Manx Cat Breed

One of the mythical tales about the origins of the Manx cat breed would have us believe that when Noah called for all the animals to enter the ark, the Manx ignored him because the cat had found good shelter from the rain. It was only when the sheltering feline saw that the water was going to rise above the level of his shelter that he made a dash for the ark.

By this time Noah had reluctantly given up on the cat and had started to close the great door of the ark. The Manx only just managed to squeeze in its body and head, leaving its tail to be severed and carried away by the raging torrent.

Another of the myths, this one from the Isle of Man itself, tells us that Manx cat breed was hunted down by invading Irish warriors who cut of their tails for trophies. This same legend is also told about invading Viking warriors. Seems like everyone was after those poor Manx cats!

A slight variation of the above myth, is that quick thinking mother Manx cats bit off the tails of their kittens to stop invaders snatching them away by the tail.

One myth explains the appearance of Manx cats as being the outcome of mating between cats and rabbits! Of course, breeding between the two different species is just not possible. It is likely that this myth was spread by sightings of malformed (Manx Syndrome) cats whose hind legs could not operate independently.

Many stories tell of shipwrecked galleons and the strange tailless cats that swam to the Isle of Man and established a colony there. Indeed over the centuries many ships have docked at the Isle of Man, and at least some of those ships would have been carrying a cat or two.

Did the gene that is responsible for the Manx cat breed arrive by ship from some far away place? Who knows for sure. What we do know is that Manx most likely share a common ancestry with British Shorthair cats.

The most probable explanation is that a lack of tail happened as a spontaneous, genetic mutation and once it had established, was able perpetuate within the confines of such a small island. With the passing of time, and the isolation of Manx cats from outside breeding, the missing tail became a common characteristic on the Isle of Man. Read the facts about Manx Cats

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