HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PIXIEBOB

In the spring of 1985, Carol Ann Brewer purchased a polydactyl spotted male kitten, having a short tail and a spotted coat, from a couple who lived near the foothills of Mount Baker , in the Cascade Range.

In January of 1986, she rescued a large classic patterned male cat having a bobcat-like tail, weighing 17 pounds, though he was starving to death.  He was so tall it was noted that his back reached to Carol Ann's knees.  She thankfully has photos of this.

In April of 1986, a litter was born from this large male, whom we named Keba, and a female cat (Maggie) who was living next door. The litter was given to Carol Ann, from which a kitten was chosen and named Pixie, for her ethereal appearance

By 1987, Carol Ann realized that she had really never seen another cat similar to Pixie, who was now a year old, though she continued to seek cats with this wild bobcat-like appearance. She began to be concerned about being able to find another such cat, should something happen to Pixie. It was then determined that she would have to make more cats like her, as none were to be found anywhere. Therefore, a program unofficially began, to “make a thousand more like her”.

After creating a standard in 1989 reflecting the traits Carol Ann observed being reproduced in great consistency, the name Pixiebob was finally chosen for the breed (named after the first kitten born from two of her first Legend Cats), and soon, a goal was set into place to see the breed accepted by the three largest cat associations.

In 1993, Carol Ann approached The International Cat Association, because it was the first place she needed to bring her breed.  Another breed of cat, which had it's own look and development, contained breeders who decided they liked the look of the Pixiebob better than that of their own breed. Therefore, Carol Ann had no choice but to seek acceptance in this association first, in order to protect her own standard and cats' unique appearance, as time was of the essence.

In 1994, after The International Cat Association did a great deal of research, it was decided that the Pixiebob was a unique breed which deserved to be considered for acceptance, therefore, the breed was allowed into “Exhibition” category in TICA. To be honest, this was not accomplished without some reservation on the parts of some of the Board members, however, in a short amount of time, all concerns completely vanished and we watched the support for the breed grow, as judges began to handle the cats.

In 1995, breeders joined together to petition for the Pixiebob to be accepted into the NBC category, (New Breed Color) in TICA, for the 1996 show year, and the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of the breed's advancement.

In 1996, the Pixiebob breeders joined together to divide up the regions between themselves, including Europe, for the purpose of insuring that the breed was exhibited at every important show in each region until all the requirements for attaining Championship status were met.

Finally, in 1997, the many united Pixiebob breeders approached TICA once again, to request advancement into Championship status, which was given to the Pixiebob for the 1998 show year. The vote was unanimous in favor of this move.

Since then, 7 years have gone by.

Today, joining with the Pixiebob Advancement Board are 20 more Pixiebob breeders, who have pledged their support, having the insight to realize that the Pixiebob is not yet a fully accepted breed until it is known and welcomed into the two largest and oldest associations.  These breeders have found the desire and drive, despite their busy lives, to now help us in seeking recognition and acceptance of the Pixiebob into ACFA.  The Pixiebob Advancement Board ..... has worked hard on behalf of our breed group, to bring the Pixiebob breed forward....

Seeing the many different wild bobcat resembling traits and characteristics, and the wonderful loving, devoted and entertaining personality, a great many Pixiebob breeders (who have worked so diligently), feel that the Pixiebob has earned a unique place in the cat world and in history.

From the beginning of the program in 1985/86; to 1993, when the breed was brought to the attention of The International Cat Association, and a year-long study was done to see if the Pixiebob could be likened to another breed; to 1994, when the study was finished and the head of genetics in TICA was able to see a prime example of the breed and declare that she had never seen anything like it; the answer has always been ‘no', regarding whether the Pixiebob resembled or should resemble any other breed whatsoever; rather, the Pixiebob has made great strides in being accepted as a completely new and unique breed.

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Our mainstream Pixiebob breeders are reputable, very hard working, conscientious and devoted to the promotion of the breed. There are a great many Pixiebob breeders who take exhibiting their cats very seriously!  They are very proud of the cat breed that “was given” to us with all it's beauty and charm. And our breeders stand solidly behind the Pixiebob as being a beautiful, healthy, loving breed.

The Pixiebob, as a breed today, has absolutely *no known genetics faults because of their incredible genetic diversity. This was proven through DNA testing done in 1996 by Stormant Labs, in California , on all of the foundation cats brought into TICA. The cats are very dog-like, being tractable, loving, devoted to their families, extremely intelligent, fearless, who love to walk on a leash and ride in the car. These traits have been spoken of regarding the Pixiebob since 1992, when newsletters were printed about the breed. Nothing has changed since then. The standard remains virtually the same, with only some minor clarification and refinement over the years.

The Pixiebob is an Enigma ---fitting the description very well, being defined as “a puzzle wrapped in a mystery” ---it is a domestic cat, very much like a bobcat in many ways. And their behavior is so unique, it only lends to the puzzle. That the original breeders originally believed the legend about bobcats mating with domestics is perfectly understandable, because although it is a breed seemingly created out of nothing, it is here, nonetheless, having a wonderful bobcat-like appearance and the temperament of a dog.

