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Hundreds of years ago on a little island in the Irish Sea, humans first began to notice a curious kind of cat wandering about. It looked largely like a normal cat, except it had no tail! Within the small cat population of the Isle of Man, this odd trait soon became quite widespread, and eventually quite sought-after. The Manx breed can still be found on its home island but is now a beloved yet rare breed worldwide. In this article we’re going to explore this fascinating breed from theirs noses to the tips of their–well, wherever they may end.
Breed Characteristics
Re: That Tail
The lack of a tail is the most striking and famous feature of the breed, but not all Manx are tailless. There are four categories of Manx based on tail length. Those without tails are called rumpies. They have a shallow depression at the end of their spines where the tail would normally be. Some don’t have tails, but they do have three fused vertebrae at the base of the spine which lift up when the cat’s back is stroked. Such cats are called rumpy risers. Stumpies have very short tails, and longies have normal or close to normal length tails. Tails intermediate between the latter two are also possible. Regardless of tail length, they are still considered Manx cats, although only rumpies and rumpy risers are allowed in the show ring,
The wide variety of tail lengths seen in the breed, often in the same litter, is due to the genetics of the unusual trait. Four mutations have been identified that cause the tailless trait in Manx cats, but they all seem to behave in the same way (1). The mutations are dominant, but with partial penetrance. This means that any cat with a copy of the mutation would be expected to display the tailless trait, but sometimes they do and sometimes they have a less dramatically foreshortened tail. The science behind the Manx tail is still under investigation. Researchers are interested in it because of what these cats may be able to teach us about how the spine develops in mammals in general (i.e. humans), and how that sometimes goes wrong.
Manx have at most one copy of a tailless mutation. This is because having two mutant copies of the gene does cause things to go wrong during development. How, exactly, is unknown, as these kittens rarely survive long enough to be born. This is one of the reasons why Manx usually have small litters. Some kittens will inevitably inherit two mutant copies. Of course, this raises ethical questions about deliberately breeding these cats, knowing that some kittens will die. How many kittens, we can only guess using genetics and mathematics.
All other things being equal, in a mating of two parents, each carrying one mutant allele, about 25% of their offspring would inherit two mutant alleles and die. Responsible breeders can decrease those numbers by including longies in the breeding pool, as they are likely to not carry any mutant alleles. Do we trust breeders to make the right decisions? And do we accept that some kittens will still probably die even when a breeder is doing their best to avoid it? The kittens don’t suffer as far as we know. It’s a sticky dilemma. When we circle back around to some more biology later, there will be even more tough questions. But first, let’s go over something lighter.
General Appearance
Given that Manx can have normal tails, the lack of one is obviously not the only defining characteristic of the breed. Perhaps the most common adjective used to describe the appearance of Manx is “round.” They have round heads with large, round eyes and round cheeks that make them look a bit jowly. They’re hind legs are much longer than their forelegs, and this causes their backs to arch from shoulders to rump, thereby making their whole body look round. They have a stout body and broad chest with muscular, round haunches.
I repeatedly saw the ears described as looking like a cradle from the back, and frankly, I have no idea what that means. They just look like cat ears to me, but maybe that will strike a chord with someone else. Manx can come in any color or pattern under the sun, although the Cat Fanciers Association does not allow lavender or chocolate, or the color-point pattern, because they indicate hybridization. They may be short- or long-haired. Both have a double coat which can require weekly grooming, more during shedding seasons.
Personality
Manx are known for being friendly and people-oriented. They are quiet cats, but will have conversations with their people in a soft trill like that used by mother cats to communicate with their kittens. Manx are typically very mellow, but they are fiercely loyal and are quite the guard-cats. They may go on the offensive if they perceive a threat. Strange dogs are the most likely to bear the brunt of real aggression. Familiar dogs, however, can be great friends.
Manx who are socialized to other pets and children when young do very well with them. Older Manx may take time to adjust if they aren’t used to such creatures, so give them time. Cats are creatures of habit, after all. Though not an extremely active breed, Manx are very playful and intelligent. They like to learn tricks and solve puzzles. Multiple Manx in the same household have a curious and amusing tendency to chase each other in circles.
Despite the often missing or short tail, Manx do not struggle with balance and are excellent hunters and jumpers. Their powerful back legs can get them into most high places, so be sure to lock up anything you don’t want them to have. Hiding it in a cupboard or on a tall shelf will not keep it away from a determined Manx. These cats are thought to have particularly robust inner ears to help them maintain their balance, something most cats would use their tails to aid in.
History (Maybe)
There were no native European wild cats on the Isle of Man when the domestic cats first arrived. On that much, there is a consensus. Beyond that, no one is certain when or how domestic cats came to the island, or why they came to have such a strange mutation. Even scientists are still in flux about the latter. Of course, the locals have much more interesting stories.
One common theory holds that a ship wrecked near the Isle of Man. The ship had cats, as most would have, and these swam to shore and colonized the island. The sailors were not so lucky. Another version of this story would have it that there were already cats on the island, and the tailless feline survivor(s) of the shipwreck were the genesis of the Manx breed. The origin of the ship in the story varies, as well. Often it’s a ship (or two) from the Spanish Armada that wrecked in 1588, but at least two other shipwrecks are considered possible sources. It has also been speculated that the Vikings brought cats, or at least that they brought the long-haired cats. We will probably never know for sure.
