The short back and the depth of the flanks are the
characteristics of the Manx.
She is of medium size with a fairly large and round head which gives a
chubby appearance.
The medium long nose has no break and ends straight or downwards.
Medium sized, fairly high set ears are open at the base and tapering
slightly to a point.
Large and round eyes which colour correspond to the colours in
British
shorthairs.
The body is solid and compact, the breast is broad, the back compact and
short but in balance to the body, ending in a definite broad and round rump.
The flanks shows great depth and the legs are well muscled. The front legs
are short and set well apart to show off a broad breast. The hind legs are
higher than the front legs forming an angle from the back to the front of
the body.
The paws are round.
The coat is short and double, the undercoat is soft and thick to make a
well-padded appearance.
All colour varieties and patterns are permitted including all colour
varieties with white.
Recently the longhaired variety of the Manx was recognized.
This breed is called Cymric (pronounced KIM-rick or KUM-rick). This
breed has the same standard as the Manx with the only difference of the
medium hair length.
The breed name comes from Cymru (pronounced KUM-ree), the indigenous
Welsh name of Wales. |
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The tail respective the taillessness is
the distinguishing characteristic of the breed.
The different varieties are
Rumpy
There is an absolute absence of the tail with a definite hollow at the end
of the spine
Rumpy riser
There is a rise of bone (sacral bone, no caudal bone) which should not spoil
the tailless appearance of the cat
Stumpy
Has a definite short sometimes irregular formed stubby tail no longer than
3cm, which however may not be bent or kinked
Longie
Manx cats with normal or slightly shorter tail which are used for breeding
Docked tail
In some countries breeders dock the tails of Manx (mainly Longies) to gain
the appearance of a Stumpy.
The docking of body parts is prohibited by the Austrian legislation (animal
protection constitution law).
As it is possible to buy and import already docked cats from foreign
countries or dock the own cats in a foreign country, KKÖ prohibit to breed
with and to show docked cats.
Due to this decision it is not possible to inhibit the clear and very
appreciated docking ban in the Austrian animal protection law.
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History
There are various legends that seek to
explain why the Manx has no tail. In one of them, dogs bit
off their tails as they want to leave the ark of Noah or a
similar tells that Noah closed the door of the ark when it
began to rain and accidentally cut off the Manx's tail,
who'd been playing and almost got left behind. Another
legend claims that the Manx is the offspring of a cat and a
rabbit which is why it has no tail and rather long hind
legs. In addition, they move with more of a hop than a
stride, like a rabbit.
Other sources report that they come with Phoenician
merchants from Japan or descended from ship cat's who where
shipwrecked on the Isle of Man as there Spanish
frigates where sunk off the coast.
Recent postcards on the Isle of Man depict a cartoon scene
of a cat's tail be run over and removed by a motorbike, as
motorbike racing is popular on the Island.
All these explanations are in the area of legends and myths;
the explanation in the 'breeding'-section seems to be the
realistic one.
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Breeding
The taillessness of the Manx originates from a already
300 years known inherited genetic mutation, which developed due to selection
and isolation on a island with the addition of a high inbreeding.
The Manx carries the mutated 'M' gene which is always heterozygote, that is
indicated by the gene combination 'Mn'.
The cats inherit autosomal incomplete dominant with variable expression.
Having two copies of the gene ('MM') is lethal and kittens are usually
spontaneously aborted before birth.
Therefore a mating between two Manx is not allowed and it is necessary to
use either 'Longies' or make an outcross with
British
shorthair.
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Temperament
Manx are quiet and intelligent cats. They are
lovely animals, which are adopt easy with other cats and dogs and the breed
loves humans as adults as well as kids. They show often a tighter relation
to a dedicated family member. They also fetch small objects that are thrown.
The taillessness and the body structure leads to a Manx typical hop
movement, which is known from the movement of rabbits. A common distributed
opinion states, that Manx can hardly balance their body due to the lack of
the tail in comparisation with normal tailed cats. Experience from breeders
and owners often reports the opposite and describe them as excellent
climbers and skilled hunters, known to take larger prey even when they are
young.
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GroomingManx cats have
a short dense coat. Grooming is rather easy and they do not need to be
bathed or excessively combed and brushed. Grooming is rather easy, from time
to time one should lightly brush them so that the old and dead hairs get out
from the coat.
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