manx Cats

Manx Cats photos - Copyright Helmi Flick. Click on thumbnails for large format pictures
combined with a discussion about the breed standard & interesting things

Introduction

Manx Cats are a breed that have developed and evolved on a small island off the English Coast - The Isle of Man.

Although the exact origins of this breed is in fact unclear. I won't go into detail on typical issues. I focus on matters that, I think, need to be noted and/or are of interest. These points of interest are discussed further in short articles linked to this page by thumbnail photographs. Also an excellent large format photograph more than substitutes a wordy description so I hope you will find it useful to click on the thumbnails.

Origin

Manx cats are tailless (but see below for details). Although there are myths describing how this came about, this is caused by a dominant genetic mutation. The mutated gene has a high degree of penetration�. This accounts for the Founder Effect� and the establishment of this breed from a small number of original cats. Several breeds have been created through spontaneous genetic mutation (e.g. American Curl, Munchkin, Sphynx - see the full list here), so this is not unusual. What is unusual is that the genetic mutation happened several centuries ago. Although this may simply be a question of when the cat demonstrating the mutation was discovered and when people became interested in the cat. The other mutations are fairly recent or at least have been noted/discovered fairly recently.

The history of the cat is bound up with the Isle of Man. The mutation happened (?) on a small island and the breed has developed on that island with limited interaction with other breeds. It could be argued that this is a natural cat as they have had limited opportunities to intermingle with any other breed. However, the origins are not altogether clear. Although, the Isle of Man is small (33 miles by 13 miles, pop. 80,000), it was a center for smuggling and in the late 1700s it was described as a place to store contraband from various countries on Continental Europe (as it is now).

Perhaps then Manx cats were brought in on ships from the Continent? Read more on this here. In any event the breed has a long history including recognition by the CFA since the 1920s. They are then an old breed.

History/Myths

There is documentary evidence of the existence of tailless cats in Cornwall and Dorset in 1837. In 1909 the evidence suggests that this cat was called a Manx cat.

Much like the Japanese Bobtail, there are numerous legends surrounding the Manx cat.

Date	Event
?	Myths about losing tail in Noah's Ark door! and importation on ships from Japan (Japanese Bobtail - wrong different gene mutation)
1588	First Rumpy came in off a ship wrecked of Spanish Head at the time of the Spanish Armada
1730	Research on the Manx language indicated the mutation occurred around this time
1750	The tailless cat called "Stubbin" an English word. The Manx language was used until 1750 indicating the cat arrived after 1750
1845	A writer describes the Manx as a cross between a rabbit and a cat having some of the characteristics of a rabbit
late 1800s?	Belief that amputation of a tail either naturally or purposefully (docking) can result in the cat who has had her tail docked having tailless offspring

The Mutation

As the taillessness is caused by a dominant gene mutation, if the Manx is out crossed with another breed say a Domestic Shorthair the result will be that at least half the litter carry the tailless gene. However, not all Manx Cats are tailless. There is a range from fully tailed to without a tail (show quality). Indeed the some Manx Cats have an indention where the tail should be. The range then is from a "negative tail" to a full tail:

Tail length	Description	Comment
dimple for tail	dimple rumpy or rumpy	show quality
no tail	rumpy	show quality
lump of cartilage/vertebrae where tail should be	riser or rumpy riser - can be divided into rumpy high riser and rumpy low riser - you can't feel the cartilage when the cat is relaxed in the low riser.	show quality-can be felt when cat is happy (i.e. "tail" is erect) -the lump musn't stop the hand when stroking cat
short tail	stumpy	pet quality
normal tail	longy or tailed	pet quality�
no tail - docked	docked	cat had a tail and breeder had it docked - see below.

Note: if the cat is born a stumpy or longy the breeder will dock (amputate) the tail. This is ostensibly to prevent the possibility of the tail becoming arthritic and becoming painful later in the cat's life. My thought (and this is only my thought) is that the tails are also being docked to allow the breeder to sell a cat that the public associate with the Manx, namely a tailless cat.

What happens to the tailed Manx cats? They will look like "any other cat" more or less so will be less valuable to the breeder. The reason for docking is probably twofold - cosmetic and medical but may be more for cosmetic reasons. Apparently docking is more prevalent in the USA.

Appearance

Manx cats come in every color and pattern and hair length. The long haired Manx is called the Cymric by some Registries. The Cat Fancy Associations do not accept the pointed or Himalayan pattern. Helmi's photographs provide the best illustration of appearance. Click on the tumbnails for more detail. Other than the lack of a tail the outstanding feature is the fact that, more so than normal, the back legs are longer than the front. That accounts for the posture in some of the photographs. Manx cats have stocky cobby bodies.

Health

A cat's health is the most important issue. Mutated genes don't just cause a single change in the physical appearance of the cat. Often there are other abnormalities, which are detrimental to the cat's health (e.g. Dwarf Cats, Bob Tail - visit some of the other mutated breeds, particularly Dwarf cats to read more about this problem).

In this instance the mutated gene that leaves the cat without a tail also shortens the spine (this is an extension of losing the tail). This causes secondary health problems that ultimately prove fatal. The answer as usual comes down to wise and sensible breeding with the cat's wellbeing as the center of interest. This condition is called Manx Syndrome. It most commonly occurs when rumpy is bred to rumpy. The breeder therefore breeds from tailed Manx Cats to minimize the condition. The client is protected as the breeder will hold onto to the cat up until a time when the condition manifests itself (max 4 months after birth). This also allows Manx Cats to be socialized.

Other

Some breeders

I have picked these on the basis that they have a good presence on the internet. This indicates that they have been around for a reasonable time at least. Please check out "on the ground".

Karella Manx
this breeder located in rural Pennsylvania, USA. Concerned breeder. Google Page Rank for site. No Alexa rank (low traffic relatively) for website. Ranked top of Google for Manx Cat search. Looks good. Good views on docking of tail.

Vagary Mews Manx
Located in North Carolina, USA. Website is Alexa ranked and it is Google Page ranked. First page of Google listing.

Dey Dream Manx
Once again this website came up on page one of Google. Small cattery. manx specialists. Located in Central New Jersey, Eastampton, NJ 08060.

Briar-Brae Cattery
Listed page 3 on Google search. No Alexa listing but claim to be in business of breeding Manx cats since 1961. Located in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. Google page ranked.

Titania Cattery - Champion Manx Cats
Loated here (plus directions) Take I-80, I-81, or the Pennsylvania Turnpike NE Extension Rte. 476 to Wilkes Barre. Listed page 3 Google. No Alexa rank (low traffic). White Website (love it :-))

Manx Cats