Editing Manx cat (section)

==Appearance==
===Tail (or lack thereof)===
[[File:Manx Beatrice.jpg|thumb|left|A longy white Manx female]]
Although tail suppression (or tail length variety) is not the sole characteristic feature of the breed,<ref name="Barton" /> the chief defining one of the Manx cat is its absence of a tail to having a tail of long length, or tail of any length between the two extremes.<ref name="CFA Manx">{{Cite web|url=http://www.cfa.org/documents/standards/manx.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120123073127/http://www.cfa.org/documents/standards/manx.pdf|url-status=dead|title=CFA Standard Manx|archivedate=23 January 2012}}</ref> This is a [[cat body-type mutation]] of the [[spine (anatomy)|spine]], caused by a [[dominant gene]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ufaw.org.uk/cats/manx-manx-syndrome|title=Manx Syndrome|publisher= Universities Federation for Animal Welfare|access-date=19 December 2018}}</ref> As with the sometimes-tail-suppressed [[Schipperke]] dog and [[Old English Sheepdog]], tail suppression does not "[[breed true]]" in Manx cats. Attempting to force the tailless trait to breed true by continually breeding tailless Manx cats to tailless Manx cats has led to increased negative, even fatal genetic disorders ''(see [[#Health and genetics|below]])''. Tail length is random throughout a litter of kittens.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://cfa.org/breeds/breedskthrur/manx.aspx|title=About the Manx|publisher=Cat Fanciers' Association|access-date=19 December 2018|archive-date=20 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220230357/http://cfa.org/breeds/breedskthrur/manx.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> Manx to non-Manx breeding will usually produce some Manx-type tail varieties in kittens.<ref name="Lane" /> Whether the shorter tailed kittens of these varieties are labeled Manx is up to the breed standard consulted. Manx cats' tails are classified according to proportional tail length as kittens (the proportion does not change after birth):
* '''Rumpy''' (rumpie)<ref name="CDN 1965">{{cite news |title=A Tale About Tails |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=25 January 1965 |work=[[Chicago Daily News]] |publisher=[[Field Enterprises]] }}</ref> or '''dimple rumpy'''<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://icatcare.org/advice/manx-syndrome-and-spina-bifida/|title=Manx Syndrome & Spina Bifida {{!}} International Cat Care|website=icatcare.org|access-date=2020-02-02}}</ref> – having no tail at all, though often a small tuft of hair where the tail would have grown from the [[Rump (animal)|rump]]<ref name="Lane" />
* '''Riser''' or '''rumpy riser'''<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cfa.org/Breeds/BreedsKthruR/Manx.aspx|title=Breed Profile: The Manx|website=cfa.org|access-date=2020-02-02|archive-date=20 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181220230357/http://cfa.org/breeds/breedskthrur/manx.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref> – having a bump of [[cartilage]]<ref name="Lane" /> under the fur, most noticeable when the animal is happy and raising its tail end
* '''Stumpy''' (stumpie)<ref name="CDN 1965" /> – having a partial tail of vestigial, fused [[vertebrae]], up to about {{convert|1|in|cm|0|abbr=on|order=flip}} long<ref name="Lane" />
* '''Stubby''' (stubbie), '''shorty''', or '''short-tailed''' – having a short tail of non-fused bones, up to about half an average cat tail<ref name=":0" />
* '''Longy''' (longie), '''tailed''',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.wideopenpets.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-manx-cat/|title=Manx Cat: Everything You Need to Know About the Breed|last=Caplan|first=Christy|date=2019-12-30|website=Wide Open Pets|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-02}}</ref> or '''taily''' (tailie)<ref name="CDN 1965" /> – having a half- to normal-length tail.

[[File:A Rumpy Manx Cat.jpg|thumb|265x265px|A "rumpy" Manx kitten]]
[[File:Rumpy Riser Manx Kitten.jpg|thumb|264x264px|A "rumpy riser" tail example]]
Since the early days of breed recognition in the late 19th century,<ref name="Lane" /> Manx [[show cat]]s have been rumpy through stumpy specimens, with stubby and longy Manx not qualifying to be shown except in the "Any Other Variety" or household pet class.<ref name="CFA Manx" /> Kittens with complete tails may be born in a purebred Manx litter, having not inherited the taillessness appearance at all. Depending on the country and cat organization referenced, rumpy, rumpy risers and stumpies are the only Manx cat tail types that fit the breed standard for Manx cats. The longer cat tail lengths seen in some Manx cats are considered a breed fault, although they occur as naturally in the breed, but not as often, as the shorter tails. Although these longer tail types are of purebred Manx ancestry, they do not possess the dominant gene so cannot pass it on. However, since the Manx tail mutation gene is dominant, these longer-tailed purebred Manx cats may still be used in breeding programs and may even be considered in an effort to help avoid the fatal spinal deformities that sometimes result in tailless Manx cats.

