Breed · Cat

Manx

From the Isle of Man, where a tailless mutation spread through an island population over centuries.

Manx are outgoing, people-following cats with a reputation for being unusually easy company. The complication is the same shape as the Scottish Fold’s: the thing that defines the breed is a change to how the spine forms, and the spine does not stop at the tail. Most Manx live ordinary lives. A minority do not, and the ones that do not are affected early and seriously.

At a glance

Lifespan: 12–16 years
Adult weight: 3.5–5.5 kg
Daily attention: 45–60 min
Alone time tolerated: Reasonably well
Grooming: Weekly
Noise level: Quiet
With children: Good
With other pets: Generally easy
Indoor only: Recommended

Colours · 6 listed

Manx tails run from none at all to nearly full length, and the words breeders use — rumpy, stumpy, longy — describe how much tail is left, not how healthy the cat is.

Brown Tabby
Silver Tabby
Black
White
Red
Tortie

Right for you if

You have read the health section and are buying from someone who raises it first.
You want a sociable, follow-you-about cat.
You are adopting an adult whose continence and gait you can already see.
You accept that a tailed littermate is the safer buy and would take one.

Wrong for you if

You want the taillessness and would rather not know what it is.
A breeder tells you the spinal problems were bred out.
You cannot face the possibility of a cat with lifelong continence problems.
You are told two tailless cats were mated together.

What the missing tail actually is

The Manx tail comes from mutations in the T gene, which encodes a protein central to how the spine forms. In one study 95% of short-tailed Manx carried one.¹ The tail is the visible end of a spinal change, not a separate feature.
The problems that travel with taillessness — spina bifida, urinary and faecal incontinence, and hind-limb difficulty — were attributed in a breeding study to a single disturbance of spinal cord development in the early embryo, inherited as a dominant.² They show up early, so an adult cat that is continent and moving well has largely answered the question.
Ask specifically about continence in the line, and ask to see the kitten use a tray. This is the one question a Manx breeder should expect and be ready for.
A tailed Manx from the same litter carries the temperament without carrying the risk. It is a real option and worth asking about.

Sources

Buckingham KJ, McMillin MJ, Brassil MM, et al. Multiple mutant T alleles cause haploinsufficiency of Brachyury and short tails in Manx cats. Mammalian Genome 2013; 24(9-10):400-8. International doi:10.1007/s00335-013-9471-1 PMID 23949773 The Manx tail comes from mutations in the T gene, which encodes Brachyury, a protein central to how the spine forms. 95% of short-tailed Manx carried one. One of these alleles is shared with the American Bobtail and the Pixie-Bob.
Deforest ME, Basrur PK. Malformations and the Manx syndrome in cats. The Canadian Veterinary Journal 1979; 20(11):304-14. International PMID 393376 Breeding study of tailless cats. Taillessness behaves as an autosomal dominant, and the problems that travel with it — spina bifida, urinary and faecal incontinence, and hind-limb difficulty — are attributed to a single disturbance of spinal cord development early in the embryo.

Every source here was checked, not recalled. Where this page makes a health statement and no source appears against it, that is not an oversight we have hidden — it means the claim is not yet sourced, and the build reports how many are in that state.

Availability, registration and keeping requirements differ from place to place. Check the rules where you live before you commit to any animal — we describe animals, not law.