The Manx is known for its peaceful character. It is a true friend to everyone. A Manx quickly adapts to new situations. He also likes to interact with other animals. He is also very patient with children. This makes the Manx an ideal family cat. The Manx is also known for his love of hunting. He likes to go out. Despite the fact that this cat can fit perfectly in a family, there are a number of points to consider with this breed. Do you want to know what these points are? Then read on.
Ancestry: one of the oldest cat breeds in Great Britain
The Manx is one of the oldest cat breeds in Britain. There are a number of different legends about the origins of this breed. One of the best-known legends is about Noah’s Ark. Noah called all the animals to the Ark, but the Manx was still asleep. Because of this, he had to run to the ark in no time to get on board. While the door of the ark closed, the Manx could just slip inside. But this did not go without a hitch. His tail came between the door, causing him to lose it. This story is nice to tell, but has not been confirmed to this day.
Another story is about the legend of the Spanish ships from Armada. The ship sank off the coast of the Isle of Man in 1588. Spanish sailors are said to have brought this cat with them during the dismantling of Philip II of Spain’s ships. No evidence has been found for this story either.
Did the breed come from a Japanese ship? The sailors took the Manx with them on their ship. Not to import a new breed of cat. But the cats had to catch rats on the ship. You can still doubt this story.
Although the origin of the Manx has not been established, it is certain that modern science agrees that the taillessness of the cat is caused by a mutated dominant gent. You can read more about this later in the text.
The character of the Manx: an active cat that doesn’t find it difficult to adapt
The Manx is very intelligent, dependent and playful. In general, the Manx is a reasonably active cat. He likes to play nicely. Besides that, hunting is a real passion of this cat. It is therefore advisable to give this cat enough time and space to go hunting. Provide a cat flap, so the cat can always go in and out whenever he wants. Besides being very active, this cat also likes to be social with other pets. And it can also get along well with children. Adapting to new circumstances is no problem for this breed.
Another characteristic of this breed is that it doesn’t get stressed easily. This is a big advantage, because stress is usually a real culprit in animals. For example, they cannot cope well with loud, unexpected noises. But this cat has no problem with that at all.
All in all, this cat is a fine cat to keep as a pet, because it is social and reasonably easy to get along with.
The character of the Manx: an active cat that doesn’t find it difficult to adapt
The Manx is very intelligent, dependent and playful. In general, the Manx is a reasonably active cat. He likes to play nicely. Besides that, hunting is a real passion of this cat. It is therefore advisable to give this cat enough time and space to go hunting. Provide a cat flap, so the cat can always go in and out whenever he wants. Besides being very active, this cat also likes to be social with other pets. And it can also get along well with children. Adapting to new circumstances is no problem for this breed.
Another characteristic of this breed is that it doesn’t get stressed easily. This is a big advantage, because stress is usually a real culprit in animals. For example, they cannot cope well with loud, unexpected noises. But this cat has no problem with that at all.
All in all, this cat is a fine cat to keep as a pet, because it is social and reasonably easy to get along with.
The appearance of the Manx: a cat without a tail
One of the most important and striking features of this breed is that it has no tail. There are a number of variations on this characteristic. These variations are:
- Rumpy;
- Rumpy-riser;
- Stumpy;
A Rumpy has no tail at all. With Rumpy riser one to three tail vertebrae are present. These are covered with hair. A Stumpy has a tail of a few centimeters long. Usually also with one to three tail vertebrae. This tail often comes with bone deformities. So, if you notice something weird on the tail, you can assume that this is normal. Finally, the Tailed. This cat does have a tail, but often there is a kink in it. In addition, this tail is not as beautiful in shape as the tail of another breed. This does not happen very often. In general, a Manx without a tail is most common.
The head of the Manx is broad and round with considerable cheeks. The muzzle is slightly longer than it is wide. He has well-developed whisker pads and a firm chin. The ears are medium sized and stand far apart from each other. The eyes of this breed are perfectly round. The colour of these eyes often matches the colour of the coat. Furthermore, this breed can be recognized by a short, broad neck. He has a medium sized and firm body with a broad chest. He is also quite muscular.
The coat of the Manx
The Manx occurs with both a short and a half long haired coat. The short-haired Manx has a double coat, which feels rather thick. This is because the soft and short undercoat pushes up the coat. With a half long haired coat this is less the case. The outer coat here is longer so that it is also less pushed up. Because of this the coat feels a bit softer. feel.
The Manx is bred in the real farm cat colours. These are colours of normal European domestic cats. Natural colours that are common with the Manx:
- white;
- blue;
- black;
- red;
- cream;
- silver;
- blue-cream;
In addition to a solid colour, the coat can also have a beautiful pattern. The patterns that the coat of a Manx can consist of:
- Turtle: this pattern consists of a mix of the colours red and black. The red and black pigments of this cat do not form a single colour of hair, but a mixture. The shape of this mixture is often found in the pattern of a turtle shell. Hence the name turtle for this special pattern.
- Two-coloured: in this pattern the cat simply consists of two colours.
- Three-coloured: in this pattern the cat consists of three colours. Often there is a turtle pattern with the extra colour white on for example the paws.
- Speckled: in this pattern, loose hairs have different colour bands. This creates a detailed pattern that causes speckles.
- Smoke: in this pattern the base of the hairs is silver white, and three quarters of the hairs are darker coloured. This creates a smoky effect. Hence the name smoke. This pattern can occur with several colour combinations.
