Pixie-bob vs Jungle-Bob - Breed Comparison | MyCatBreeds

The Pixie-Bob breed is thought to have started from the unplanned litter of a bobcat and a barn cat in 1985. The whole idea of the Pixie-Bob was to get a cat that resembled the North American Bobcat.

The barn cat belonged to Carol Ann Brewer, and she named a female kitten Pixie. Pixie became the foundation mother for this breed.

In fact, it was in 1989 that she wrote the first breed standard, naming the breed Pixiebob, in honor of Pixie. In 1998, the Pixiebob achieved TICA championship status. Today, the International Cat Association (TICA) recognizes the Pixie-Bob as a breed.

This hybrid cat is a cross between a Chausie and a Pixie Bob.

What is notable about this cat is that it can have a Bobcat like tail or it can have a full-length tail. They’re a fairly new breed and have been bred since the early 1990s. The whole purpose of breeding the cat was to develop a jungle cat hybrid with a spotted pattern.

The Pixie-Bob is a medium to large cat that can weigh up to about 8kg. They stand between 25 and 33cm in height.

It's a muscular cat. These cats have a thick double coat which can be short-haired or long-haired. Most times they have a striped coat pattern with some rosettes. In fact, the pattern on the fur is much like that of a Bobcat.

Their eyes are triangular shaped and they have quite a distinctive heavy brow. The eyes are usually a honey color or they can be green. The tail is rumpy or non-existent or it can be a few inches in length. Sometimes the ears will have some feathering at the tips.

They are polydactyl which means that with their paws, they have more than the regular number of digits.

Temperament:

In spite of there being a wild side to this coat, they are amicable, fairly laid-back type of cats. Pixie-Bobs enjoy being with their owners, loving to quietly spend time with their human beings.

They’re not cats that form a strong bond with just one family member, but they are friendly with everyone in the family. When a stranger calls, they may run off however, to hide in a safe spot.

Some people describe them as dog-like. These cats also have a love for water so don’t be surprised if you see him spending a lot of time playing around his water bowl. This is a cat that just loves being the center of everything that is going on, and yet he has a calm aura about him.

The Pixiebob is talkative, chirping and chattering away as he tells you about what he has got up to during the day.

These are big cats and can weigh between 6 and 10kg. The leopard-spotted coat comes in all shades – brown, tawny, gold, silver and black with you not likely to see solid shades.

The coat can be short or medium-length. The cats have a thick muzzle and he has hooded eyes. The ears are fairly large and placed high o the head. They’re well muscled with long legs with the hind legs being fairly longer than the front legs

Temperament:

The Jungle-Bob loves his food. He loves interactive toys that hold the food and encourage him to think about how to get the food out.

He loves his human family and bonds strongly with them, loving to play rough and tumble games with the kids. He gets on well with children as well as other pets in the house.

You may find your Jungle-Bob being shy and not wanting to be friendly with strangers. They’re intelligent cats and have been known to learn how to open certain doors and cupboards. They can also be taught to walk on a leash.

The Pixie-Bob just loves being around his human family and he forms strong bonds with them.

They are social cats and like a dog, they try to become involved in the going-on of the family. By treating this cat well and providing him with a loving home, he is capable of making you a most amicable and energetic member of the family.

Your Jungle-Bob, just like all cats with a wild side, should have a largish outdoor cage. Keeping a hybrid cat like the Jungle-Bob is far more challenging than keeping a regular domesticated cat.

Hybrid cats like these are always active and they require lots of exercise. They can learn to walk on a leash.

Hybrid cats like this are made up of many species and they come with lots of interesting fur patterns. but that shouldn't be your motivation for buying one.

Think carefully before you own one of these cats as they’re beautiful for sure, but sometimes they become too much for the owners and then they land up in shelters. Be informed before you invest in one of these cats.

These are healthy cats and they don’t easily get sick. There are always some cat health issues that can crop up with any cat, and with the Pixie Bob, they seem to battle with delivering litters.

Sometimes you will hear of Cryptorchidism in these cats which means there is the absence of the testes or scrotum.

Whatever health issues your cat has, always make sure that you get him to the vet for his immunizations as well as for check-ups.

Even a trip to the vet can be a challenge and it can be a frightening experience for a hybrid cat. They may even need to be sedated before the vet can examine them.

Also, did you know that in terms of rabies, which can be a fatal disease, it is not positive that these vaccines even work with a hybrid cat? So if your pet is exposed to rabies, it could spell great danger for you and your hybrid pet.

Diet and Nutrition:

Pixie-bobs don’t require any special diet. When it comes to commercially manufactured cat foods, there are wet foods, dry foods and combination foods. You’ll find out what your cat likes, but remember that a cat is a carnivore and that meat is what they eat.

Always go for high-quality foods if you are able to because the best foods are better able to keep your cat healthy. The nutritional needs of a cat change as he grows and matures and there are cat foods specially manufactured for every season of your Pixie-Bob’s life.

Always ensure that there is a bowl of clean, fresh, cool water available to your cat.

The short hair of the Pixie-Bob means that it will be easy to give your cat a brush once a week to remove loose hairs.

Always get your cat to the vet when he shows signs of illness. If he comes to you as a kitten he will need his vaccinations as well as worm medicine. Your vet will inform you when to bring you cat in for the next round of vaccinations.

Before you invest in one of these hybrid exotic cats do research because they’re different from your regular domestic cats.

Because they have a wild side, they’re not suited to small apartments. Apart from being both an indoor and outdoor cat, he will require a fairly large outdoor cage with one part dedicated to shade and shelter for him.

Even though you will buy your Jungle Bob a litter box for indoors, remember that even though you train your cat to use it, the wild part of the cat means that he will spray and do his business on your carpets or against your furniture as well.

This is precisely why so many cat shelters are full of these cats. They become a handful for their owners, and their owners just hand them in as a bad experience.

A hybrid cat like the Jungle-Bob has a digestive system not quite the same as your regular domestic cat. It is absolutely imperative that these cats receive a meat diet as they are carnivores.

Keeping such a cat as a pet means you will need to invest in high-quality protein foods that sit well with this cat’s digestive system. A good guide for the Jungle Bob-cat is to steer clear of carbohydrates and feed your cat a protein-rich diet.

It is also a wise move to feed your new kitten the food that he has been eating at the breeder and then to make a gradual change to the best food protein there is.

Speak to your vet if in any kind of doubt. There are excellent high protein, high-quality commercial cat foods available on the market that make feeding a cat convenient as well.