A breed shaped by a hard climate
The Kurilian Bobtail developed on the Kuril Islands as a natural, working island cat, and natural selection in a demanding environment produced a sturdy, muscular animal with a strong reputation for health. Breed references consistently describe few inherited diseases in Kurilians, which is part of their appeal. The honest reading of that reputation is that your cat starts with good odds, not that veterinary care becomes optional.
The breed's signature tail, short and carried like a pom-pom with individual kinks and curves unique to each cat, is a natural trait of the breed. It is not an injury and not, by itself, a health problem, though a vet will still feel along the spine and tail at an examination, as with any cat.
Movement: the sensible thing to observe
Because each Kurilian's tail and spine formation is individual, the practical advice is observational rather than anxious. Notice how your cat jumps, lands, climbs, and uses stairs, and mention it if that picture changes: new reluctance to jump up, stiffness after rest, a bunny-hopping gait, or sensitivity when stroked along the back. Those signs do not diagnose a spinal or joint problem, but they are exactly the information a vet needs to decide whether an examination or imaging is worthwhile.
A young, athletic Kurilian that suddenly moves less is a clearer signal than the same change in a sedentary breed, because this breed normally stays active and engaged well into maturity.
The standard cat risks still apply
Teeth are the most likely place a vet will find something at a routine visit. Tartar, gum inflammation, and resorbing teeth are common across cats, and a Kurilian chewing more carefully, dropping dry food, or developing bad breath should have its mouth examined rather than being put down to fussiness.
Weight needs watching in indoor cats. A Kurilian's dense build hides gain under a thick coat, and the scale at each checkup, compared against previous weights, is more truthful than the eye. In senior years, periodic blood and urine testing watches the kidneys and thyroid, the two systems most likely to shift quietly in an ageing cat of any breed.
Urinary signs stay on the urgent list at every age: frequent small urinations, straining, or blood in the tray mean a prompt appointment, and a cat unable to pass urine needs same-day emergency care.
What a good baseline looks like
For a breed with few specific warnings, good care is mostly about documentation: a young-adult weight, dental grades across the years, and test results from middle age onward. That trail is what lets a vet say confidently whether a senior Kurilian is changing or simply ageing normally. Keeping the trail complete in a KinsLe Pet Passport means each new finding lands next to the Kurilian Bobtail's earlier results instead of starting a fresh, thinner file.