More Manx Lore or Why Dobermans Dock Their Tails

Doberman's dock their tails in order to get that fashionable stubby Manx appeal.

There are many myths about the magnificent and immortal Manx breed. The Manx cat is a natural breed, even if later methods of selective breeding were used to establish a breed standard and ensure optimal health for the breed. The Manx breed is though to have evolved on the Isle of Mann. This is an island that the sits between England and Ireland in the Irish Sea.

The Manx cats’ original ancestors may have come from tailless cats that are native to Norway. There is no natural breed of cats that lived on the Island.  Vikings who visited the Island left some tailless cat’s .later the Norwegian cats cross breed with cats brought by other peoples settling the island. On this Island which is only 13 miles long, these tailless cats probably bred with the British Shorthair. Trading ships from all over Europe visited the Island so other cat breeds may have been introduced to the Island

Sable suspects a stupid mutt shut the door on his ancestors tail.

Now one can say with certainty that the origins of the Manx for many take on biblical proportions once you get past their arrival on the Island. We all know that Manx as the most dignified breed of cat , they do not scurry about like rodent like chihuahuas nor do they meander like obese bassets.

Manx travel at a steady yet regal pace worthy of their superior position in nature. A regal Manx cat couple was late to Noah’s ark. Noah did not appreciate their fashionably late arrival. The non chalet male Sir Sable, just whipped his exceptionally beautiful tail about and sighed, “If you let us aboard this um abysmal craft, I mean aboriginal craft (for it was not a pampered pet Disney cruise, with steerage for the lowlier beasts) I will catch mice for you (translation I will get some dumb dog to do it).’’ Sir Sable and his lady fair did not notice the water rushing towards the door. In a slighty regal run, they sauntered towards the door and Noah “accidently” severed the regal Manx tail.

Instead of becoming depressed about the loss of his gorgeous tail the mesmeric Manx, made it a fashion statement, that demure Doberman’s would copy by having their tails “docked”. Many breeds of dogs try to gain that Manx appeal by docking their common doggy tails.

Sable added some “oral history” to the biblical account. Sable said that a demon dog dust ball named “Nigel”, for the spiritual darkness he represented ‘ate” this true account of the origin of the Manx. It that was skillfully recorded by biblical scribes but then tragically eaten by a devil dog named Nigel.This is why the tale or lack there of is not recorded in our present day canon of sacred text.

English: Manx cat, Maughold churchyard A very friendly 'stumpy' cat which took pleasure in accompanying visitors round the gravestones. (Photo credit: Wikipedia) This Manx personal sacred mission is to have Manx once again take their proper place in the Anglican canon of sacred text.

This writer has doubts about the authenticity of this tall or shall we say at least stubby tale of the tragic loss of the biblical Manx tail. The last part may be of particular suspicion. Sable calls the affenpinscher  chihuahua mix Nigel the Dust Bunny Dog, usually after he has accidently consumed some of Sable’s food. Now while it is true that every day is a bad hair day for this poor beast, Nigel points out he was not born until 2006 and could not have chewed up any sacred ancient texts.

 Is this the ancient text eaten by the devil dust bunny dog?

Being a celtic cat... Sable has been known to tell a wee tale about a tail he never had when literally consuming the hair
of the dog he bit with a lot of catnip.

Nigel denies eating any sacred Anglican Manx Scripture. He points out he is Lutheran .

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Don't Let Your Beagle Name The Baby Manx Frumpy Rumpy

Picture of a sleeping "Rumpy" Manx cat. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

A longy (and rare all-white) Manx female. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: This cat was named Minus as a nickname for Minus-Tail. She is a Manx and mother to: Beatrice, Dante, Beatrice 1 week, and alternative picture :This is obviously a "riser" Manx, not a "rumpy". She has a bit of cartilage at the end of the spine causing a tail bump (though not a full stump) to rise from the back. — SMcCandlish [talk] [cont] ‹(-¿-)› 04:06, 15 October 2011 (UTC) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

SWAT Kats Season 2 title card, featuring T-Bone, Razor, and the Turbokat (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you have gotten a Manx kitten from the breeder and they have papers you are best to stick to the name on the paper. If you however, are not showing the cat then feel free to name your Manx. The most obvious Manx names would have to do with the Manx not having much of a tail.  Names like Bob, Stubby, Stubbing, and Rumpy, are obvious choices. Another way to go would be to give your Manx a Manx version of a good Celtic name.  Here are some suggestions.

