Manx Cats

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Manx Cats - Description

Picture source:
Caarjyn Manx © 2001
Cheri Bost

There are several categories of Manx Cats: the "rumpies" (the completely tailless cats), the "risers" (cats with a rise of the spine that may be felt), the - "stumpies" (cats with a very short tail), the "stubbies" (cats with a partial tail) and the fully tailed cats. The Manx (or tailless) feature is the result of a dominant gene mutation; kittens that inherit it may have a long tail, a short tail, a rise, or no tail. Sometimes all these variants are possible in one litter. Only rumpies and risers are eligible for competitions and shows, but introduction of tailed Manx Cats into a breeding program provides a necessary sturdiness. The tailless gene is lethal when breeding rumpies to each other beyond the third generation.

Manx Cats can be described as robust and rounded, with compact body, big bones, and wide chest. The Manx cat is known to have a sweet expression. They have a rounded head, rounded cheeks, and rounded eyes. The ears are broad at the base and taper to narrower tips. The back is short and forms an arch. The back legs of a purebred Manx are much longer than the forelegs, so the rump is higher than the shoulders.

There are two types of Manx Cats: shorthair and longhair. The shorthair has a double coat with hard, glossy outer guard hairs and a softer white or diluted undercoat. The longhair has a silky double coat of medium length, with breeches and ruff being longer and forming a lion-like mane. The longhaired Manx Cats, formerly called Cymric, were only recently recognized in 1990.

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