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Breed Characteristics
1 paw - breed exhibits the least amount of this characteristic
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Manx
| Origin And History | The Manx has existed for many centuries on the Isle of Man, located in the Irish Sea between England and Ireland. Since the Isle did not have an indigenous feline species from which the Manx could develop, it is surmised that domestic cats were introduced by human settlers and explorers. Exactly who and when is uncertain. One story has it that the cats were aboard a ship of the Spanish Armada that was wrecked on the Isle of Man in 1588. The resourceful cats supposedly swam ashore at Spanish Point and set up mouse-keeping on the Isle. Another story claims that the Manx was introduced by Phoenician traders who transported the cats from Japan. Still another says that cats arrived with the Viking settlers who colonized the Isle of Man. Regardless of how cats got on the Isle, they presumably arrived with their tails intact. Geneticists believe that the Manx's lack of a tail is the result of a spontaneous mutation within the Isle's domestic cat population. Genetically, the Manx and other short-tailed domestic felines are quite different. The Manx's tail, or lack thereof, is governed by a dominant gene along with modifying polygenes, while most other short-tailed breeds, such as the Japanese Bobtail, are governed by recessive genes. Given the Isle's closed environment and small gene pool, the dominant gene easily passed from one generation to the next. Inhabitants of the Isle, unaware of or unimpressed by boring scientific theory, invented more interesting tales to account for the Manx's lack. One contends that the Manx is an unlikely cross between a cat and a rabbit. Another claims that Irish invaders stole the cats' tails to use for their helmet plumes. A third says two Manx cats were passengers on Noah's Ark, but as they were the last to board Noah slammed the door on their tails! The modern history of the Manx is better documented, if more mundane. The Manx was a well-established and popular breed before the earliest days of the cat fancy, supported by an enthusiastic group of Manx owners. King Edward VIII was reportedly a Manx fancier and often attended cat shows featuring the breed. British fanciers formed the first Manx club in 1901. The Manx made his journey to America at least 100 years ago (probably longer), and Manx cats are noted in early American cat registry records. Manx cats were at first exported from the Isle of Man but, as the demand grew, the supply waned. Fanciers had to rely on British and American sources for their cats and, since Manx cats are difficult to breed, demand exceeded supply. Today, show-quality Manx cats are in great demand because of their rarity, but pet quality can be obtained quite easily. |
| Personality | As with all cat breeds, the cat fancy has arrived through observation at a variety of generalisations about the Manx breed as a whole. No scientific studies have yet been done to prove these assumptions, even on average, but they are widely held. The Manx is considered a social and gregarious feline, and very attached to humans, but also shy of strangers. The breed is said to be highly intelligent, playful, and in its behaviour reminiscent of dogs. For example, like some Maine Coons and a few other breeds, Manx cats often learn to fetch small thrown objects. They may also follow their owners about like puppies, and are believed to be better able to learn simple verbal commands than most cats. Many of these views of the breed are not known to have a very long pedigree. Lane's early and experienced account of the temperament of this "variety, which is quaint and interesting" is simply that they are "docile, good-tempered and sociable", and that a prize specimen should be "an alert, active animal of much power and energetic character." Manx are prized as hunters, known to take down larger prey even when they are young. They have long been sought as mousers by farmers. A strong preference for them as ship's cats is thought to be responsible for the world-wide spread (port to port) of what originated as a very limited, insular breed. Although all cats, including the great cats, may use both rear legs simultaneously to propel the body forward, especially when moving quickly, Manx cats are often said to move with more of a rabbit-like hop than a stride even when not running. |
Physical Attributes
| Appearance | Besides the lack of a tail, the Manx is known for its robust and rounded appearance with great depth of flank. This breed can actually be drawn with a series of circles. It has a very round head with rounded cheeks which give it a jowly appearance, especially in the male. It has high hindquarters with the back legs much longer than the forelegs, causing the rump to be higher than the shoulders. The shortness of the back forms a continuous arch from shoulders to rump. The Manx eyes are large and rounded, set at a slight tilt towards the ear. The ears are wide at the base, tapering to a rounded tip. Medium in size, they are widely spaced and set slightly outward. The ear should resemble the rocker on a cradle. Manx come in both longhair and shorthair varieties. Both varieties have double coats which should be very dense and plush. Shorthairs should have an outer coat which is somewhat hard and glossy, although softer coats can be seen in whites and dilutes due to a color/texture link. The longhair has a silky coat which is medium in length, with breeches, abdomen, and neck ruff being longer than the coat on the main body. |
| Health | The Manx taillessness gene is dominant and highly penetrant; kittens from two Manx parents are generally born without any tail. Being homozygous for (having two copies of) the gene is usually lethal in utero, resulting in miscarriage. Thus, tailless cats can carry only one copy of the gene. Because of the danger of having two copies of the taillessness gene, breeders avoid breeding two entirely tailless Manx cats together. Because neither parent carries the tailless allele, a tailed Manx bred to a tailed Manx results in all tailed kittens. Breeders have reported all tail lengths in the same litter, and there is no accurate means to predict the ratio of tailed to tailless kittens produced in each litter. Some partial tails are prone to a form of arthritis that causes the cat severe pain, and in rare cases Manx-bred kittens are born with kinked short tails because of incomplete growth of the tail during development; kittens with stumpy to long tails have sometimes been docked at birth as a preventative measure. "Manx syndrome" or "Manxness" is a colloquial name given to the condition which results when the tailless gene shortens the spine too much. It can seriously damage the spinal cord and the nerves causing a form of spina bifida as well as problems with the bowels, bladder, and digestion. Very small bladders are indicative of the disease and it is often difficult to diagnose. Death can occur quite suddenly and some live for only 3–4 years; the oldest recorded was 5 years when affected with the disease. In one study it was shown to affect about 30% of Manx cats, but nearly all of those cases were rumpies, which exhibit the most extreme phenotype. Such problems can be avoided by breeding rumpy Manx cats with stumpy specimens and this breeding practice is responsible for a decline in spinal problems among modern, professionally bred Manx cats today. Most pedigreed cats are not placed until four months of age (to make sure that they are properly socialised) and this usually also gives adequate time for any such health problems to be identified. Renowned feline expert Roger Tabor has stated: "Only the fact that the Manx is a historic breed stops us being as critical of this dangerous gene as of other more recent selected abnormalities." The breed is also predisposed to rump fold intertrigo and corneal dystrophy. Some tailless cats such as the Manx cats may develop mega-colon which is a recurring condition causing constipation that can be life-threatening to the cat if not properly monitored. It is a condition in which, due to absence of a tail, the smooth muscle that normally contracts to push stools toward the rectum loses its ability to do so. |
