A tiny Russian cat with a short, kinked tail, who looks like a kitten all its life.
The Toybob is one of the smallest cat breeds. It comes from the Rostov region of Russia, where stray cats with short tails were found in the 1980s. It is small by nature, through a chance change in its genes, and keeps the look of a kitten as an adult. Still, it is sturdy and muscular, not fragile. At home it is sweet, playful and calm, and follows its people everywhere. Some registries do not recognise the breed yet, because they worry breeders may aim for ever smaller cats. There is little research on its health so far; the breed is young.
Very attached to its people and follows them from room to room.
Happy to curl up on a lap, under a blanket or even under the covers.
Cheerful and playful, also as an adult.
Lively and curious, but not hyper: it plays for a while and then settles.
Fairly quiet, with soft chirps and trills instead of loud meows.
Clever; often happy to learn tricks, as long as you reward it.
Sometimes hides from visitors at first, then warms up.
Good with gentle children; a cat this small needs protecting from rough play.
Can live with a calm, cat-friendly dog; a big or boisterous dog can hurt it.
Sociable and peaceful; usually gets on well with other cats.
Does not like being alone for long. If you work all day, a second cat helps.
A true indoor cat that needs climbing places more than a garden.
A Toybob is a shrunken Siamese.
No. It comes from Russian street cats that were small by nature, through a chance change in their genes. It is not a mini version of another breed.
The Toybob is a dwarf cat, just like the Munchkin.
No. A Toybob is small all over, and its legs match its body. In CFA a Toybob with legs that are too short is even disqualified.
The short tail is the Manx tail, with the same spine problems.
That is not so certain. CFA says the short tail does not hinder it or make it ill. A first test by breed fans found a tail gene of its own. But in a large DNA study a few Toybobs did carry a known bobtail gene. So which gene gives the tail is not settled yet.
The first Toybobs were stray cats in the Rostov region of southern Russia. A cat lover took some in and in 1988 got a tiny male kitten with a short tail. Later, breeders in the Urals added similar-looking cats, which brought new colours and a longer coat. The name says what it is: 'toy' for small and 'bob' for the short tail. FIFe and Britain's GCCF do not recognise the breed; the GCCF first wants to know more about breeding for small size.
Elena Krasnichenko in the Rostov region takes in a stray cat: a seal point with a very kinked tail.
Two of her seal point cats have a tiny male kitten with a short tail: Kutciy, the father of the breed.
Kutciy, fully grown, goes to a cat show, and everyone takes him for a kitten.
The first Toybobs of today's lines arrive in the United States.
Fans start an international Toybob club, to agree on one standard and win recognition.
WCF recognises the Toybob in seal point: it may now compete for championships at shows.
America's CFA registers the Toybob, first in a class for new breeds.
CFA makes the Toybob a championship breed. In TICA it moves a step further in the new breed programme.
A small but sturdy cat, muscular and with strong bones. It must never look fragile. It is only fully grown at about one and a half, and even then it still looks like a kitten.
The original and most common form, with a medium-short, plush coat that feels slightly crisp.
Recognition: Recognised by CFA and WCF; in TICA's new breed programme.
The same cat with a semi-long to long, soft coat, a full ruff and a plumed little tail. The coat hardly ever mats.
Recognition: In CFA under the same standard as the shorthair. In TICA a breed of its own in the new breed programme. WCF has no longhair.
Cat registries write colours as an EMS code. The letter is the colour (n black, a blue, d red, f tortie), s means silver or smoke, y golden, and the numbers tell you about white (01–09), shading (11, 12), the tabby pattern (22–25) or colourpoint (33).
Seal point(n 33)
Blue point(a 33)
Chocolate point(b 33)
Red point(d 33)
Seal tortie point(f 33)
Seal tabby point(n 21 33)Pointed cats are the most common. Seal point is the original colour and the only one WCF allows.
No standard names smoke or silver, but in CFA they fall under 'all colours'.
CFA also allows small white spots or a white locket. WCF disqualifies any white, except in neutered cats.
CFA and ACFA allow every colour and pattern that can exist genetically; WCF only seal point. Blue eyes belong with points, white and cats with a lot of white. Blue eyes with any other coat are disqualified in CFA.
When Kutciy, the father of all Toybobs, went to a cat show fully grown, everyone thought he was a kitten.
WCF prefers an adult Toybob under 2 kilos: as heavy as two bags of sugar.
The name is made of two words: 'toy' for toy-sized and 'bob' for the short tail.
A Toybob tail must have at least two bones, and may be nearly straight or full of kinks.
A Toybob sometimes creeps under the covers with you to sleep at night.
No study has measured how long a Toybob lives. Breed profiles say about 12 to 15 years, sometimes more. CFA knows of no illnesses that belong to this breed and calls its genes varied, but the breed is young and small, and good research is still missing.
Britain's GCCF does not recognise the breed yet, out of concern that breeders may aim for ever smaller cats. It first wants to see vet reports and DNA research. Whether being so small harms the cats has not been studied. CFA penalises fine bones and a fragile look: a healthy Toybob is small but sturdy.
How it is found: No test. Look for a sturdy build and the parents' weight, and do not simply pick the smallest kitten.
In the Manx the tail gene can also affect the spine. In the Toybob nothing of the kind is known, and CFA says the short tail does not affect its health. But nobody has studied it properly, and which gene gives the tail is not settled yet.
How it is found: No DNA test. Have the vet check the back and tail.
In a small jaw, teeth are sometimes crooked or crowded. Plaque builds up there more easily, and then the gums can get sore. How often this happens is not known.
How it is found: A dental check at the yearly vet visit, and brushing the teeth.
On a 2-kilo cat, a few grams too many show quickly. Extra weight strains the joints and the heart.
How it is found: Weighing and checking body shape at every vet visit.
Brush the short coat once a week, the long coat with a steel comb. It sheds little. Check its teeth and claws regularly too.
Play with it every day and give it places to climb. It often gets higher than you think, so put fragile things away.
No special food needed, but weigh the portions. Keep treats small: a little cat gets overweight quickly.
Never pull the short tail or try to straighten it.
A Toybob is not allergy-free; no cat is. So do not count on it.
Checked on 23 October 2026
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