Evening star., 1944-02-18
This and That
BIZ Charles E. Traceuell,
jamestown ROAD.


Dear Sir:
please tell me what you know about
the Manx cat. Are the elongation of
the hind legs and stub, or no tail, per-
marent characteristics of this animal? =?
II so, are they inherited when the Manx
crosses with the ordinary domestic cat?
What is the ancestry of the Manx?
May I express my appreciation for
your attention to these questions.
Very truly yours, NJ K B."
X X X
Nothing definitely is known OF the
origin Of the Manx, but there are many
legends.
One has it that the Manx cat was the
last Of all the animals to enter the Ark,
and that its delay caused Noah to lose
his temper and slam the door on it's tail
An old rhyme runs
Said the cat, and he was Manx.
o, Captain Noah, wait
I'll catch the mice to give you thanks
And pay for being late!
So the cat got in, but, oh.
His tail was bit too slow!"
Probably a more trustworthy legend
is that the original taileSs cat came to
the Isle of Man through shipwreck.
According to one story the breed came
over in the Spanish Armada and swan
ashore from two wrecked Spanish war
ships.
Another story is of later date. 1t
says ship was wrecked on Jurby Point,
"and a rumpy cat swan ashore" Still
another story swears that three tailless
cats leaped from the bowsprit.
Siam and Malaga are believed to be
possible sources of the Manx cat, be-
cause the cats of tie Malayan archi-
pelago are noted for having cats with
kindred, malformed tails.
Just why these cats have odd tails is
unknown, but again there are plenty of
legends. One is that a princess was
bathing in lake in the palace grounds
and wanted some place to put her rings,
so she strung them on the tail of her
pet cat. This cat had a straight tail,
and evidently at the moment had it
held high.
But he dropped his tail and the rings
slipped into the water, so the next time
the princess knotted the cats tail, after
she had put the rings in place, and
since then all the native cats have
kinked tails.
In the Bismarck archipelago, off the
north coast of New Guinea, the cats
have stumpy tails, but they are not
Manx cats. Their tails have been cut
off. There is story about that, too
The natives, it is said, regard the cat
as good eating and there would be no
cats at all if little black magic did
not come into the picture. The owner
of nice cat cuts off portion of it's
tail and hides it for future USE
If his cat is later stolen and eaten,
the owner avenges the crime by bury
ing the severed piece with certain in
carnations.
1t universally is believed this will cause
the thief to fall i'll and die, so no one
in the community dares to steal a tail
less cat.
There is legend, probably as good
as any of them, that tailless cats were
known in Cornwall at very early date
and that the Islanders of Man got them
from Cornwall. These tailless cats were
probably sacred animals used by ancient
BritonS in worship of an unknown god
under the Phoenician name of "Hwch,'
which means SOW" Perhaps it is not
strange to think that people who wor-
SHIPPED pigs would try to make their cats
resemble them
Many people still think that Manx
cat is the offspring of an ordinary cat
mated with a rabbit. This idea is solely
the result of the rabbitlike gait due
to its taillessness, height Of hind quar-
ters, shortness of back and roundness
of rump.
They are affectionate and intelligent
animals, and can be taught almost any,
thing. One took part in London play,
"Other Gates" and made a great hit
as an Egyptian cat He took his cur
tain call, walking on and standing
calmly to receive applause, and then re-
firing gracefully.
Manx cats will breed true, II there Is
absolutely no admixture Of common cat.