BLAANID   f   Manx

Manx form of BLÁTHNAT

BREESHEY   f   Manx

Manx form of BRIDGET

EALISAID   f   Manx

Manx form of ELIZABETH

EAN   m   Manx

Manx form of JOHN

ILLIAM   m   Manx

Manx form of WILLIAM

JUAN   m   Spanish, Manx

Spanish and Manx form of Iohannes ( JOHN)

MARGAID   f   Manx

Manx form of MARGARET

MOIRREY   f   Manx

Manx form of MARY

PAAIE   f   Manx

Manx form of PEGGY

PHERICK   m   Manx

Manx form of PATRICK

VOIRREY   f   Manx

Vocative form of MOIRREY

You can also give your Manx a famous name. Manx themselves tend to be inclined to Diva behavior and most will enjoy a famous name . Below is a list of names that might appeal to your star struck Manx.  This list is not exhaustive and was taken from Wikipedia.

Bluebeard, from the German animated film Felidae (1994)

Gordon from the American animated TV series Catscratch (2005–2007)

Ma Manx, matriarch of a crime gang in the children's novel Rex Tabby: Cat Detective by Daniel Kirk (2004, ISBN 978-0-439-45286-1)

Mac Manc McManx, a recurring guest character in the American daily comic strip Get Fuzzy (1999–present)

Mayor Manx from the American animated TV series SWAT Kats (1993–1995)

Manx, the antagonist to Slimer, of Slimer! and the Real Ghostbusters (1988–1991)

Manx Cat, the antagonist for the bulk of Paul Gallico's children's novel Manxmouse: The Mouse 

Who Knew No Fear (1968, ISBN 978-0-698-10237-8) and the 1979 Japanese anime based on it

Manx McCatty from Christopher Reed's children's book The Big Scratch (1988, ISBN 978-0-345-35391-7)

Marco the Manx from Joann Roe's series of children's books, Fisherman Cat (1988, ISBN 978-0-931551-02-4), Castaway Cat (1989, ISBN 978-0-931551-03-1), Alaska Cat (1990, ISBN 978-0-931551-05-5) and Samurai Cat (1993, ISBN 978-0-931551-08-6)

Max from Adam Whitmore's "Max the Cat" 1986 series of children's books, Max Leaves Home (ISBN 978-0-382-09243-5), Max in America (ISBN 978-0-382-09244-2), Max in India (ISBN 978-0-382-09245-9) and Max in Australia (ISBN 978-0-382-09246-6)

Mika, title character of the children's book Mika the Manx Cat by D. M. Hart (2012, ISBN 978-0-61567-18-95)

Narrator, an orange Manx, in the children's book The Cats of Grand Central by Laura Archibald, illustrated by Garner Beckett (2003, ISBN 978-0-9730951-0-4)

Olaf, protagonist of Olaf Comes Home by Kathy Dollina Creamer (2001, ISBN 978-1-873120-15-6), a children's book modeled on "The Ugly Duckling"

Raffles, Bernie Rhodenbarr's Manx cat in Lawrence Block's "Burglar" series of mystery novels, first appearing in The Burglar Who Traded Ted Williams (1994, ISBN 978-0-525-93807-1)

Stimpson "Stimpy" J. Cat, one of the two main characters of the American animated TV series The Ren and Stimpy Show (1991–1996)

Tiara Boobowski was planned to be a Manx cat character in Sonic the Hedgehog game Sonic X-Treme but the game was cancelled.

Do not let your dog name your Manx or they will end up with a name like Grumpy Rumpy, Baldly Butt, or Stupid Stumpy.

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The Manx Who Loved Naptime and Cookies

Cats with tails can teach as well, but they are not nearly as good as telling tales as a Manx is. It is over compensation for not having a tail.