The Manx breed is genetically distinct from the [[Japanese Bobtail]] breed, another naturally occurring insular breed. The Japanese Bobtail always has at least some tail, ranging from a small "[[Pompon|pom]]" to a stubby but distinct tail, which is kinked or curled and usually has a slightly bulbous and fluffy appearance; by contrast, the Manx has a straight tail when one is present at all. The Japanese Bobtail has a markedly different appearance from the Manx, and is characterized by almond-shaped eyes, a triangular face, long ears, and lean body, like many other Asian breeds. The gene responsible for the bobbed or kinked tail in that breed is [[Recessive gene|recessive]] and unrelated to the dominant Manx tail-suppression gene; the bobtail gene is not connected to any serious deformities, while the tail-suppression gene can, under certain conditions, give rise to a pattern of sometimes lethal [[#Health and genetics|health problems]]. The [[Pixie-bob]] breed also has a short tail, and may be genetically related to the Manx.  More will be clear about tail genetics as more genetic studies are done on cat populations and as DNA testing improves; most domestic animal genetic work has been done with dogs and livestock breeds.

Manx (and other tail-suppressed breeds) do not exhibit problems with balance;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pets-global.com/?p=1072|title=7 Facts About Your Cat's Tail|date=2017-01-04|website=Pets Global|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-02|archive-date=2 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200202071852/https://www.pets-global.com/%3Fp%3D1072/|url-status=dead}}</ref> balance is controlled primarily by the inner ear. In cats, dogs and other large-bodied mammals, balance involves but is not dependent upon the tail (contrast with [[rat]]s, for whom the tail is a quite significant portion of their body mass).

Since Manx kittens are naturally born with any tail length, from none to long, it was formerly common to surgically [[Docking (animal)|dock]] the longer tails a few days after birth. Although illegal in many jurisdictions (including much of Europe), the practice was formerly recommended, although with the caveat that the commonness of the practice meant that many spurious Manx cats – i.e., random British cats – were altered to resemble the Manx, to defraud unwary buyers.<ref name="Barton" />

===Body and legs===
Manx are medium-sized cats, broad-chested with sloping shoulders and flat sides, and in show condition are firmly muscular and lean, neither bulky nor fatty.<ref name="Lane" /> Lane reported the original, native breed as ranging typically from ten to twelve pounds for males and eight to ten pounds for females, with many smaller examples but only rare ones larger.<ref name="Lane" /> The hind legs of Manx are notably longer than the fore legs,<ref name="Barton" /><ref name="Lane" /> causing the rump to be higher than the shoulder and creating a continuous arch from shoulders to rump giving the cat an overall rounded or humped appearance,<ref name="CFA Manx"/> though the breed is comparatively long<ref name="Lane" /> when stretched out. The fore legs are strong and straight.<ref name="Lane" /> The shape is often described as [[rabbit]]-like.<ref name="Barton" /><ref name="Train" />

===Head===
Manx cats' heads are rounded in shape, and medium in depth with a long neck.<ref name="Lane" /> The upright, round-tipped and front-facing ears are largish.<ref name="Lane" /> The eyes are large, rounded, and prominent,<ref name="Lane" /> with their outer corners higher than the inner ones.<ref name="CFA Manx"/> Absent any bloodlines with a dominant alternative eye color (such as blue in [[Siamese cat|Siamese]] or related ancestry), Manx often have some hue variant of gold eyes,<ref name="CFA Manx"/> and for show purposes follow the eye colour standards of the same coat colour/pattern in non-Manx short-hairs.<ref name="Lane" />

===Coat===
[[File:Shadow Manx.jpg|thumb|Short-haired stumpy black Manx]]
[[File:GeorgeManxProfile.jpg|thumb|Long-haired Manx ([[Cymric (cat)|Cymric]])]]
Manx cats exhibit two [[Coat (animal)|coat]] lengths. Short- or long-haired, all Manx have a thick, double-layered coat. The colour and pattern ranges exhibited should conform to the standards for that type of coat in non-Manx.<ref name="Lane" />

The more common short-haired Manx – the original breed – has a coat with a dense, soft, under layer and a longer, coarse outer layer with [[guard hairs]].<ref name="CFA Manx"/> The overall appearance of the coat is fine, short and lying close to the skin,<ref name="Lane" /> versus fluffy or voluminous.