Why a legend is important for the Pixiebob breed origination

The founder of the Pixiebob breed and all breeders since have had a dilemma: since virtually no other breeds of cats have been used (with the exception of one Manx in the beginning) and other breeds are not acceptable for outcross, then from WHERE did the wild look of the Pixiebob come?

The answer “We don't know” seemed a bit lame and almost dishonest, as if there was something to hide. But one cannot embellish nor create something that isn't there. So, we found ourselves embroiled in a controversy.

People always call asking if there really is bobcat in the breed….and the answer is always “No, we do not keep captive bobcats for breeding” (but there is always another part to that answer)…

“We have taken all our foundation cats out of the foothills and mountainous regions of the Cascade Mountains so we do not know what is in the background of the breed, but we do know that they tested negative for wild DNA”.

Since the Pixiebob resembles the bobcat in many ways , the founder and the breeders ARE caught in the middle between a mystery and a controversy:

As everyone knows, the first cats came into the possession of Carol Ann Brewer having a legend of a bobcat mating with a domestic, which she wholeheartedly believed in the beginning of her program, and yet while the cats had a very wild appearance, they eventually all tested negative for bobcat, jungle cat or Asian leopard DNA. Because she hadn't kept captive bobcats, all she had to hold onto for the origination of her breed, was the story or legend that bobcats mate with domestics, and so she coined the term “Legend Cat” in an effort to explain the unexplainable . When the test results turned out quite different than what Carol Ann had expected, she realized that there would never be any proof that bobcats mate with domestics….and so the legend was all she had.

The real issue was the physical characteristics being produced in the Pixiebob since she had not used spotted cats from recognized breeds in her program, she was left without an explanation as to why she was producing buckshot spotted kitten, and more: kittens with bobcat length tails, and large bones, and wild compressed faces, and lynx tipping on the ears….she just had no explanation. And without an explanation, the worst is imagined.

The truth is that she found all but one cat from the foothills of the Cascade Mountains . So, the truth would have to be discussed openly and honestly, and that is that cats having a feral bobcat appearance were chosen from feral colonies for the foundation of this breed, and yet, were tested as being without bobcat DNA. Not much to hold onto, but this was all she had.

The legend, while not based in science, was/is the only thing Carol could promote as being the foundation of her wonderful breed but in this way, she has actually taken the focus off the issue of keeping and trying to breed a real bobcat , as she absolutely despises the practice of breeders keeping captive wild cats for breeding, (as has been on her website for years). Rather, she has put it on a legend, one that has been written about for hundreds of years, but has never been proven. This “explains” the wild look and the domestic DNA comfortably for the public who calls for kittens, after listening to WHY people should never want a real wild cat nor a hybrid. Carol Ann has always made it quite clear that wild cats belong in the wild. Her favorite statement is “You can take the cat out of the wild, but you can never take the wild out of the cat”. She hasn't had personal experience with wild cats, but knows many people who bought bobcats from furrier farms, stating that they would “make better Pixiebobs” than she did. NONE ever accomplished the goal of which they bragged.

So, while the Pixiebob has a wonderfully wild bobcat look, all we have to explain this appearance IS “the legend”.  To say anything else, especially giving an “I don't know” answer, would be lame. The public and the breeders need to know that NO other breeds are acceptable for outcross and that only cats that fit the standard, found in rural and even wild areas of the country are brought into the program.

That all the early lines, even the most wildest in appearance, were tested and proven to possess only domestic DNA does put the breed into the category of being a mystery.  The truth is that no one knows anything. That means, unless anyone can prove through DNA that the Pixiebob truly has a bobcat in its ancestry, at this time science absolutely says it does not. The legend states that the appearance could have come from such a mating…..but it never says it did.

One further note: the legend is important also, in that it helps the breeders to understand that the Pixiebob is NOT a “recipe breed”, (comprised of many different recognized breeds), and it is also helpful for the public to understand that the incredible wild look was originated with simple domestic cats found in rural areas; that an entire breed has come out of these cats, through selective breeding of the best and wildest looking traits.  This has not been an easy breed to work with. Should we have used various breeds to achieve our cats' appearance, it would have been an easier road.

Therefore, since the legend is shrouded in mystery, and the origination of the Pixiebob breed has been founded on cats having a legend, we have nothing other than a beautiful DOMESTIC breed having a wild bobcat-like appearance.  We hope that the Board of Directors understands that our open-ness to discuss this doesn't cause a focus on “the wild blood” issue, but rather that you see that we have no where to turn, but to explain the Pixiebob as a mysterious legend having nothing to substantiate it except the appearance of the cats.

Carol Ann has always stated (regarding whether there was really bobcat in the ancestry of the Pixiebob…), “The proof is in the pudding”. So, we have nothing but “pudding” but unfortunately no ingredients to explain how it was made! And DNA testing says it's not the “pudding” we thought it was!