5 + 1 interesting facts about the Manx

The Manx is famous for their unique body structure, but there are many interesting facts associated with the breed.

The Manx evolved on the Isle of Man, probably sometime in the 16-18th century. century. It took a while for the breed to become world famous, but they are now widely known, including the long-haired variety. The latter is called the Cymric, and although most cat registries consider them to be just a variant of the Manx, more and more people are now looking at them as a breed in their own right. Returning to the Manx, tailless cats are as much a subject of legend as they are of curiosity. Most of these have already been explained in our breed description, but that is just scraping the surface, they may be worth mentioning here as well for those who have not heard of Manx. So we will start with these.

1.) Legend has it that this is how the Manx was created

There are several legends about why the Manx are the way they are; here are two of them. One is that during the flood, the then-long-tailed breed almost missed the launch of Noah’s ark. They had just managed to arrive in the nick of time, but their tail could not get on board, because Noah slammed the door of the ark on it. According to another story, the breed is half rabbit, half cat, with elongated hind legs and a short, even missing tail.

2.) In reality, the reason for the lack of tail is genetics

As exciting as these stories are, the reality is perhaps a little more ordinary – but certainly not boring! The Manx’s characteristics are caused by the so-called manx gene (M) which is a (dominant) gene mutation. It is thought to have become so prevalent in the Manx population because of the high inbreeding rate due to the closed population, so this genetic mutation could easily spread.

3) They also participated in the first cat show

Officially the 1871 cat show is usually referred to as the first cat show (although there might have been others here and there according to some sources). It was held at the Crystal Palace in London and was organised by an American gentleman, Harrison Weir. The exhibition had, according to the records over 160 cats entered, representing 23 different breeds. Among them was the Manx, or Manx cat.

4) Koko the talking gorilla’s first cat was a Manx

Koko the talking gorilla was a world-famous primate. Her fame was mainly due to the hard work and patience of Her keepers in teaching her to sign. The gorilla is said to have been able to communicate with more than 1,000 signs and to understand the meaning of even more words. She died in 2018, aged 46. But her story continues to inspire many and teach many more to respect nature and all its animals.

Besides Koko’s successful communication, she was also famous for her cats. Her first kitten was a grey tabby kitten without a tail. The cat was one of three kittens abandoned by their mother and raised by a Cairn Terrier. The gorilla was allowed to choose which kitten she wanted, and she chose the tailless cat (more than likely a Manx.) She named the cat “All Ball”, presumably in reference to his rounded shape. Thus began a truly special friendship between the two. Koko was always gentle with the cat as if he was her own cub, and All Ball (when they were separated for unsupervised lessons) would sneak up on the gorilla.

Unfortunately, All Ball did not live to see old age. Not only did he sneak into Koko’s dwelling, he sneaked out of it, roaming free. Unfortunately, this freedom cost him his life when he was hit by a car. Koko’s caretaker told the gorilla the devastating news, and the gorilla went silent for the first few minutes, then, as the story goes, started to cry. Her grief lasted for weeks, even months, as she mourned her little friend.

The gorilla seemed to prefer cats without tails. So her carers did their best to find her a cat from the Isle of Man. Eventually, they were matched with a red kitten, who was named “Lips Lipstick”.

Later Koko was joined by “Smoky” (their breed is not often spoken of), who was her loving companion for over 18 years.

Koko had several kittens even after Smoky’s death. Pictured below with Koko are her caretaker Penny Patterson and her two kittens, Ms. Black and Ms. Grey:

5.) In fact, they can have several tail lengths

The Manx cat is mainly famous for their missing tail, but this is not the whole truth. Although it is typical for them to have no tail, and according to the standard two possible forms of them are part of the ‘ideal’ appearance, a Manx litter can be born with a longish or long tail. In fact, breeders prefer to include these kittens in breeding, as this minimises the chance of some unpleasant complications.

So, according to this, the Manx cats can be:

• “rumpy”: when the cat is missing their tail or sacral vertebrae;
• “rumpy riser”: in this case, the cat is missing only their tail (i.e. its caudal vertebrae), but has their sacral vertebrae;
• “longy”: this is when the cat has a tail, but it is short;
• “taily”: this is when the cat has a full-length tail, i.e. all (or nearly all) of their caudal vertebrae. For an average domestic cat, this means 18-23 vertebrae.

+1.) Manx are excellent balancers even without their tails

The tail of a cat is not just a decoration but also plays an important role in balancing. Their somewhat unusual proportions and lack of tail might lead you to believe that Manx cats don’t have the best sense of balance. But in reality, they have nothing to complain about. According to experts, this is due to their highly sensitive sense of balance, which is part of their balance system and is located in the inner ear.