Bobtails and the West

Question
Hello. I know that the American Bobtail is a breed that was discovered near a Native American Reservation in Arizona in the 1960's, but is there any evidence to show that bobtailed cats were rampant in the (Old) West in the 1800's? Please let me know. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Jason Goldman
JGoldman10@yahoo.com

Answer
Jason,

Here is pretty much what I found on the American Bobtail:

"The American Bobtail originated quite by accident in the late 1960's. A brown tabby short tailed male kitten, was discovered on an Indian Reservation by a couple in Arizona. Much has happened since then and the breed has now evolved into a spectacular breed unlike any other known to the cat fancy. The American Bobtail is a medium to large cat, some of them being very large boned, and heavily muscled. They come in every color of the cat rainbow. The colors are, Tabbies , Solid colors, and Lynx Points, round out the spectrum of American Bobtail colors. Because many of the original foundation cats of this breed were "found cats", and had to survive in feral conditions, the breed is very hardy, and intelligent. They are capable of learning things normally associated with dog behavior ,and the personality of the American Bobtail is very dog like. Wonderfully playful, yet gentle, sweet and docile, they are very "up close and personal". The American Bobtail tends to want to interact with the family, as opposed to being aloof and standoffish. They love lots of petting, loving, and cuddling as well as playing. This is a totally domestic breed.  The American Bobtail club has always forbidden the use of any wild blooded cat, including the Bengal, in a proper American Bobtail breeding program. As of this date there has never been a documented cage breeding producing live kittens, nor has there ever been a DNA report conclusively proving that the Bobcat can successfully produce viable kittens with any domestic cat. We have a beautiful, intelligent breed with a uniquely gentle and loving personality and reputable breeders are striving very hard to continue this course."

We also know that both Manx (tailed, stumpies, and rumpies) and bobtails do occur naturally in the feral population in many parts of the country.  So there is no reason not to suspect that these cats were around in the 1800's.  Beyond this, there is no evidence that these cats existed in the Old West, although one might surmise that they were there.  As for rampant, they are not rampant in any wild population today. so I would also surmise they were not rampant in the old west.

As far as I have been able to see, there was no one in the old west writing about breeds of cats.  To most people living a harsh life, a cat is a cat is a cat!!!!!  Thus, all my surmisals are merely speculations based on how cats tend to migrate to follow people.

I am sorry I cannot be more definitive.  If you find anything solid about particular cats in the old west, I would be interested.

Best regards... Norm.