Manx

The Manx is a placid, sweet cat. She never seems to get too upset about anything. She is a loving companion and adores being with people.

Manx must have their nutrition strictly controlled in order to keep them in good condition. They tend to have a wonderful appetite and can become overweight rather quickly.

Despite being rather placid, the Manx loves to run and play. She has a peculiar gait and looks like a bowling ball running around the room.

The fur must be groomed daily because of the double coat. A good brushing is important to keep the coat in smooth condition as the undercoat will build up over time if this brushing is neglected. Special attention should be paid to grooming during the shedding season.

The Manx is one of the oldest known cat breeds. Many wonderful legends surround the origin of this breed. The most interesting, but also least genetically accurate, is that the Manx was napping when Noah called all the animals into the ark. She awakened just as Noah was closing the door of the ark. She made it in the ark just in time but Noah accidentally closed the door on her tail, cutting it off entirely. Another legend has it that the breed came from one of the ships of the Spanish Armada that sunk off the coast of the Isle of Man in 1588.

The true origin of the Manx probably has more to do with trading ships that went from Phoenicia to Japan. These sailors may have picked up some Japanese corkscrew tailed cats on their journey, bringing them back in the ship as mousers rather than meaning to import a new breed of cat.

The first Manx champion was named Bonhaki. This silver tabby Manx achieved this honor in London around 1900. The Manx has been bred in the United States since the early 1930s and the first United States Manx grand champion was awarded in 1951.