The long-haired Manx, known to some cat registries as the [[Cymric (cat)|Cymric]], has a silky-textured double coat of medium length, with "breeches" (i.e. a distinct jump in fur length at the hocks giving the appearance of old-fashioned, baggy, knee-length pants<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pictures-of-cats.org/what-are-britches-on-a-cat.html|title=What are britches on a cat?|first=Michael|last=Broad|date=20 January 2017}}</ref> ) belly ruff and neck ruff, tufts of fur between the toes and full "ear furnishings" (hairs in ears).<ref name="CFA Manx"/> The CFA considers the Cymric to be a variety of Manx and judges it in the short-hair division even though it is long-haired,<ref name="CFA Manx"/> while [[The International Cat Association]] (TICA) judges it in the long-hair division as a distinct Cymric breed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tica.org/members/publications/standards/mx.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121115000154/http://www.tica.org/members/publications/standards/mx.pdf|url-status=dead|title=TICA Manx Breed Group (Manx and Cymric) Show Standard|archivedate=15 November 2012}}</ref> The long-haired variety is of comparatively recent development. Lane wrote in 1903 that the Manx "to the best of my knowledge, information and belief, does not include any long-haired specimens", in his detailed chapter on the breed.<ref name="Lane" />

Regardless of coat length, the colours and [[Coat (animal)|coat]] patterns occurring in the breed today run the gamut of virtually all breeds due to extensive cross-breeding, though not all registries may accept all coats as qualifying for breeding or show. The most common coats are [[Tabby cat|tabby]], [[Tortoiseshell cat|tortoiseshell]], [[Calico cat|calico]] and solid colours.{{citation needed|date=August 2011|reason=This claim about commonness is unsourced.}}  Widely divergent Manx specimens, including even a [[Point coloration|colour-point]], blue-eyed, [[#Cymric (Manx Longhair)|long-haired variant]] of evident [[Himalayan (cat)|Himalayan]] ancestry, have been celebrated on Isle of Man postage stamps since the 1980s, and recent publications often show marbled and spotted varieties. The original insular stock, however, were of less widespread variation. Lane, having "seen a great many of them" wrote of Manx cats that "[i]t is curious that the colours in this variety seem somewhat limited" and that the breed "does not comprise all the colours usually associated with other short-haired varieties".<ref name="Lane" /> He reported only very common orange, common orange and white, common cream tabby, uncommon tortoiseshell, and very rare all-white specimens in 1903.<ref name="Lane" /> Calico and point-coloured are notably absent from this list, as are even today's common colourful tabbies. However, writing in England only five years later, Barton suggested that "the Manx may be of any colour, but probably orange is the most frequently met with."<ref name="Barton" />

Specific registries have particular, and differing, standards of points with regard to coloration and patterning. For example, the [[Governing Council of the Cat Fancy]] (GCCF) classifies the Manx as a variant of the [[British Shorthair]] (BSH),<ref name="GCCF RBRP">{{cite web|url=http://www.gccfcats.org/breeds.html |title=Recognised Breeds and Registration Policies |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |year=2012 |work=GCCFcats.org |publisher=[[Governing Council of the Cat Fancy]] (GCCF) |location=Bridgwater, Somerset, UK |access-date=21 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121208085015/http://www.gccfcats.org/breeds.html |archive-date=8 December 2012}} "Manx" is a subsection of "British Shorthair".</ref> and thus requires that Manx cats to have one of the coat patterns that would be permissible in the BSH rather than any that is exclusive to a "foreign" type (e.g. [[point colouration]]).  New Zealand Cat Fancy (NZCF) does likewise for colour and markings, but requires a double-coat and other Manx-specific features that GCCF does not.<ref name="NZCF M">{{cite web |url= http://www.nzcf.com/sop/Manx.pdf |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Breed Code MAN &ndash; Manx |date=January 2007 |work=NZCF.com |publisher=New Zealand Cat Fancy |location=Katikati, NZ |access-date=21 November 2012}}</ref> Some other registries are even more restrictive, while others are more liberal.