| ORIGINATION STORY On the North American Continent, in every geographical area where the Bobcat may be found, kittens are born in barns each Spring, resulting from wild/domestic matings. This is the legendary ancestry of the Pixie-Bob. We believe that the first generation of this alleged breeding often goes unrecognized, as the kittens are usually wild in temperament, being unsocialized barn cats, but oddly, quite domestic in appearance. Because there are eleven subspecies of Bobcat in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, the kittens will vary greatly, depending also upon the breed of female involved. These cats have been prized for generations by individuals who have kept them as unusually intelligent pets. It was in 1985, within the shadow of the Cascade Mountains, near the shores of Puget Sound, that a small Coastal Red Bobcat was seen fighting with a short-tailed polydactlyl barn cat. The owners ran to save their cat from possible harm, and later reaped a harvest of kittens born through suspicious circumstances. A male polydactyl kitten was purchased by Carol Ann Brewer, who was immediately intrigued with the kitten's appearance and behavior. She knew that she possessed a kitten with the blood of another world and so began a search for information to help her understand if such an unusual cat would have any special needs. What Carol Ann discovered was that there was, indeed, documentation by others who also believed that they had a cat with wild heritage. According to what she read, it seemed that what had occurred there, in the Pacific Northwest, was not that unusual. So it was that "the breed" essentially began through what was believed to be a naturally occurring mating between a bobcat and a domestic. But she called her first cat a "Legend Cat", since there was no real proof. "It's like the breed was Providentially handed to me", Carol Ann says, because within the year, she had acquired one more cat with exactly the same "legend" and another of speculative heritage, but whose sheer size, appearance and tail length convinced her to use him also, to form the basis of a program. Pixie was a female kitten born from the union of two of these original cats. She was covered with muted spotting on her reddish-fawn coat and had a very wild face, reminiscent of a Bobcat. Pixie not only became the dam line for most of the females in the program, but also became the namesake for the breed. Kittens produced today have a muscular rangey body, thick legs and sport a short tail that may be wagged or curled up or down for effect. Their coats are unique in all the cat world for color, quality and feel. But the most distinguishable feature of the Pixie-Bob is "the face", which evokes the feeling that you are looking into the face of a true Bobcat. They are now registered with T.I.C.A. as a domestic breed, having been DNA tested for wild genes, and found to display none. After 13 years, the cats are perfect pets, being non-destructive and as easy to care for as any other domestic. Since males run from 16 to 22 pounds, average, (depending upon the bloodline) with females usually being 1/2 that weight, they fit into the mold of what is considered a good sized housecat. They are extremely quiet, having only an occasional chirp or chitter to offer, but have often been referred to as "dogs in disguise", as they are easily trained and remarkably courageous. Loving and very devoted, they prefer to be with their owners at all times, even traveling in the car, on a shoulder or the dashboard. It is the goal of Carol Ann Brewer, the Founding Board and the Pixie-Bob Association to see these cats, whom we believe have existed on their own for centuries in North America, appreciated for their wild beauty and the extreme pleasure they offer mankind. Intelligent beyond belief and forever entertaining, they are absolutely guaranteed to change your life! Once you are owned by a Pixie-Bob, nothing else will ever do! For the love of Pixie, Carol Ann Brewer, Founder copyright Carol Ann Brewer 1997 WWW.Pixie-Bob.org |