Once again my objective is to try and make the Cat Fanciers’ breed standard (CFA) more readable to people who are not in the cat fancy. Breed standards are quite technical and the language a little opaque to outsiders. The CFA do not list the Cymric, the long haired Manx, as a separate breed. This, I find, sensible. My thanks to Helmi Flick for granting me permission to use her wonderful photographs. Please respect copyright.
| Précised CFA Manx Cat Breed Standard (in addition to the above). | My Personal Comments. | | Head and Ears– cheekbones should be prominent. The jowly male cat enhances the roundness. The neck should be short and thick.Ear furnishings (hair inside the ear flap) should be “sparse” for the shorthair Manx and “full” for the longhaired Manx (Cymric in some cat associations). | The prominence of the cheekbones of some other cat breeds, notably the cats such as the Sphynx and Cornish Rexare more noticeable.Neutering can reduce the jowly appearance. I presume that the thick neck and its shortness also enhances the generally round and stocky appearance of this cat breed. This is a cobby cat (see cat body types and cat head shape). | | Tail (no tail) – a rise of bone at the end of the spine is permitted. The rump is “broad and round”. If there is a rise in the bone at the end of the spine that stops the judges hand, the cat should lose points in a cat show. | The key part of this cat is the tail or lack of it. There is a range of rumps (if that doesn’t sound too odd). Read about the genetic mutation that causes taillessness in the Manx cat and the types of taillessness. | | Eyes – set at a slight angle towards the nose. | This is not clear to me. I must presume again that the eyes slant slightly upwards at the outside edges (that part of the eye that is near the outside is higher than the opposite part). This is normal for cats in my opinion. | | Coat – this cat breed is either longhaired or shorthaired for the CFA. The texture of shorthaired coat might be “somewhat hard” due to the guard hairs. The coat should be glossy. Some genes that change the colour of the coat soften the guard hairs making the coat feel softer. The longhaired Manx cats should feel “silky”. Both longhair and shorthaired cat have a double coat. | Double coat means guard hairs on top and down hairs underneath. See longhaired cat breeds list. | | Body – muscular. This is clearly a cobby and rounded cat. | All healthy cats are muscular. Another cat breed that is rounded in the contemporary Persian. | | Legs – the longer hind legs thrust the rump (the tailless area) high in the air and above the shoulder line. | | | Colours – All colours and patterns including pointed1. | | | Manx cat breed standard – Notes: |
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1. Encyclopedia of the Cat original edition 1997 page 116 ISBN 978-1-4053-2149-5.
2. The Manx is registered with the CFA, FiFe, TICA and GCCF. See CFA Manx cat breed standard. Breed standards can be changed please note. This page was created March 11th 2011 using the 2006 CFA Manx cat breed standard.
3. Go Manx Cats – full description.
