Felis catus
Mekong Bobtail Longhair
The Mekong Bobtail Longhair is the longhaired division of the Mekong Bobtail, a pointed bobtail breed originating from Southeast Asia and historically associated with Siamese royal households. The World Cat Federation granted championship status in 2004. The standard describes a medium-sized, graceful cat with a colourpoint coat and a kinked bobtail.
Quick facts
- Origin country
- Southeast Asia (Mekong River basin)
- Origin period
- Traditional Southeast Asian breed; WCF championship recognition 2004
- Coat type
- Long
- Coat colors
- All colourpoint patterns
- Size category
- Medium
- Average lifespan
- 12–15 years
- Recognition
- —
Origin
The Mekong Bobtail's ancestry lies in the naturally occurring bobtailed pointed cats of the Mekong River region. These cats were regarded as sacred and were kept in Thai royal households. Russian diplomatic and exploratory records from the 19th century mention receiving bobtailed Siamese-type cats as royal gifts. Russian breeders maintained and standardized the breed, bringing it to the WCF, which granted championship recognition in 2004.
Standard
The WCF standard describes a medium-sized, elegant cat with a long, well-muscled body, a modified wedge head with large ears, and a kinked or curved bobtail 3–8 cm long. The longhair division has a semi-long, silky colourpoint coat with a prominent ruff, feathered ears and paws, and a fully plumed tail. All colourpoint colours are accepted; white gloving is faulted.
Colourpoint Pattern
The Mekong Bobtail Longhair carries the Siamese colourpoint gene (cs) in homozygous form, producing the colourpoint coat: pale body with darker points on the face, ears, legs, and tail. All standard colourpoint colours are accepted by the WCF standard — seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, red, cream, tortie, and tabby-point permutations. The longhair division's semi-long silky coat expresses the colourpoint pattern with a rich, plumed coloured tail.
Sources & further reading (2)
- encyclopedia — accessed 2026-05-27
- registry-breed-profile — accessed 2026-05-27
Frequently asked questions
Is the Mekong Bobtail related to the Siamese?
The Mekong Bobtail shares the colourpoint coat and Southeast Asian origin of the Siamese but carries a separate bobtail gene. The two are distinct breeds; the Mekong Bobtail is recognized by the WCF while the Siamese is recognized by all four major international registries.
Which registries recognize the Mekong Bobtail Longhair?
The WCF grants championship status to both coat-length divisions. CFA, TICA, GCCF, and FIFe do not currently carry the Mekong Bobtail.
Does the Mekong Bobtail Longhair's tail affect its colourpoint distribution?
The tail is physically shortened (3–8 cm kinked or curved bob), but the colourpoint gene still causes the tail stub to be dark in coloured point. Because the tail is abbreviated, the plumed stub shows the full point colour rather than a long tail's gradual colour gradient. This gives the breed a distinctive compact coloured pom-pom at the tail base.
