MANX & CYMRICS

The Manx cat is believed to have originated hundreds of years ago on the Isle of Man, off the coast of England. Since many trade ships docked on the Isle, and all had ship cats, it is hard to tell just what the parent cat really was. Obviously, both longhair and shorthair were represented in the original mutation. Many longhairs were seen on the Island along with the shorthairs. A longhaired Manx is known as a Cymric - pronounced Kim-Rick - (the Gaelic word for Welsh), this variety of Manx can now be shown under TICA and Fife rules, however with the GCCF these cats are known as Manx varients and are still not allowed to be shown in competition.

Silver spotted rumpy Manx at 11 weeks old

Red silver spotty and white rumpy Cymric at 12 months old

Geneticists believe that the Manx's taillessness occurred as the result of a spontaneous mutation. The breed multiplied because of the genetic nature of the tailless trait and centuries of inbreeding in an isolated island environment.

The Manx gene is a dominant gene (known as M), this gene shortens the spine of the cat, however not always to the same extent.   The gene will affect each individual kitten differently - creating various types of Manx:-

• The dimple rumpy - here the cat will have a small indentation at the base of the spine
• The rumpy - a completely tailless cat
• The rumpy riser - a cat who has a small rise at the base of the spine caused by a small piece of cartilage
• The stumpy - a cat with a tail between 1-5 inches long
• The longy - a cat with a tail longer than 5 inches, but shorter than a standard tail

The coat of a Manx cat is very easy to take care of, generally only requiring a comb through once a week - other than during the spring where the undercoat is shed, at this time grooming will need to be increased to between 2 and 3 times per week. A Cymric does require more grooming care than a shorthaired Manx, generally a needing to be brushed daily, or at least once every two days.