Manx Cats

Manx Cat Breed Information

Learn all about Manx Cats, read about the Manx Breed information, find out about the Manx Breed Standard, Manx behavior and lots more about Manxs.

Manx Cat Breed Introduction

The Manx cat breed is known for the strikingly short tail-some would even say that these cats are tailless. True to their name, these cats originated on the Isle of Man and have been around for at least two to three hundred years. The gene for taillessness, which is dominant, likely resulted from a mutation, which then spread to other cats on the Isle of Man.

Manx Behavior/Personality

Source: Wikipedia (March 2006)

Manx cats are generally said to be easier to train than most cats, and may even be comfortable around water.

Manx Breed Standard/Physical Description

Here are some facts on the Manx breed based on the Cat Fanciers Association's breed standard.

• Head: round, medium in length
• Ears: wide at the base, tapering gradually to a rounded tip, medium size
• Eyes: large, round
• Body: solidly muscled, medium in size
• Legs: Hind legs much longer than forelegs, short
• Paws: round with five toes in front and four behind
• Tail: short, tailless
• Coat: Shorthair: double coat is short and dense, hard, glossy; Longhair: the double coat is of medium length, dense, soft and silky

Manx History

Source: Wikipedia (March 2006)

The Manx cat breed is a very old breed hailing from the Isle of Man, where it is called kayt Manninagh in the local Manx Gaelic language. There have been tailless cats on the Isle of Man for at least two to three hundred years. The characteristic lack of tail is presumed to be the result of a mutation.

There are a number of legends regarding the origins of the Manx cat breed. One legend says that the first Manx cat lots became tailless in a shipwreck. Another legend is that the tail was lopped off when the door of Noah's Arc slammed shut on it. Another is that the cats are the result of interbreeding between cats and rabbits (genetically impossible).

In reality, all that can be said is that since the gene for taillessness is dominant, once it arose, it was simply a matter of the gene slowly spreading throughout the isolated population of cats on the island.

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