We now know why Manx cats sometimes have no tails, but the first linguistic reference to the tailless cats on the Isle of Man was in the mid-eighteenth century (2). The residents couldn’t have known about genetic mutations. So they came up with their own ideas. One theory took into account the stumpy or absent tail and long legs of Manx cats, which sometimes have a hoppy gait, and decided that they were not cats but cabbits, the offspring of a cross between cats and rabbits. This theory really raises more questions than it answers, but Manx do look a little bit bunny-like. Needless to say, cabbits are biologically impossible.
Another story went that when Noah built the Ark to save two of every animal from God’s flood (see the Book of Genesis), the Manx cats were running late. Does this mean Noah took two of every breed of cat on board? The story doesn’t elaborate. But the rains were about the start and Noah had already started the door closing when the cats were running up the gangplank. They made it through–but their tails didn’t.
Maybe the most gruesome story yet goes that Viking or Irish warriors used to steal Manx kittens to cut off their tails. They would use the tails to adorn their helmets as good luck charms. The mother cats did not take kindly to this, but they were no match for the warriors. So they did the best they could. They bit off their kittens’ tails to save them from a worse fate.
Thankfully, no Manx actually had their tails cut off in the making of, well, Manx. However cats came to the island, after that a random mutation that caused the tailless trait arose. This trait is detrimental to reproductive success and sometimes the individual. Manx have compensated for the lack of balance, but that may have come at the Darwinian expense of tailless cats that could not. Even if not, cats use their tails for communication as well. There are also health problems associated with the trait, not to mention that having two copies of the mutation is lethal. So why did it become so widespread?
The traditional explanation was genetic drift, the phenomenon by which a trait changes in frequency in a population by random chance. In other words, it just kind of happened. In small, inbred populations, this is pretty common. Try out a simulation of genetic drift here if you’re interested in seeing how this works. However, a study in 1980 found that the tailless trait would become stable in a population, despite the lethality, as long as sperm carrying the dominant mutant allele had an advantage during fertilization (3). While the study was mathematical in nature, it gives a strong indication of why the Manx trait may have been so persistent on the Isle of Man (3). She-cats frequently mate with multiple toms while in heat, so that selective fertilization advantage could make a difference.
Health Concerns
This is its own section for a reason. Manx are wonderful companions and can make great pets, but no one wants to get a sick cat they weren’t prepared for. Manx don’t have very many breed-specific health problems, but the ones they do have can be severe. They usually appear early in life, by four months at the latest, so if you purchase from a breeder, be very cautious of anyone willing to part with kittens before the age of four months.
Manx are prone to corneal dystrophy, a progressive cloudy buildup in the cornea of the eye. It typically appears by four months. It can cause vision loss and blindness, depending upon the severity, but cats can learn to cope with blindness well.
The worst concern with these cats is Manx syndrome, a group of conditions that can co-occur in Manx cats. It’s most common when rumpies are bred to rumpies for multiple generations but sometimes crops up even with responsible breeding. Manx syndrome includes spinal disorders like spina bifida (incomplete closure of the vertebrae over the spinal cord, leaving exposed nerve tissue), fused vertebrae, short or missing vertebrae, and deformed pelvic and/or sacral bones (4). Neurological problems such as lower-body paralysis or difficulty walking can occur (4). Cats with milder symptoms walk with the bunny-hop that led some to think Manx were cabbits (4). Inability to control the bowels and bladder and digestive problems are symptoms of Manx syndrome as well (4). Kittens with this disease are often euthanized.
Once again, the ethical question of whether we should be breeding Manx raises its ugly head. At one time, anyone that wanted a Manx had to have them shipped from the Isle of Man, where the cats just bred themselves. But supply inevitably outstripped demand, and here we are. I know I wouldn’t buy a Manx from a breeder, but I wouldn’t buy any cat from a breeder, so that’s easy for me to say. It seems objectively wrong to breed cats in the knowledge that some proportion will die in utero or die later because they’re so sick.
On the other hand, these are cats that occur in the wild, unlike some novelty breeds that were artificially selected to be that way. Does the natural-ness of the breed make it okay for us to breed more? I’m not a philosopher. You reach your own conclusions. But I will, and always will, say this: adopt, don’t shop! If you would like to adopt a Manx cat, check at your local shelter or Tailless Cat Rescue (http://www.taillesscatrescue.com/).
Fun Facts
- Koko, the gorilla who learned American Sign Language, had a Manx as her first kitten. Koko named her All Ball because of her roundness.
- The Manx was one of the founding breeds of the Cat Fanciers Association in 1906.
- You can visit a Manx cat sanctuary on the Isle of Man: Mann Cat Sancuary (manncat.com).
- Long-haired Manx are sometimes recognized as a separate breed, the Cymric (meaning “Welsh”).
- Manx have been pictured on coins and stamps in their native Britain.
Works Cited
- Buckingham, K.J., et al. (2013). Multiple mutant T alleles cause haploinsufficiency of Brachyury and short tails in Manx cats. Mammalian Genome, 24(9-10), 400-408. DOI: 10.1007/s00335-013-9471-1
- Baraniuk, C. (2016, February 2). Why the cats on one British island have lost their tails. BBC Earth. link here.
- Adalsteinsson, S. (1980). Establishment of equilibrium for the dominant lethal gene for Manx taillessness in cats. Theoretical and Applied Genetics, 57, 49-53. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00277762
- Meggitt, J. Spina bifida in Manx kittens. The Nest. https://pets.thenest.com/spina-bifida-manx-kittens-7590.html.
Published April 24, 2020
Updated January 15, 2021
