Japanese Bobtail Price: Four Real Cattery Ladders, and Two Empty Markets
Real Japanese Bobtail prices from four named US cattery ladders ($800-2,500), the shorthair/longhair split, the mi-ke and odd-eye premiums, and why Canada and Australia show none.
Published August 21, 2026 4 min read
Contents
The Japanese Bobtail's market fits on one screen, because it genuinely is that small. One named US breeder puts the national supply at "about 15 reputable catteries nationwide", and our research reached six of them directly. Four publish real price ladders, which is where every figure below comes from. Canada and Australia are not gaps in our research: they are confirmed empty markets, and we show the evidence.
United States, four named cattery ladders
$800-2,500
most pet kittens land $1,400-2,000; one breeder's own estimate puts the national supply at about 15 catteries
the longhair split and the eye premium
+$200 / +$50-100
longhairs run about $200 above shorthairs at three catteries; blue or odd eyes add $50-100 at three
United Kingdom, a range with no inventory
£400-1,600
the platform's own FAQ figure; zero live kittens sitewide at our check, and does not recognize the breed
Canada and Australia, confirmed
0 + 0
nine independent checks between them, all zero; both registries recognize the breed on paper and list no breeder
United States: the four ladders, named
Kurisumasu (Portland, OR area, 34 years breeding): $500 deposit, $1,800 shorthair pet, $2,000 longhair pet, $2,500 with breeding rights. Kiddlyn Kattery (Franktown, CO, a Cattery of Excellence): from $1,400 shorthair and $1,600 longhair. Cat-Chi Cats (West Virginia, est. 1998): $800-1,000. Kenipurr (Tacoma, WA): $1,000-1,500. NuDawnz/Friemoth (San Diego and Columbus): $1,500-2,500 pet range. Two more confirmed the scarcity by their own state: one Portland cattery retired, and the two big marketplaces returned zero Japanese Bobtail listings the day we checked. For a breed this size, that is the normal state, not a crisis.
Three details no aggregator page carries. The shorthair/longhair split is real and named at three catteries (longhairs run about $200 more). Blue-eyed and kittens carry a roughly $50-100 premium, independently stated by three catteries. And (tri-color) females, the breed's flagship coat, sit at the top of most ladders.
United Kingdom: a range with no inventory
The one published UK range is Pets4Homes' own FAQ, £400-1,600. The day we checked, the same platform had exactly zero live Japanese Bobtail kittens sitewide. One £35 listing on a second site is exactly what it looks like: an unverified- rehoming, not a breeder price, and we flag it so nobody quotes it as the UK market. does not recognize the breed at all. So the UK path runs through imports or /-affiliated breeders, with patience as the main currency.
Canada and Australia: confirmed empty, with the evidence
Canada: zero. Four independent checks converge. A nationwide Kijiji search returns no results (verified twice, including a rendered-page check). A breeder-locator's Edmonton search falls back to a Virginia cattery for want of anything Canadian. No directory lists a Canadian cattery. Australia: zero, on five independent checks, with the same twist in both countries: the registry recognizes the breed on paper and offers no breeder-directory filter for it. A Canadian or Australian buyer is planning an import from the US cluster above, and the deposit-and-waitlist route is the honest plan.
Planning the purchase
With around 15 catteries serving a continent, the practical advice writes itself. Contact two or three catteries rather than one. Expect a waitlist measured in months. Expect travel or shipping in the budget. And treat any "Japanese Bobtail" at a bargain price with the scepticism the UK's £35 listing teaches. The paperwork that matters is or registration. The tail alone proves nothing, since several unrelated breeds and random-bred cats bob their tails too, as our profile's tail-gene section explains.
Japanese Bobtail prices, four markets
| Measure | United States | United Kingdom | Canada | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The figure | $800-2,500 across four named ladders | £400-1,600 published; zero live listings | None: confirmed empty | None: confirmed empty |
| The market shape | ~15 reputable catteries nationwide, per a named breeder | No GCCF recognition: import or TICA/FIFe routes | Registry recognizes the breed, lists no breeder | Same pattern: on paper yes, in the directory no |
| The trap | Marketplace zeros are normal, not alarming | A £35 unverified listing is a rehoming, not a market price | A locator 'near Edmonton' falls back to Virginia | Aggregator ranges with no breeder behind them |
Live reads dated 18-21/08/2026. Absences published as findings with their evidence; nothing converted, nothing blended.
The vet's take
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a Japanese Bobtail cost?
US: $800 to $2,500 across four named cattery ladders, most pet kittens landing $1,400-2,000. UK: a published £400-1,600 range with zero live inventory at our check. Canada and Australia: no market exists, confirmed.
Why are longhair Japanese Bobtails more expensive?
Three catteries price the split directly: longhairs run about $200 above shorthairs at the same quality tier, reflecting the longhair's relative rarity within an already rare breed.
What makes a mi-ke or odd-eyed kitten cost more?
Tradition and scarcity: mi-ke (tri-color) is the breed's flagship coat, and blue or odd eyes carry a $50-100 premium stated independently by three catteries.
Can I buy a Japanese Bobtail in Canada or Australia?
Not from a domestic breeder we could find: both markets returned zero on every check, and both countries' registries recognize the breed without listing a single breeder for it. Plan a US import.
How rare are Japanese Bobtails really?
A named breeder's own estimate: about 15 reputable catteries in the whole United States. Marketplace searches routinely return zero listings, and that is the breed's normal, not a bad week.
Community questions
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This is information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot tell you what is wrong with your cat. Our rule is a simple one: if something is wrong with your cat, call your vet, and call an emergency clinic if it is out of hours. Nothing you read here is a reason to wait.
Medical information applies to every reader. Prices, legal duties and common practice do not: unless stated otherwise, they are given for the United States, and they differ in the UK, Canada and Australia, and often between states or provinces. Check with your own vet and your own local authority.
Our sources
- Kurisumasu (Portland, OR): the full breeder price ladder
- Kiddlyn Kattery (Franktown, CO): available kittens and pricing
- Cat-Chi Cats (WV): for-sale page ($800-1,000)
- Kenipurr (Tacoma, WA): available cats and kittens
- NuDawnz / Friemoth Family Cats: Japanese Bobtail page
- Pets4Homes: Japanese Bobtail kittens (the £400-1,600 FAQ, zero live listings at check)
- GoKitty: Japanese Bobtail listings (zero available, the breed's normal state)
What kittens cost, breed by breed
Worth keeping a paw on
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