American ringtail
The American Ringtail, also called the Ringtail Sing-a-Ling, began in 1998 when a kitten named Solomon was rescued in California with a tail he carried curled over his back.
The trait was found to be heritable and a small breeding programme followed.
It weighs 3.5 to 5.5 kilograms, is a medium, moderately built cat in short or long coats, and the tail is the defining feature — flexible, fully functional, and curled up and over the back when the cat is relaxed rather than held stiffly. It is a very rare developing breed with a small number of catteries, registered by TICA as experimental. The tail is a soft-tissue and carriage trait rather than a vertebral fusion, and is reported to cause no discomfort.
- Origin
- California, United States, 1998, from a rescued kitten
- Size
- 3.5–5.5 kg
- Lifespan
- 12–16 years
- Coat
- Short or long, in most colours
- Tail
- Full length, carried curled over the back; fully flexible
- Status
- Very rare; an experimental developing breed
Related: American bobtail · American curl · American shorthair · American wirehair
2 american ringtail photos, newest first
Living with a american ringtail
The tail should move freely. Unlike the fused, kinked tails seen in some breeds, a Ringtail's tail is full length and flexible, and the curl is how the cat carries it. A tail that is stiff, painful or held rigidly is a veterinary matter, not a breed trait.
Do not pull or straighten it, and watch that children do not.
Because the breed is so new and so few cats exist, the long-term health picture is not established. That is a fact to weigh rather than a reassurance — ask any breeder what testing they do and what they outcross to.
Groom to coat length, and otherwise ordinary cat care.
Owners describe them as gentle, quiet and affectionate, but with a population this small, temperament claims rest on very few animals.
General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual cats vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.
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