Sailbourne

Here he is, Kurisumasu Kyouju Sanjuro (of Sailbourne) — I think he knew he was trouble, even at about eight weeks of age! Kyouju came to us at about 12 weeks old, in June of 1999. He was bred by Marianne Clark of Kurisumasu Cattery in Beavercreek, Oregon. She agreed to sell
him to me as an altered show cat, to see if I was interested enough in showing and breeding to really take it on.

When he arrived, he did the first thing any kitten, taken from “home” and dropped into a strange new place, does: go into hiding. He found a hiding place we hadn’t known existed until then … and when we finally managed to coax him out (tuna works wonders), we decided to call him Kyouju — Japanese for “professor,” since he’d seemed so determined to teach us a thing or two.

Kyouju was a good show cat, not overly enthusiastic on the judging stand, but not terrified either. I made things a little harder than they had to be, by letting him get a bit fat — something it’s easy to do with Bobtails, especially young ones. Once we got the weight off him, he achieved his CFA Grand Premier title just after his first birthday.

Ever since, Kyouju has been the Number One Bobtail in the house, and a thoroughgoing legend in his own mind. I am often asked whether male or female cats make better pets. Frequently, when it comes to Bobtails, I’ll recommend males. Females have a distinct tendency to be bossy, but with only one exception, every JBT male I’ve ever known has been a loving and lovable goofball. Neutering just makes it more so!