Another famous Manx is Bob the Pre-school Cat. A urban stray this knew that no toddler or adult could not love  his Manx personality. Bob knew that small children drop lots of goodies on the floor at snack time.

Being a round fellow he knew he could teach any child shapes much better than a bouncing ball. Bob adopted the preschool and was loved by the staff, parents, and children. Being an equal opportunity moocher Manx, oh I mean feline devoted to early education for children, Bob the preschool cat did not play favorites or ignore anyone who wanted his attention. Bob unconditionally interacted with the children and was a greatly loved by his students.

The life of Bob was documented in a book Bob the Preschool Cat: A Biography of an Urban Manx Cat by E. Romayne Hertweck, 2009. This book is a great read for kids, and it is apparent Bob was a very proper and polite Manx ( what Manx is’nt ). He never tried to eat the classroom guinea pig or promised the children a A  plus in finger painting by bribing them for tuna.. Sable .like Bob appreciates small children too., but only because the usally have something tasty stuck on their faces and often smell like milk. This book contains photographs and is a wonderful book for a child starting preschool or any Manx admirer.

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The Only Tale The Immortal Manx Hasl

E

add 

Sable on his 21st Birthday

Source: Charles Hand

My immortal Manx is a funny cat

He looks really good in a St. Patty’s Hat

He came into the world of St. Patty’s Day

He runs a herd of misfits

Without anything but tuna for pay!

Sable and a past member of the herd!

Source: Charles Hand

amazonHis Tomming Days Over

Neighbors claim Loki he bred

But Loki has a long tail I said!

Being a Superior Cat from the Isle of Mann

He raised Loki as his own and taught him to beg

For the magic Tuna Can!

Sable and Son

This Cat May Be A Celtic King!

For His breakfast At 5 am he always sings.

And if you ever wish to sleep tuna you will

Bring

Never sit in his chair!

He will push you off of it with his round Manx head

With little care!

Sometimes he wants milk with his Tuna!

Source: Charles Hand

Sable the Manx does not have a manly name!

But he never met a dog he could not back down

Just the same!

Sable the Manx in a panic he never gets.

Slow and cool he has been since he drew breath!

Tail envy he has never suffered

For Cool Cat stand above all those

Long Tailed Others!

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The Tale of The Big Monkey and The Manx

Public Domain: All Ball and KoKo

Going Ape over Manx: 



Hanabiko "Koko"  is a famous female gorilla who has amazed the world with her sign langage abilty to sign over a thousand English words and understand over two thousand spoken English words.(born July 4, 1971) She lived most of her like in Woodside California. Koko is also mad about Manx cats. Koko asked for a cat on Christmas in 1983. At first Koko was given a stuffed cats and it did not make her happy. So on her Birth day Ron Cohn gave Koko a kitten. She had the chance to pick a Kitten from a litter of Manx kittens. Koko picked a grey male Manx, and went on to name him ‘All Ball”
Doctor Penny Patterson had custody of KoKo and documented Koko care of the kitten. Koko treated the kitten as a baby gorilla. She tried to nurse him. All Ball was very attached to Koko as well. Unfortunately,All Ball got loose in December of that year and was killed when hit by a car. Koko was visibley shaken and intensely grieved that  loss of her beloved Manx All Ball.
Shortly after the New Year, Koko was given the change to pick a new Manx kitten This time she picked two that she named Smokey(male) and Lipstick (female). Koko now had two life long companion Manx to keep her company. 
Over the years she would care for many Manx kittens.
Sable only concerned about all the monkeying around with Manx, is that Koko learned to sign “tuna”, because Manx do not like bananas. I lied and told him Koko learned to sign Tuna and Salmon. Now Sable wants a  pet Gorilla.

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Manx On The Money

Sable my wise immortal Manx cat has pushed for years for me to petition congress to have the Manx cat, specifically him replace our national symbol of the American bald eagle. He points out Manx are much more appealing then old baldy.

The image of the Manx cat can be found of the coinage of the Isle of Mann. Three coins bear the Manx cat image on the reverse side. There are special commemorative crown coins. The first two were issued in the 1970s. They were stand alone collector coins that came in copper-nickel  and silver proofs.