- Shaded: in this pattern the undercoat is lighter in colour than the outer coat. Usually about a third of the hairs are darker coloured. Also, with this pattern several patterns are possible.
A large number of colours and patterns are therefore possible with the coat of the Manx. According to the breed standard only the colour chocolate, colourpoints and ticked tabbies are not natural.
The care: daily care is necessary
Despite the fact that this cat has a reasonably short coat, it is still necessary to groom the coat every day. This is necessary because the coat consists of two layers. It is important to brush this coat every day and keep it smooth. If there is not enough brushing, then it may be that the underlayer starts tangles. This is not good for the cat. During the moulting season it is advisable to pay some extra attention to the care of this cat.
The coat of the Manx
It is often the case that a cat species comes with a certain coat colour. This is not quite the case with this species. As mentioned before this cat can come in different colours. These colours are:
- white;
- blue;
- black;
- red;
- cream;
- silver;
- blue-cream;
These are the most common coat colours of the Manx. There are also different patterns that can occur in the coat of this breed. These patterns are:
- plain;
- bicoloured;
- three-coloured;
- cyper patterns;
- speckled;
These are the most common patterns of the coat. So, you can see that there are a lot of possibilities. The coat of this breed is generally short, but in some cases, it can be a bit longer. A big advantage is that it doesn’t really have the tendency to shedd.
The Manx’s diet: watch out for obesity!
The Manx needs balanced nutrition. This is because he loves to hunt. When hunting, the cat consumes a lot of energy. He also uses a lot of muscles. Proteins are therefore essential for this breed. These cats have a pretty big appetite. Because of this they can quickly grow overweight. So, pay close attention to how much he gets to eat. Do you notice that he is getting too fat? Then adjust the portions.
It is important that the Manx receives enough proteins, minerals and fats. Provide food with sufficient fish oil and Omega 3. These substances help to keep the coat healthy. Also provide taurine, this is actually essential for every cat, as the cat’s body needs taurine for its metabolism to work. This also works through to a healthy digestion. If a cat ingests too little taurine it can get sick. One of the diseases that can occur is dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and this leads to an enlargement of the heart. You absolutely have to prevent this and you do this by paying close attention to the food.
Common diseases in this breed
Because this breed is fairly short, he often has a short spine. This can cause a lack of intestinal and bladder control. Also having no tail plays a role in this. This disorder is therefore less common in the variety that does have a tail.
Another point – not really a disorder but important – is fertility. This variety is a lot less fertile compared to other varieties. The kittens also grow quite slowly. Because of this the breeding has a lot of problems. It often happens that kittens already die in the womb. This has to do with a certain gene. If this gene crosses with a cat that also has this gene, he won’t survive. Therefore, it is often advised to cross a Manx with a British Shorthair. This reduces the chance of a death in the uterus.
In addition to these disorders, this breed does not suffer from any other diseases and is quite strong.
How old can the Manx get?
On average, the Manx becomes about 8-14 years old. This of course depends on the care and health of the cat. With good care, in which the cat remains very healthy, the Manx can also grow older than 14 years. Will your cat get sick? Is there a lot of stress in the house? Then you run the risk that the Manx will not get very old. You can prevent this by always taking good care of your cat and being alert to any changes in health.
When you take a Manx in your house, you should know the following things
A Manx is ideal to buy as a family cat. He gets along well with other animals and people. This cat has a lot of energy. This can sometimes make it difficult to take good care of him. He demands a lot of attention. If you are thinking about buying this breed, check in advance if you have the time to play a lot with the cat.
Also see if you can install a cat flap so that the cat can go outside on a regular basis. Is this difficult? Then find out if there are other possibilities for the cat to go outside. If this is not the case, then it may be wise to choose a different breed. Hunting belongs to this cat. If he can’t do this then it can have a negative effect on his health.
The popularity of this breed in England in particular has grown enormously since 1900. Since the thirties the Manx is officially bred in America. It is known here as a real family go-kart. In Europe this breed is relatively rare.
Special fact: the taillessness of the Manx
As you could read at the beginning of the text there are many stories circulating about the origin of this breed. More specifically, this tailless breed. What follows is a technical, but not unimportant piece of information.
Modern science now agrees that this taillessness is caused by a mutated gene that is dominant. The same gene that is responsible for the taillessness also causes the females to have small litters. The hereditary factor, that is the gene, is lethal in a homozygous form. A homozygous Manx, that is a cat that inherits the gene for taillessness from both parents, dies in the womb at an early stage.
A live born Manx is heterozygous. These heterozygous cats have inherited only one gene for taillessness. The other member of the gene pair is in turn responsible for a normal tail. Breeders often cross tailless Manx cats with young Manx cats with normal tails in order to maintain the right body type.
What does a Manx cost?
Some people think that a cat born without a start is deformed and therefore less true. That is the opposite here. The taillessness of the Manx increases the P price. The Manx can be 800 dollars but also 1200 dollar, and everything in between. This depends on several factors, of which external characteristics are an important one.
Does the price seem too good to be true? Then unfortunately it often is. So always keep this in mind and stay alert if you want to buy a Manx.
Do you have a Manx?
Do you have a Manx in your house? Then we are very curious about your experience with this breed. Where did you get it? How did you find a good breeder? Maybe there are things that stand out? We all want to know. Let us know in the reactions under this article!
