We have all seen Siberian Husky or Akita dogs proudly carry their tails in a tight ring or looser arc above their backs. Can you imagine a cat that carries its tail in this manner? With quirky, agile, and expressive tails like most cats, domestic Ringtailed Cats, have normal tails carried in a very unusual position.

Ringtailed Cats are personable cats that do well in households with other cats and dogs. Although the ringtailed trait has been observed as a mutation in many cat breeds, currently it is being selectively bred in Domestic Short Hair Cat crosses. These felines, though occasionally expressing their gracefully aloof feline nature, are friendly, playful and often vocal. Ringtailed Cats like most domestic cats are active and affectionate, intelligent and acrobatic. Although typical cats whip their tails out behind them when balancing, Ringtailed Cats who express their ringtailed trait to a great degree will actually tighten their tail above their backs, or "ring up" in order to find a center of balance! Some Ringtailed Cats express a ringtailed trait to a much lesser degree. These cats use their tails for balance like normal cats. However, when they are relaxed, comfortable, or feeling confident, these cats will carry their tails in a graceful arc over their spine or simply up and pointing straight forward over their spine. Most Ringtailed Cats will take full advantage of all the possibilities offered to them by their peculiar ringtailed trait. They will curl their tail about your hand during petting, or use their tail almost like a prehensile tail to wrap around objects!

Ringtailed traits may show up in any breed of cat. Currently, the new American breed of Ringtailed Cat looks much like any Domestic Shorthaired Cat with a muscular, sometimes foreign, appearance. Usually, they show a blue or gray coloration. Some Ringtailed Cats show a mackerel tabby pattern or a blue and white tuxedo marking. Ringtailed Cats can and will carry their tails on occasion as a normal cat would because the bones are not fused in a curled position. The only difference is that usually Ringtailed Cats carry their tails curled above their backs, as a Siberian Husky Dog would. Most Ringtailed Cats appear to be able to carry their curled tail slightly to the right or left of their spines, like curly-tailed dogs do. Some show a preference and carry their tail always on the same side of their spine! Often, Ringtailed Cats have a wider tail base the curlier their tails are. The reason the tail curls is that the muscles in Ringtailed Cats' tails grow differently than do normal cats' tail muscles. Their back legs are longer than their front legs and they show a good sense of balance. There seems to be great variability in the average size of the Ringtailed Cat. The average adult will weight between 8 and 14 pounds at maturity.

Susan Manley, a cat lover and cat rescuer, discovered ringtailed Cats. She saved a tiny kitten that eventually showed a very unusual trait as he grew- although much like any normal Domestic Short Haired Cat, Manley's kitten carried his tail curled over his back. Intrigued by this trait, Manley did extensive research and discovered that ringtailed traits are shown in many breeds of cat. Currently in the United States and England, about five ringtailed cats of various breeds have been recognized, all showing curled tails to a greater or lesser degree. Manley bred her Ringtailed Cat to a black Domestic Shorthaired Cat, and then re-crossed the kittens. The Ringtailed Cats with the curliest tails all showed the same blue coloration as the original rescued cat had. The ringtailed trait is believed to be related to the bobtail trait. Manley continues to breed Ringtailed Cats with the support and correspondence of Solveig Pflueger, a geneticist.

Care for your Ringtailed Cat as you would any domestic cat. They should be bred responsibly as the breed is in its formative stages, and there is a very small number of Ringtailed Cats in existence. Ringtailed Cats express the ringtailed trait in varied degrees, from tightly curled carriage to a simple straight-tailed, over-the-spine carriage.

Ringtailed Cats reproduce like any domestic cat. The Ringtailed trait does not become obvious until kittens are about six weeks of age although kittens occasionally exhibit the trait as early as two weeks of age. As their muscles and tails grow, Ringtailed kittens will go through periods of tighter or looser tail curling. By 11 weeks of age, Ringtailed Cats expressing the ringtailed trait to a great degree, carry their tails curled about 85 percent of the time.