The third coin is part of a series of cat breed coins in which an hidden Manx is in the background in the coin. These coins are issued annually in gold and various sizes. The Manx was on official currency for the Isle of Mann , as the breed appeared on a penny issued between 1980 and 1983.

The Manx cat appears on a number of postage stamps for the Isle of Man. The latest is a series of collector stamps based on Victorian post card featuring Manx cats in 2011. Another notable collection featured Manx from around the world was issued in 1996. Other editions of collector stamps featuring the Manx have been issued over the years.

Sable would like to be on a coin. He stresses that the coins should be issued for tuna purposes only and well tune specifically for him. Sable is also all for Manx stamps that can be used to mail tuna , again specifically to him.

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Your Manx , Diet, and FLUTD

English: Heavily stylized depiction of a Manx cat and an Turkish Angora (mis-called an "Angola cat" in this old source), from a hand-coloured antique engraving. Original is 5.25 x 4 inches. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Manx can suffer from a serious urinary disorder known as FLUTD. Diet is most frequently cited as a cause for this problem. Foods that are too low in protein and two high in magnesium and carbohydrates are usually the cause. A lot of owners who have had Manx cats diagnosis with FLUTD try the very expensive prescription cat foods. I have a multiple cat house so even with Manx cat that have had these problems I cannot afford the expense of prescription Manx cat food.

There are things you should look for when trying to find a food that discourages feline UTD in commercial canned and dry Manx cat food. You are trying to have your Manx cat maintain a ph of 6.6. Given there is no easy way to monitor your Manx cat's urine ph (and would you really want to) the best you can do is looking for the right diet.

The first ingredient, you are looking for is the protein. The main ingredient in both dry and canned Manx cat food should be fish or meat. Ingredients that we would normally not expect to find in Manx cat food are good for Manx cats urinary tract are cranberries and blueberries. I have seen cranberry as an ingredient in some Fancy Feast formulas but never blueberry. I am sure these are beneficial things but my Manx cats have never been inclined to eat a fruit.

The next things you want to look for on the label are by products. By products such as gluten and other starches are ideally down near the end of the list of ingredients. These are the sources of the excess crabs and magnesium that you want less of in your Manx cat's diet.




Meat and fish by products are the gross things that we as humans would not eat but are ok for your Manx cat because they are sources of protein. Fish by products may be of some concern because of mercury content so I would only feed wet food with fish by products occasionally. The problems is that many times the fish by products are from the fatty part of the fish and these are the part of the fish that may contain the excess mercury.


Other ingredients to pay attention to are the magnesium. Most Manx cat foods will list the amount in percentages and the less the better as magnesium encourages unwanted urinary crystals. Also make sure that the Manx cat food has a significant amount of DL-Methionine which is a sulfur derivative that maintains urinary ph.


The wet verses dry food argument is ongoing. I feed occasionally wet food but feeding it for moisture content to me seems silly if your Manx cats have, access to clean water. I have noticed Manx cats that have been feed exclusively wet diets have more issues with their teeth and weight than Manx cats that have eaten mostly a dry diet. I feed wet food as a treat or, when a Manx cat is old and keeping on the weight is a bigger issue.


My Manx cats eat Alley Manx cat and it solved a lot of the hair ball issues and vomiting issues I had before the more expensive Manx cat food. I mix it with the nine lives urinary tract formula in hopes it makes up for feeding a Manx cat food that has so many by products. So far no one has had a UTD while on this diet.









I have a Manx cat who isand he because of the status of age helps himself to whatever we are eating for dinner. He really likes pasta and French fries. I know it is not good for him, but he is mostly toothless and despite the crabs he is healthy and pretty happy. I would not suggest you feed your Manx cat spaghetti but it seems to be keeping my older Manx cat alive and relatively healthy. I have not tried feeding him cranberries or blue berries I would imagine if I cooked them he would eat them. Off to make the silly round headed old Manx a blueberry pie.








