Health and Wellbeing...

Manx Syndrome is a colloquial name given to the condition which results when the mutant tailless gene responsible for shortening the cats' spine has an excessive negative effect. It can seriously damage the spinal cord and the nerves. The cat can have problems with spina bifida, bowels, bladder, and digestion as a result.

Actual occurrences of this are rare in modern examples of the breed due to informed breeding practices. Most pedigreed cats are not placed until four months of age to make sure that proper socialisation has occurred. This gives adequate time for any mutant gene-related health issues to be seen, as they turn up early in the cat's life.

According to Robinson's Genetics for Cat Breeders and Veterinarians, both the Manx tailless gene and the Scottish Fold fold-eared gene are potential lethal genes in utero if extreme tailless to tailless are mated or if extreme fold-eared to fold-eared are mated. Problems are most likely to occur when two completely tailless Manx are bred together. For this reason, responsible breeders generally breed a 'stumpy' or fully-tailed Manx with a 'rumpy' or 'rumpy riser' to minimise the chances of serious defects. This breeding practice is responsible for the decreasing occurrence of spinal problems in recent years.