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Cymric Cat



cymric cat
Cymric Cat Texanna © Helmi Flick



Inroduction

The Cymric cat has three things about it that are immediately of note. To some it is not a different cat breed but a long haired version of another breed, the Manx. This calls into question what you call a "different cat breed" and once you go down that road it'll be some time before you come back.

The second thing is the name of the cat. Some websites say that this breed is named after the Gaelic word for Wales (this is incorrect, no criticism meant). The country of Wales, that is. Wales is, in fact, a part of the United Kingdom and governed by the UK Parliament, so it does not have a separate legislation although a large number of Welsh people probably think it should have its own government.

map f wales and isle of manIt is also thought that the Cymric Cat was named after Wales because this long haired version of the Manx was seen there some time ago. This seems likely as the north coast of Wales in about 50-70 miles south of the Isle of Man, the original home of the Manx Cat (see map).

However, the word "Cymric" is the native language of Wales and a form of Gaelic. Gaelic is or was spoken on the Isle of Man, in Ireland and Scotland. Cymric is used quite extensively in Wales still and the langauge is being kept alive.

The English say that the people of Wales speak Welsh, but "Welsh" in Gaelic is Cymric. Well that's got that out of the way....:)

Interestingly when you do a Google search for "Cymric" none of the listings (at least the early ones) refer to the language of Wales but to the cat.

The third thing is, "how did this breed get the medium long coat?".

cymric cat
Photo: Cymric "Bear Butt" © Helmi Flick

History

I am not going to repeat the history of the Cymric Cat as it will be the same as the Manx Cat except for the medium long coat. Somewhere in the development or evolution of this cat, she aquired a long coat.

The question is did this occur naturally or is it due to a human intervention? One theory is that the Cymric was mated with a Norwegain Forest Cat that was imported into the Isle of Man by the King of Norway. This has the air of legend or myth to me and the history of domestic cat breeds is littered with myths and legends.

Another story is that the Cymric Cat breed was started in Canada in the 1960s (implying human intervention). My personal view (for what it is worth) is that the long caot was acquired through deliberate selective breeding but I don't know when.

cymric cat
Photo: Cymric "Mars Classic" © Helmi Flick

Appearance/Character

Once again I refer you to the Manx Cat for character and appearance except for the longer hair which you can see on this page.

Registration

This breed is not registered by the CFA (the No.1 cat association in the US) nor the GCCF (the UK No.1 association). It is registered by TICA, however. The TICA is more "progressive". She is also registered by the American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA) and it is there breed standard that I use accompanying the slide show.


cymric cat cymric cat

Photographs of "Down Pat" by Helmi Flick © Helmi Flick

You can read about Helmi and Ken Flick if you click on this link


Slide show

If you click on this link it will take you to a bumper slide show with reference to the breed standard.


Breeders

Based on my own criteria for selecting a list of breeders there is only one listing (the top one below). My rule is to select the breeders listed on the first three pages of a Gooogle search for independent (non directory) websites.

I have made a short selection from the directories as well:

Karello Manx
Manx and Cymric cattery based in Pennsylvania United States. CFA and TICA registered cattery.

Antelope Manx Cattery
Located in Central Kansas USA. CFA registered cattery specializing in the Cymric.

Kabelkim Manx & Cymrics
This cattery has been in business for 31 years (as at 2007) according to the website. Located in Hudsonville, Michigan, USA. I have not contacted them but this business may not be running.


Source:
  • American Cat Fanciers Association
  • Planet Pets


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