Where did the Manx Cat come from?
Manx cats originated on the Isle of Man, off the coast of Great Britain, among a population of cats whose common ancestry sprang from the same roots as the British Shorthair. A spontaneous mutation occurred at some point several hundred years ago, which resulted in kittens being born without the vertebrae that formed tailed cats. Over a long period of time and due to the isolation of the cats, the taillessness eventually became a common characteristic among the Isle of Man cats. The mutated gene became a dominant trait. Early Manx were more ‘gangly’ looking than today’s. However through selective and careful breeding, the size of the cat has increased, and the short-backed, broad-chested and stocky cat of today has become the standard ideal.
