PIXIE-BOB STANDARDS

COLOURS: Traditional category, Tabby, Brown Spotted Tabby, with or with out Rosettes

GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The goal of the Pixie-Bob breeding program is to create a domestic cat with a visual similarity to that of the North American Bobcat. The Pixie-Bob comes in the shorthair and the longhair varieties. The wild look is the result of the inverted pear shaped head; prominent brows, created by the heavy boning and brushy hair above the eyes; medium deep-set eyes; a broad and long muzzle, with a large fleshy and fuzzy chin.

As the wild appearance to the head is responsible for 50 points, it is important that the head shape and facial features meet the standard well. The wild look does not reflect the true nature of the cat, which is loving, trustworthy and tractable. The Pixie-Bob is a medium to large cat in size; of substantial, tall and rangy type but with great depth to the body. The shoulders and hipbones are very prominent, producing a rolling gait. The legs are long and heavy boned with large feet (fleshy toes).

A polydactyl with 5 to 7 toes is accepted for championship exhibition. The shorthair coat is light brown spotted tabby, with heavy ticking and a rufus colouring (warm tones), soft, woolly and resilient to the touch (having loft). The semi-longhair variety is a medium length coat, silky in texture, but with less loft than the shorthair Pixie-Bob. The cat has a naturally short tail. The tail may extend only to the hock and may be flexible, knotted or kinked. Allowances must be made for females, who are 1/3 smaller than males, on average.

COAT COLOUR: Lighter shades of brown tabby. Wild mouse colour (dark gray) base coat is necessary. Warm tones only for the ground colour. Heavy ticking overall is mandatory, muting much of the spotting. White or cream colour must encircle the eyes. Mascara markings must accent the face from the outside corner of the eye downward through the side cheeks. Chin to belly to inner legs should be silvery white or cream. Paw pads to the hocks must be black. End of tail tip should be black with white underneath. Coat colour is secondary to type.

PATTERN: Small spots with or without rosettes, greatly muted by heavy ticking. Random (muted) spotting preferred; broken mackerel (muted) spotting accepted. Lighter collared belly is heavily spotted. Pattern is more heavily muted in winter due to the heavier ticking in cold weather and more clearly seen in summer due to the lack of ticking in warm weather. Pattern is secondary to type.

COAT: The short hair coat must stand up off the body, being soft and woolly, having "loft", so it is resilient to the touch and quite waterproof. Along the top of the back will be found some black, coarse guard hair. The agouti hairs must have many bands adding 4 colours to the coat: dark mouse grey at the base, lighter shades of roufassing (warm tones) for ground colour, black or brown bands for the spotting and white ticking on the end of each hair. It is to be expected that during summer months (or in areas with hotter weather) that the coat may be less dense and lie somewhat closer on the body. Belly hair is always longer than the rest of the coat. Facial hair is full and the direction of hair growth on the face must be downward.

The semi-longhair coat must be softer than the short hair, having not a woolly quality, but a silkier texture. Along the top of the back is a swath of longer, black coarse guard hair for protection from water.

The semi-longhair coat should not be longer than 1½ inches, with the exception to this being only the longer side facial hair, the coarse guard hair along the top of the back, the belly hair and the end of the tail. A ruff around the neck is not acceptable.

TEMPERAMENT: the temperament reflects that of a domestic in reliability, and dog-like attentiveness and attention.

ALLOWANCES: Polydactyl in Championship exhibition. 5 to 7 toes only. 

PENALIZE: Coat that is too dark; belly hair too dark; a close-lying coat; head too flat; muzzle too short; head too round; round eyes; a tail not meeting the standard; white lockets.

WITHHOLD ALL AWARDS: No tail; a deficient chin or brow; a fine boned cat; a classic or blotched tabby; a true mackerel tabby; lack of ticking; a slick, shiny coat; any hint of a ruff around the neck; any sign of challenge; any similarity to any recognized breed; feet that turn inward or outward when "stacked".

HEAD: 
Shape: Inverted wide pear
Size: Medium to large
Profile: Slightly rounded forehead to eye ridge; slightly concave curve from eye ridge to bridge of nose.
Nose: Wide; slightly convex. Large nose leather, brick in colour.
Muzzle; Broad and long. The distance between the nose break and the nose leather should be equal to, or greater than, the distance between the prominent brow and the nose break. Muzzle Break: Definite but not vertical.
Whisker pads: Prominent, fleshy, with dark markings.
Skull: Rounded contours.
Forehead: Slightly rounded.
Cheeks: Well developed with full facial hair. Growth of hair is downward, never clicked back on the face.
Chin: Large, rounded and fleshy, hair on chin is coarse, with longer hairs protruding. Appearance of chin is fuzzy, never smooth. In profile, the chin should be closely in line with the nose. (Despite the appearance of the prominence to the chin, the jawbone itself is never extended beyond the muzzle). 

