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I felt that I should bring to everyone's attention a most inaccurate myth which verges on libel concerning Manx cats.

Manx cats are cats born on the Isle of Man which is by all accounts a mysterious, gray and windswept little island somewhere between England and Ireland.

Folklore has it that these cats are born without a tail!

Now, everyone knows that cats throughout the world of whatever nationality are born with perfectly good tails. Some may have their tails docked in later life for medical reasons but all start out normally.

No, where these beasts are different from regular cats is that they have only three legs.

They are, however, extremely agile and are known to outperform their 4-legged peers regularly in speed events due mainly to the fact that they have a weight advantage only having three legs.

Although the are perfectly at home whilst moving, once they become stationary they avoid falling over by using their tail as a fourth leg to keep them upright.

So you can see that it is absolutely essential for Manx cats to have tails.

Let's hope we hear no more of this misguided rumor that cats from the Isle of Man have no tails!

Philadelphia Eagle wrote: I felt that I should bring to everyone's attention a most inaccurate myth which verges on libel concerning Manx cats.

Manx cats are cats born on the Isle of Man which is by all accounts a mysterious, gray and windswept little island somewhere between England and Ireland.

Folklore has it that these cats are born without a tail!

Now, everyone knows that cats throughout the world of whatever nationality are born with perfectly good tails. Some may have their tails docked in later life for medical reasons but all start out normally.

No, where these beasts are different from regular cats is that they have only three legs.

They are, however, extremely agile and are known to outperform their 4-legged peers regularly in speed events due mainly to the fact that they have a weight advantage only having three legs.

Although the are perfectly at home whilst moving, once they become stationary they avoid falling over by using their tail as a fourth leg to keep them upright.

So you can see that it is absolutely essential for Manx cats to have tails.

Let's hope we hear no more of this misguided rumor that cats from the Isle of Man have no tails!One of those

Attached files

capt_buzzard wrote: One of those


This is just the latest attempt to try to convince unwary people that these cats have no tails!

Now - time to own up, Buzz. Did you simply doctor the photo or did you really cut their tails off.

Details from manx cat website

[left]The Manx cat originates from the Isle of Man, an island off the coast of Britain in the Irish Sea. It is widely believed that because of this isolation the Manx Cat developed its tail-less trait. Today, the Manx is still part of that island's population.



The Manx cat has the shortest body of any of the cat breeds although its chest is quite broad and its short back arches from the shoulders to its round romp. This cat has a short neck and its hind legs are longer than its forelegs. In fact, the last vertebrae of the Manx cat's spine is missing. You can find the Manx cat in many color varieties and patterns.



The Manx Cat Personality can be described as playful and the manx loves to perch on the highest possible viewpoint, even when indoors. The Manx has a funny habit of retrieving buried items and toys similar to the behavior of a dog. Overall, this cat is good-natured and friendly.





Do you still think its a myth?

(When I was young we were told that the mother cat ate the tails)





[/left]

pina wrote:



Details from manx cat website

[left]The Manx cat originates from the Isle of Man, an island off the coast of Britain in the Irish Sea. It is widely believed that because of this isolation the Manx Cat developed its tail-less trait. Today, the Manx is still part of that island's population.



The Manx cat has the shortest body of any of the cat breeds although its chest is quite broad and its short back arches from the shoulders to its round romp. This cat has a short neck and its hind legs are longer than its forelegs. In fact, the last vertebrae of the Manx cat's spine is missing. You can find the Manx cat in many color varieties and patterns.



The Manx Cat Personality can be described as playful and the manx loves to perch on the highest possible viewpoint, even when indoors. The Manx has a funny habit of retrieving buried items and toys similar to the behavior of a dog. Overall, this cat is good-natured and friendly.





Do you still think its a myth?

(When I was young we were told that the mother cat ate the tails)





[/left]








Undoubtedly! You see where it says that the last vertebrae on the Manx cat's spine is missing. This is the clue! It is this missing vertebrae that the fourth leg should be attached to.

I'd better apologise for trying to be clever SORRY!



You are right I didn't take in what I was reading.

TW2005 wrote: I dont know anything about these cats, but you do believe in the Liger and Tigon, right?


Of course!

Hey, TW. Why did an ex of your have these cats?

(Oh, and giraffe looks spelled right to me!)

Did you ever see more unhappy looking cats than the ones in these photos?

The reason is plain. Buzz has sawed off their tails and then photographed them to make us all think they are Manx cats.

Well - I'm not fooled!

I'm going to advise the A.D.I.C. (Association for Distressed Irish Cats) that Buzz is holed up somewhere in Ireland cutting the tails off regular Irish cats to make people think they are Manx ones.

This must be stopped before it goes any further!