Common Ailments of Manx Cats

Manx cats are sweet-natured and very people-oriented animals and are often bred to only have the remnants of tail vertebrae or a very much shortened tail. While this does not usually cause problems in terms of agility and mobility, defective Manx cat genes often result in spinal and internal problems, directly due to the absence of tail vertebrae, that are not always noticeable until a Manx cat is a few months old. The presence of the abnormal gene is known in animal science as the Manx Syndrome.

  1. Spina Bifida

    • In his 2010 paper "The Cat in Biomedical Research," Michael Rand describes a protein present in amniotic fluid that results in spinal or brain malformations in humans and in Manx cats. The most common defect is spina bifida, in which the vertebrae do not close or are incomplete. Sometimes the defect is covered by skin that develops normally, but in many cases the genetic failure to fuse is present in the skin, leading to an open defect.

    Fused Spine

    • In their 2004 study "Disorders of the Lumbosacral Plexus," Marc Raff et al. describe the occasional presence of fused vertebrae in Manx cats. Known as sacralization, or fusing, as is seen in the normal development and structure of the human sacrum, the last one or two lumbar vertebrae fuse to the feline sacrum and can lead to difficulties in mobility or hip dislocation. Manx cats will often display pain, abnormal posture and occasionally an absence of nerve function leading to accidental trauma that can go unnoticed by the cat.

    Defects in Internal Organs

    • Manx Syndrome is also often accompanied by defects in the internal organs and related neural structures including the brain. Conditions such as meningocele and hydrocephaly are likely. Defects in the development of internal organs can negatively affect the excretory systems such as the bladder and intestines, either because of tissue defects or neural damage, while internal organ tissue will sometimes mutate and fuse with other developing cells such as cartilage or bone.

    Tail Docking

    • Some Manx cats have very rudimentary tails, and responsible breeders take great care in mating Manx cats to reduce the occurrence of Manx Syndrome. If Manx cats are born with a tail longer than one or two tail vertebrae, research has found that after a few years, ossification of the tail bones causes great discomfort. Amputation of the tail causes far more discomfort in the adult cat than if the tail is docked within a few days of birth.