Sable The Milk Inspector

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Manx Syndrome and Arthritis In Manx Cats

Manx cat (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Black Manx cat. "GOLFSTICKS." OWNED BY Miss SAMUELS. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

English: This cat was named Minus as a nickname for Minus-Tail. She is a Manx and mother to: Beatrice, Dante, Beatrice 1 week, and alternative picture :This is obviously a "riser" Manx, not a "rumpy". She has a bit of cartilage at the end of the spine causing a tail bump (though not a full stump) to rise from the back. — SMcCandlish [talk] [cont] ‹(-¿-)› 04:06, 15 October 2011 (UTC) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I was surprised to find out of the level of health issues that you can have with the Manx cat breed. I have always had a healthy Manx and compared to his adopted plain ole domestic cat siblings, my Manx has always had exceptional health.

Manx Syndrome is a spinal defect that occurs in Manx kittens. It is part of the package as the syndrome is part of the genetic mutation breeders seek in order to produce tail-lessness.

The syndrome includes fused vertebrae, gaps in the vertebrae and spina bifida.

The Symptoms for this condition appear between birth and four months. Breeders often will not home Manx kittens, until they are sure they are free of Manx syndrome. The symptoms include fecal incontinence, bladder problems, bowl blockages, hind leg paralysis and a crippled gait.

Obviously, if you use a reputable breeder to obtain your Manx you will not see these problems in your kitten. Manx syndrome is less common today as breeders take actions to prevent the birth of kittens with the syndrome. The syndrome is actually linked to having the tail be breed to be too short. Not having a tail at all is not such a problem, as having one that is too short, but not totally missing.

I do not have a show Manx so I am not sure about showing breed standards.

 Many breeders now amputate in-between tails to avoid arthritis. Again my Manx has no tail and I am not sure if the breeder took of a stubby tail or if he was just born completely without one. Docking the kittens tail is probably falls under best practice for partial tailed Manx as arthritis in the tail, can lead to the cat having to have the tail remains amputated as an adult cat. Obviously, that is a situation most Manx owners would want to avoid. There is such a thing as a whole tailed Manx offspring. These cats are called longys but are not true genetically because they do not carry the tailless gene. Our Longy is named Loki, he is about two and half and already has significant tail arthritis. I am not sure since he did not carry the Manx gene why this is true. Our vet indicated that just being an offspring of a pure bred Manx might account for the situation. He is not a cat specialist so I can not vouch if this is the reason Loki has arthritic tail or not.

The amputation of partial Manx tails is actually illegal in some places like Cornwall. They breeders do not want non-Manx cats sold as Manx. However, the over roundness of a Manx and their unique ears , makes identifying them from cats who are tailless for other reasons then genetics pretty easy. Manx mixed kittens are a good option for people with an appreciation of the breed for a pet. Loki has a much more dog like disposition than our other cats, despite the fact a Manx was his father and a run of the mill domestic short haired tuxedo cat was his mother. He was the only off spring of his father’s we ever kept, because of temperament. Loki is very dog like and a neighborhood favorite. Our Manx is a pet and not a breeding cat, so he produced a few stubby tailed kittens. They were always scooped up by neighbors who liked the look, even if they were not pure bred Manx.

I do not recall any health problems with the half tailed cats. In retrospect, I would not have let my Manx breed because of cat over population, but he was a porch cat up until age 15, and fathered his last litter at 18. They have all been well placed kittens. He came in off the porch at 15 and at 21 is more than happy to be an indoor cat. His son however, is an outdoor cat. He is a favorite of the neighborhood and was fixed.

A cautionary note, he was fixed two young. Loki had a third ball( not a Manx trait) or the vet missed one. Now we have to go back and have him fixed again. Like amputating a arthritic tail, it will be much more traumatizing to an adult cat. Loki supposed offspring is Cosmo , who is a round headed tiger cat. He is now about 14 weeks. He looks like a Manx with a tail, so denying my neighbor’s claim of Loki paternity is futile. If anyone who reads this would like Cosmo kitty and lives near Anderson Indiana, he can be yours. Email hoosierfemme62@gmail.com and I will tell you more. He is free but I have to make sure he gets a really good home.

The best financial investment I ever made pet wise was a breed Manx. In general the health risks are outweighed by the fact most owners who have pet Manx that enjoy exceptional health for a very long time.

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