The Manx's belong to one of those rare cat breeds, in the very name of which the geographical name is "sewn", in their case it is the English Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, on which, in conditions of complete isolation and forced closely related crossbreeding, the breed described here was formed.
It was these two circumstances, complete isolation, and closely related crossing, that fixed their main distinctive features in the phenotype of these very intelligent and funny animals - a short tail, and in some individuals even its absence, and also a "rabbit" gait with fast jumps and, which is important, quite yourself a balanced character.
Features of the breed
Like many other breeds of domestic cats, Manx is characterized by dimorphism - their adult males are slightly larger than females, reaching a weight of 3 - 3.5 kg. So you certainly can't call big Manx's.
Description of the Minx tailless cat breed
According to the breed standard, the “average” Manx must have strictly defined external data.
Manx breed standards
- The head is rounded, the muzzle has prominent cheekbones, no feet.
- The ears are wide, equally narrowed, and rounded; and if you look at cats of this breed from behind, the crown of the head, together with the ears, forms a “saddle”.
- The eyes are large, slanted; the color of the iris can be any, but it must be in harmony with the color of the animal. So, for example, blue and red eyes are characteristic of white Manx's, it is even rumored that among them there are individuals with heterochromia, that is, with multicolored eyes. We will not lie, we have not seen.
- The body is of medium build, rather square, the "sirloin" is visually heavier than the front part.
- The limbs are large, muscular, ending in large paws; the front ones are shorter than the back ones.
- There is no tail, of course. Or there is, but very small, for this special part of the body of the Manx's there is a certain gradation:
- ramp - when the tail is completely absent;
- ramp-riser - when instead of a tail, there is a kind of elegant "plume" made of a bunch of wool;
- stamps - short knotted or even hooked tail; and finally
- longs - a tail of medium length.
By the way, only ramp and ramp raisers are allowed to participate in industry exhibitions and competitions.
Manx cat personality traits
Manx cats are very friendly, affectionate, requiring constant human attention, and are very offended when they do not receive it in the proper measure, as they themselves believe.
They easily find a common language with children and usually take part in their pranks and games with pleasure. At the same time, the child should immediately explain that one should not pull a cat or a cat by the tail, if it is even in the form of the slightest hint, by the ears and mustache.
Features of behavior
These cats are active and hardy, definitely having a playful disposition, they like to watch, for example, how the water flows and plays, sometimes pressing the button of the flush tank.
The Manx's get along well with their own kind and even with dogs, but they do not get along with rodents, birds, aquarium fish, and reptiles at all - nothing can be done, their natural hunting instincts are above them.
Care
Not to say that the Manx's needed any special care or maintenance, not at all. According to the Hamburg score, in this sense, their owners are subject to all the same requirements as the owners of other domestic cats, pedigree or mestizo, without a difference, and all caring for them is reduced to the observance of elementary standards of cat hygiene, including here, in addition to the following, nail care.
For wool
Caring for the coat means periodically combing it out with a special comb, on average, two to three times a week, and during the shedding period, this procedure is done more often.
Behind the eyes and ears
The eyes and ears of animals are regularly wiped with moistened cotton swabs, and at the same time are carefully examined to identify "atypical" discharge.
Behind the teeth
As a preventive measure for the formation of plaque and tartar, as well as for gingivitis, cats' teeth are cleaned two to three times a month with a silicone toothbrush with a special non-foaming toothpaste. For these purposes, a child's toothbrush is also quite suitable.
Feeding
For the sake of keeping a cat in good physical shape, as well as its health for many, many years, a high-quality diet is naturally necessary.
Recommended feed
It can be both natural food and dry and wet super- and super-premium food from well-known manufacturers of ready-made pet food:
- Royal Canin;
- Farmina;
- Bosch;
- Hills.
If the Manx's diet, like any other cat, consists of natural food, up to 80% of the total daily volume of this food should be meat, the remaining 20% - vegetables, cereals, and dairy products; if the pet has not reached puberty, it can be fed with milk, but it is better not to give milk to adults, oddly enough.
It is clear that we are talking here, first of all, about boiled meat - beef, poultry, but not about fatty pork; if only because fatty meat is simply contraindicated for cats, like smoking, salting, and spicy foods are contraindicated. By the way, fish can also be given, but the less often the better, as a delicacy or special encouragement - also boiled. Oatmeal should only be boiled in water.
Diseases typical for cats of this breed
The list of possible diseases of each individual cat of the Manx breed is purely individual, but most frequently the following diseases are diagnosed in males and females of this breed:
- corneal dystrophy;
- dystrophy of the hip joints;
- intestinal and bladder dysfunction and others.
How many years do they live
The average life expectancy of a Manx is 14 - 15 years.
Breeding Manx's
This business, obviously, is very troublesome, since Manx's are very, very rare, and they are professionally bred so far only in the USA, Great Britain, and Ireland, where this breed has already become traditional.
Neutering cats and neutering cats
Castration of cats and sterilization of cats of the Manx's breed is carried out exclusively in stationary conditions under anesthesia and the supervision of experienced veterinarians; Age 9-10 months from birth is considered optimal for this kind of surgery.
Pros and cons of the breed, table
Like any other breed of domestic cat, the Manx cat has its advantages and disadvantages, its pros and cons.
The history of the origin of the Manx breed
One of the legends that admirers of this breed like to tell about Manx's says that the Manx cat was the last of all the animals that climbed into Noah's ark: they say, she barely got on board before the doors of the ark slammed shut tightly and pinched her long tail. Kisa reasonably chose to be left without her main decoration, just to go on a life-saving journey through the stormy waters of the Flood together with everyone.
But this is just a legend. In fact, the history of the origin of this breed is covered with darkness, "the water is dark in the clouds." Speaking of water. They say that the Spaniards are "to blame" for everything, whose ship from the famous Invincible Armada got lost in the fog and either ran aground, or even sank not far from the Isle of Man, and the first tailless rat-cat from this ship, being a noted love of life, he managed to get out of this scrape and swim safely to the shore, where he found shelter.
This whole story may in fact turn out to be true since thoroughly battered by the British and Dutch in the summer of 1588, the Spanish fleet did return home in "gardens" - across the North Atlantic and even cruised along the Irish coast for some time; and the losses of the Spaniards in this extremely unsuccessful expedition for them were truly colossal - out of 60 ships that they lost then, only seven were lost in battle.
Be that as it may, the standard of the Manx breed was approved more than a hundred years ago, at the very beginning of the last century, in 1901 or in 1903 - sources data differ here. At the same time, the first club of lovers of this breed was founded.
And these cats became popular a little later, in the 1920s - 1930s, especially in Scandinavia, at home in the UK and overseas, after the Manx's were officially recognized by the American Cat Association in 1920.
Interestingly, in continental Europe, Manx's are still rare, but in Russia, it seems, they do not exist at all.
Owner reviews
The owners' reviews are extremely positive, and what they can still be, it is impossible not to fall in love with these cats at first sight, once and for all, constantly close our eyes to their cute and harmless pranks, it's hard to worry about each of them on the days of their illnesses and grieve after them. Leaving life ...