Editing Manx cat (section)

===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" />