Mad About Manx: August 2014

Friday, August 22, 2014

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

Monday, August 11, 2014

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.

Monday, August 4, 2014

Sable at the Dinner Table And Other Tall Tales of The Tailless Cat

No He Did Not Have A Tragic Kitty Accident!

Manx painted on the side of a hill on the Isle of Mann. Looks a little like Sable.

Many times when people see my Manx Sable, they asked how he lost his tail. My inclination is to say that when he was a kitten , we had his tail docked to match our black Doberman. Sable objects to this sarcastic response. He does not want anyone to think he ever did anything to look like any kind of dog, purebred or not. Besides Sable knows that,"Puppy Thing" was not purebred. It took a lot of catnip to keep Sable from telling that poor ole dog. Like all of my household pets, Puppy Thing passed years ago.The immortal Manx, Sable, lives to harass a new generation of canine companions

Sable the Milk Inspector

Sable has lived to harass I mean mentor many dogs.

Sable these days sits on his throne, until he hears the can opener.

Part of the herd the Sable keeps in line.

Nigel the only dog who can use Sir Sable as a pillow.

Royal Celtic Cat Food Inspector

Many in my family will think I will be the crazy cat lady who spends her meager social security check on what on wet cat food.. This actually is not true for I have two dogs that consume and control most my time. Still I have a twenty year old Manx that is most definitely head of my housecat herd.

Sable is the perfect cat and is pretty much been so since kitten hood. A perfect Celtic cat he was born on March 17^th. This is by far my favorite cat breed. The Manx is truly cool cat; in both appearance and personality. I used to think Sable thought he was a dog. But this is actually just a trait of the breed that enjoys a good game of fetch.

Sable does not have any of the typically neurotic tendencies I’ve seen an ordinary house cats. When faced with having to take kitty medicine or tolerate a flea treatment Sable is always up to the challenge.

The only really irritating trait this cat has is a tendency to think all humans have some sort of short-term memory loss that requires him to head butt you at 5 am to remember to fill his bowl.

Sable seems particularly fine with nibbling small amounts of human food. He is the official taste tester of everything that comes out of my kitchen. He only takes a couple bites the moves on to the next person. Everyone in my house must have there food inspected and sampled by Sable. some reason needs to have his food tested to. I’ve read the Manx cats are very protective towards their families. Still I find this behavior strange; unless someone in my household is part of a royal plot to poison an unknown King. I am not sure why the cat does it.

Sable the Immortal Manx in 96. He will still be laughing at the dogs, Christmas 2013.

The Tall and Sometimes Truthful Tales of the Tailless Cat!

My kids enjoyed feeding Sable spaghetti, as he eats it just as if he were a cartoon cat in Lady and the Tramp. It has made me think Italy was maybe the origin of the Manx.

There are many tales of the tailless cat known as the Manx or ‘Rumpy’ from the Isle of Man. I have a round headed cranky, yet cocky, old black Manx believes that them. Some of these tales actually explain some of the “personality " this old breed has.

There is a biblical account of the origin of Manx Cats according to some. My current older dogs claim they lost their tails as punishment for kitty vanity. Manx in the Garden of Eden, were always playing my tail is longer than your tail game. God in his wisdom , had to give the celtic cat some defect, so he took his perfect and really long tail. The dog tried to tell Sable if he knocked food off the counter to the floor for him, God would regrow his tale. Sable did not fall for this at all. Sable learned a long time ago, nothing comes of chasing tail, especially if you never had one.

I have no scriptural reference for Manx, but I am sure Sable make up one if you ask. The story goes that a cat was late to get on Noah’s arc and Noah “accidentally ‘closed the door on the poor cat’s tail. The door was so heavy it took off this Celtic cat rather long regal tail.A poem by an unknown kitty prophet states the following. The cat said to Noah “Oh, Captain Noah wait! I'll catch the mice to give you thanks. So the Cat got in.But oh, , the tail was two slow”.

The true origin of the Manx Cats is unknown. The most poplar legend says that two ships of the Spanish Armada wrecked near the Isle of Mann. An Isle of Man newspaper said the “in 1808 a Spanish Galleon was wrecked on Jurby Point, and a rumpy cat swam ashore".

Another Manx and shipwreck story states that a Baltic ship wrecked were the source of the regal rumpies.. Apparently, when the ship came near port; two tailless cats jumped from the bowsprit. Salvage ships were waiting to loot the naval mishap. One of these salvage crews saved the doomed tailless cats.They lived to make kittens on the Isle of Man.

A Welsh legend says the Manx cats were the offspring of ancient Goddess. They migrated from Cornwell to the west of England ending up on the Isle of Mann. Sable believes they moved because they were being bothered by snotty English fox hounds who did not appreciate their sacred roots.

The following legend Sable claims is the most truthful. It is believed by those who live on the Isle of Mann; that Manx cats have their own king. The king of the Manx is a boring run of the mill house cat by day. During the stupid kitty hours,always after midnight that special male Manx comes into his regal celtic King cat powers. If you own a male Manx do not be unkind to the cat. The King of the Manx will take awful revenge, Sable recently told newest herd member this story. Sable lied and said he was secretly the King of the Manx.The poor pup, a four pound hamster like hound was scared. Harvey the Hamster Hound, turned over control of his tasty puppy kibble to Sable immediately. Sable will not be denied his tuna or his place at head of the household herd of cats, dogs, and cockatiels.They fear to displease prince Sable.

I must go now. Sable is calling for his dinner on top of the table. I am so glad I am not foolish enough to believe these particular tall but stubby tale sand be in service to that silly Manx.