Ask anyone you meet off Island if they have heard of the Isle of Man and they will usually say "TT Races, Manx kippers and Manx cats".
Here in our shops we are always being asked by visitors to the island if we cut off the tails of our cats. NO WE DO NOT, and never have done.
Other myths we hear are that Manx cats are “cabbits”—the hybrid offspring of a cat and a rabbit—due to their long back legs, short tail, and rounded rump.
THE TRUTH
The Manx cat is a genetic mutation. Females can produce kittens with no tails, a stumpy tail or a full tail. A litter of full tailed kittens can go on to produce Manxies. It is not only the tail that is affected by the mutant gene but also the hind legs, which are longer than the front ones. Manxies come in all shades and patterns, long haired or short haired. The Manx cat is a recognised breed.
The Manx people however, believe that the truth of how the Manxie came to have no tail is down to the bible story of Noah who, on closing the door to the Ark, trapped the tail of the poor cat in it.
