| Country of Origin: | Isle of Man |
| Colors: | White, Blue, Black, Red, Cream, Silver, Tortoiseshell, Bluecream, Brown |
| Average Size: | Weight: 8-12 lbs (3.6- 5.44 kg) Length: medium |
| Life Span: | 9-13 yrs |
| Coat: | Short/Long |
| Personality: | A placid cat, likely get along with all of the people in your life and provide many years of loving companionship |
| Characteristics: | Energy: Active Talkative: Little Kid Friendly: Yes Allergic: No |
There are many interesting stories about the origin of the famous tailless cats from the Isle of Man, located between the east coast of Ireland and the west coast of Britain. According to legend, it was the last cat that boarded at Noah’s Ark, and Noah inadvertently pinched its tail by the door of his ark!
Other legends say that the Irish invaders took their tails to decorate their war helmets, and later the mothers bit off the tails of their kittens so that no one could take them off. Some say that the Manx cat 1,000 years ago came with Phoenician merchant ships.
It is believed that the first mutation occurred some 400 years ago. Sometimes it really comes to spontaneous mutations, such as “docked tail” in all cat population, but such mutations tend to disappear in case of large populations.
However, in isolated groups, such as the Manx cat and a Japanese bobtail cat (clipped tail), such mutations can survive. Despite the fact that there is no tail, Manx cat has no problem with loss of balance, and is quite good at climbing a tree – if it is in the mood!
Manx cats are a rare occurrence; litters are extremely small – often spawn of two kittens – and this is another consequence of the Manx gene. Homozygous Manx cats – those that possess the Manx gene from both parents – often die in uterus at an early stage of development.
Manx kittens can be quite different, so they are divided into four groups: “Rumpies” the true Manx cats for exhibitions, they have no tail, but in the bottom of their pelvis is just a hole. “Rumpy – Risers” have some vertebrae that make up a tiny bump, “Stumpies” (or sometimes “stubbies” ) have a clearly visible piece of tail that normally is a little bent, “Longies” have almost normal but shortened tail , so they are somewhat difficult to be distinguished from cats with “normal tails”.
