping time is around 11pm so if I donāt call the kittens upstairs, they call me. Thereās always someone waiting up the stairs around 11pm. The difference is that if they are busy doing something else, I can just pick them up but they canāt do the same. š Itās a little unfair but at least I can stay up and play games on my PC and they just lay down behind me on the sofa until I take them upstairs. Just like little babies, they wouldnāt even care being moved a whole floor. They just keep sleeping.
I usually wake up around 7am every day. No alarm just my biological Pixie Bob clock. Heās such a sweetheart. If I donāt wake up by myself, he makes sure to purr extra loudly on my chest but mainly on my bladder. It usually works! In case it doesnāt work, I get tiny nose nibbles which I am sure he considers as kisses, nothing else. That one always works! Although, he wakes me up so he can lay down in my arm and get some belly rubs. This is how we do another 30 minutes napping after the Pixie alarm goes off.
Pixie Bobs are very loyal to their chosen owner(s) and their trusted friends. Once they start to like someone, it is very hard to make them unlike you. Although they are still felines so I wouldnāt test their trust. Just like with all cats, Pixie Bobs cannot be disciplined. The relationship is built on mutual trust and not fear. If your cat does something you donāt like, donāt punish him.
Understand him, figure out what he wants and give it to him in a way that he wonāt do what you donāt like anymore. For example, your cat walks through your keyboard. Donāt shoo him, donāt yell at him or hurt him. He wonāt understand. He will just think you are a cunt. (Excuse my French.) Move your keyboard and leave some space for the cat to walk on your desk. If he finds the best and most comfortable position right in front of your screen, just pick him up and put him down. If needed, do it 20 times after each other. He will stop coming up. Or even better, pick him up and put him on your lap. They will appreciate it so much more.
6. Belly rubs please!
This is definitely one of the most common Pixie Bob treat that I see on social media. They look at you, make some funny Pixie noise and throw themselves waiting for the well deserved belly rubs! And the best thing is, you can actually rub it without being scared of getting some random scratchy attacks. I canāt recall one time when Onyx scratched me or attacked me on purpose. Not even for warning. In fact, I donāt even know if thereās anything he dislikes. He could be spread on toast like PBJ. š
7. A smart partner in crime
Pixie Bobs are a highly intelligent cats. They can be taught tricks like fetch, sit and lay, etc. I didnāt use the word ātrainā on purpose. Cats cannot be trained like dogs. They are different. They will learn the trick but will only do the trick when they feel like it. Sometimes they will initiate a little play of fetch but it will be difficult to show your cats tricks off to your friends on demand. Itās better to take a video when itās working out.
Donāt forget that cats sleep 16 hours daily and mainly during the day. They groom ā of their awake time and also eat and poop. Thereās little chance you can wake your cat up for a little fetch when a friend comes over. They are actually very curious towards new people and animals. They do tend to protect their territory, especially when meeting another unspayed / unneutered cat. The best is always to spay/neuter your cat, especially when itās joining your already dominated household.
I hope you got a little idea about this amazing cat breed by reading my experiences. It is so hard to explain it in words. Thereās such a connection between us which you could only truly understand if you had one of this wonderful creatures.