EYES
Brow: Prominent, heavy boning and brushy hair above the eyes, creating a hooded appearance.
Shape: Flat on top; bottom lid angled slightly upward toward outside of eye, making a soft triangle.
Size: Medium.
Placement: Deep set, one eye width apart.
Aperture: Straight across. Corner of the eye must meet the base of the ear with a horizontal line.
Eye colour: Gold to Brown preferred, wild gooseberry green accepted. No domestic copper or blue.
Eye makeup: There must be a band of cream or white directly surrounding the eye. Mascara must follow the corner of the eye downwards to the cheeks.
Expression: It is common for the Pixie-bob to appear to be Half-asleep, gazing through partially closed eyes. This deceptive apparent lack of alertness is common to many feral animals. Eyes should respond instantly to stimulation, i.e., toys, sounds, etc.

BODY
Shape: Substantial and rangy, but with great depth.
Size: Medium to large.
Shoulders: Prominent should blades producing a rolling gait.
Back: Not level: dip behind shoulder: inclines slightly toward hips.
Hips: Prominent, slightly higher than shoulder; long sloping croup.
Angulations: Hip and shoulder angles are straighter than that of other breeds.
Flank: Deep and powerful.
Chest: Broad, well-developed.
Boning: Heavy, dense, rounded bone.
Musculature: Muscular with firm muscle tone, never flabby or soft.
Skin: Exceptionally thick and loose, especially behind forearm. 
Some sign of a primordial pouch; belly must never be "tucked up".
Males: 1/3 larger than females. 

TAIL
Shape: Naturally short flexible tail is desirable; however, kinks and knots are acceptable.
Length: The length of the tail should be no shorter than the estimated measurement from the prominent hipbone to the base of the tail. Tail should not extent beyond the hock. A minimum of 9/10ths of the tail must have bone.
Miscellaneous: When relaxed, tail should follow curve of back and be carried low. When back is stroked, tail should become erect, showing adequate length

LEGS
Length: Long and heavy boned.
Forelegs: Length from top of shoulder blade to elbow should be equal to the length between the elbow and the foot. Slightly shorter than hind legs.
Hindlegs: Great length from hip to knees, knee to hock and hock to foot. Slightly longer than forelegs.

FEET
Shape: Long and wide being almost round.
Size: Large, having big knuckles and fleshy toes.
Miscellaneous: Polydactyl acceptable in Championship class, only 5 to 7 toes being acceptable. Cats with feet that turn inward or outward, when "stacked" are to be disqualified.

(SHORTHAIR STANDARD) COAT
Length: Short, but must stand up off the body, having loft. Belly hair is longer than the rest of the coat. Facial hair is full.
Texture: Soft and woolly, resilient to the touch.
Density: Semi-dense. Quality: All-weather coat, resistant to water.
Miscellaneous: All hairs must have three to four bands of colour, being agouti.
Changes: Seasonal coat changes affect colour, length and depth, with hot weather reducing all but the ground colour, which is generally intensified, due to the lack of ticking in the summer season.

(LONGHAIR STANDARD) COAT
Length: Semi-long. Hair across top of back is longer than the rest of the coat and is close-lying. Sides are shorter and not close lying. Coat of belly and end of tail is longer than the rest of the coat. Facial hair is long, but no ruff around the neck.
Texture: Soft, silky.
Density: Semi-dense.
Undercoat: Medium.
Quality: An all weather coat, resistant to water.
Changes: Seasonal coat changes affect colour, ticking, texture, length and depth, with hot weather reducing all but the ground colour, which is generally intensified due to the lack of ticking in the summer season.

EARS
Shape: Large at base, lightly rounded.
Size: Large.
Placement: Must be set low and back on the head, quarter-turned, so as to add to the wild appearance.
Furnishings: Medium.
Lynx-tipping: Desirable, however, not all bobcats have tipping.
Thumbprints: Light colouring on back of ears. 

NECK
Length: Of average length, in proportion to the body.
Shape: Thick, well-muscled, (especially in males). May appear short due to incredible thickness of the male’s neck.

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