A rare American breed whose most distinctive feature is a flexible tail it carries curled up and over its back — a relaxed, ring-like curve seen in no other cat.
- Origin
- California, USA
- Category
- shorthair
- Lifespan
- 12–16 yrs
- Size
- Medium
- Weight
- 3.5–6 kg
- Coat
- Soft, medium-length
- Colours
- All colours and patterns
😺 Temperament
🏡 Best suited to
📊 Personality ratings
📜 History & origin
The American Ringtail — once known as the Ringtail Sing-a-Ling — traces back to a single kitten named Solomon, rescued in California in 1998, who had an unusual tail that curled over his back. Breeder Susan Manley recognised the trait as a natural mutation and began a careful breeding programme to establish it, outcrossing to ordinary domestic cats to keep the gene pool healthy. The breed remains very rare and is still working toward full recognition, currently held at the preliminary or experimental stage by cat registries.
🧼 Care & grooming
The American Ringtail's soft, medium-length coat is low-maintenance and needs only weekly brushing to stay in good condition. Importantly, the curled tail is fully flexible and relaxed — the cat raises and lowers it at will rather than holding it rigidly — so it requires no special handling, though as with any cat the tail should never be pulled. These are people-oriented cats that thrive on company and gentle play.
🩺 Health notes
Unlike some tailed mutations, the Ringtail's curl involves no skeletal fusion or defect — the tail is supple and the cats are generally healthy, with no breed-specific disorders firmly established. The ongoing use of domestic outcrosses keeps the breed genetically diverse, which supports overall robustness. Routine preventive veterinary care is all that is typically required.
📸 American Ringtail photos
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Photographs from Wikimedia Commons, used under their respective licences.