Breed Profile

Origins

"Manx cats, as far as anyone is able to determine, originated on the Isle of Man hundreds of years ago. It is there that the first records were found describing the strange tailless cat, which is believed to be a mutation of the island’s domestic cats. Interestingly, the word stubbin, which means tailless cat, can be found in the Manx dictionary.

"The Isle of Man is a fascinating place to study the frequency of genetic change in a domestic cat population. Its insularity provides a well-defined space, yet its geographic location in the middle of the Irish Sea leaves it potentially subject to diverse external influences. Although at one time the island was central in the Viking sphere of influence, it has since become increasingly affiliated with British political and commercial interests. What has remained constant is the interbreeding of the tailless cats on this small island, and this has led to the reinforcement of the tailless factor as the predominant gene among the island’s cats…" ("The Book of the Manx" by Marjan Swantek)

It is generally agreed that the tailless factor occurred as a random genetic mutation in cats. They can be found on the Isle of Man, and in some parts of Scandinavia. It is thought that seafaring people may have transported the unusual cat from one location to the other, but it is not clear whether the true point of origin was the Isle or Scandinavia.

Manx Mythology

Many fanciful but untrue stories have come about in an attempt to explain the Manx cat's lack of tail.

One myth about the Manx cat's origin is that Noah shut the door of the Ark on the cat's tail as he walked inside. That became the first Manx cat and there have been tailless cats ever since!

Another myth is that Vikings used to cut cat's tails off to adorn their helmets and shields. Mother cats took to biting their kittens tails off at birth to save them the indignity later on!

Yet another is that Manx cats came about because of a crossbreeding between cats and rabbits, or cats and hares!

What Does A Manx Look Like?

"Besides taillessness, the pedigreed Manx has other features that make it stand out in the cat world. It has full, rounded cheeks that give it a jowly appearanceas well, as an outward turned earset… The Manx neck is short and thick, and the shoulders arch back into a high, rounded rumpsupported by a pair, of long hind legs. The cat’s strong back is short and the flank is deep. A heavydouble coat of fur covers its strongcompact, solidly-built body " ("The Book of the Manx" by Marjan Swantek) .

Rumpies are completely tailless with an indentation at the base of the spine… Stumpies sport a mere stump of a tail. A Rumpy-Riser falls in between. Longies are stumpies with very long stumps, up to nearly a full tail length, and occur in litters less frequently than Rumpies do. Then there are Tailed Manx, kittens born to Manx parent/s, which have a normal tail and no "Manx gene".

A long haired Manx is called a Cymric (pronounced Koomrik). Cymrics have a medium length coat that is still a double coat, but does not tend to matt, or knot. Otherwise, the features of Cymrics are the same as for Manx.

To get a further picture of what a Manx and a Cymric look like, click on this link to browse the sample standard. You can return to this page using the main menu.

What Are Their Personalities Like?

Manx cats are active cats. They like to stretch their strong legs and where they have the space will run at top speed just for the sake of running. But they are versatile and will adapt to whatever situation they are in. If kept indoors they will keep themselves busy with toys, socks, wool, bags or just about anything that moves (watch your shoelaces!).

They are highly intelligent and so can be trained. Many owners walk their Manx on a leash. For city dwellers this trait has the advantage of knowing where your cat is, inside or outside. They are quite territorial and will keep strange cats out of their "patch". It is this trait that is the reason they will tend to consider one person in the family to be their particular favourite.

These characteristics have earned the Manx the name "dog-lovers' cat" and also makes them, along with their "butch" appearance, quite popular with the guys. And so they are also called "the man's cat that women love".