The Manx Tail...

The Manx tailless gene is dominant and highly penetrant; kittens from Manx parents are generally born without any tail.

There is no proven ratio of the amount of tailed to tailless kittens produced in each litter. However, tailed Manx bred to tailed Manx normally results in all tailed kittens, even though there are exceptions.

Manx kittens are classified according to tail length:

·Dimple rumpy or rumpy - no tail whatsoever
·Riser or rumpy riser - stub of cartilage or several vertebrae under the fur, most noticeable when kitten is happy and raising its 'tail'
·Stumpy - partial tail, more than a 'riser' but less than 'tailed'
·Tailed or longy - complete or near complete tail

Breeders have reported all tail lengths within the same litter.

The ideal show Manx is the rumpy. The stumpy and tailed Manx do not qualify to be shown. Depending on the presence of the mutant gene, their kittens may or may not be tailed. In the past, kittens with stumpy or full tails have been docked at birth as a preventative measure due to some partial tails being very prone to a form of arthritis that causes the cat severe pain.

Tail docking

However, tailed Manx cats have been born for hundreds of years on the Isle of Man with no known documented problems. Most countries today have banned alteration of animals for cosmetic appearances. Some United States breeders still practice the docking Manx kittens tails as a rule. This practice is declining as other Manx breeders educate people that this breed can have a partial to full tail with no ill effects, and yet still be a Manx cat.

Docking tails on cats is not exclusively performed on the Manx breed; it can be performed on any cat breed for medical necessity.

Kinky tails

The mutation that causes a Manx cat to be born without a tail does not occur in every Manx kitten — not all Manx cats lack a tail. However, since they carry Manx genetics, their kittens or descendants can be born without a tail even if their parents had tails. Some stumpy Manx are born with kinked tails because of incomplete development of the tail during the fetal stage. This is somewhat rare though, as other tail lengths (or lack thereof), as well as straight-tailed stumpy tails are much more common.