Manx, tail docking dilemma

I adopted a cat over the summer and at the time had no idea what a Manx was and that I had just adopted one. I love Edison very much, but have recently been at my wit's end with him. The problem is his tail. Almost every time he uses his litter box (several times daily), some feces is caught in the fur of his tail, which eventually drops somewhere in my living space. I've even found some in my bed sheets. He also seems to have a hairball problem, so I'm constantly cleaning up vomit and excrement. My others cats are/have been very low maintenance, and with a pretty stressful life as it is, I'm not sure I can edure much more. I considered returning him to the shelter, but I REALLY don't want to do that. Another option is to get his tail docked. Initially I just resolved to do that, without much debate. But the more I read about it, the more worried I am that it will be painful. Of course, he is not too old (3yrs) and may have to get it docked anyway if it becomes arthritic. It is already curled upward to form a ring. Does anybody have any advice? Or experience with tail docking?

Have you been to a vet? What did they say?

I haven't spoken to a vet about it yet. That's my next step, logically. Just wanted to see what you thought about it, though.

I can't help you, you obviousely have to ask your vet. But as you say you don't know much about the breed, i hope this helps a little.

The Manx is a breed of cats with a naturally occurring mutation of the spine. This mutation shortens the tail, resulting in a range of tail lengths from normal to tailless. Many Manx have a small 'stub' of a tail, but Manx cats are best known as being entirely tailless and it is the distinguishing characteristic of the breed and a cat body type genetic mutation

* 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' (in rare cases kittens are born with kinked tails because of incomplete growth of the tail during development)
* Tailed or longy - complete or near complete tail

Breeders have reported all tail lengths even within the same litter.

The ideal show Manx is the rumpy; the stumpy and tailed Manx do not qualify to be shown. 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.

Manx Syndrome

Manx Syndrome is a colloquial name given to the condition which results when the mutant tailless gene shortens the spine too much. It can seriously damage the spinal cord and the nerves causing spina bifida as well as problems with the bowels, bladder, and digestion. Some only live for 3 years oldest recorded was 5. In one study it was shown to affect about 20% of Manx cats, but almost all of those cases were rumpies, which exhibit the most extreme phenotype.[2] Actual occurrences of this are rare in modern examples of the breed due to informed breeding practices.[5] Most pedigreed cats are not placed until four months of age (to make sure that they are properly socialised) and this gives adequate time for any health problems to be identified.

I think a simple solution would be to buy a pair of clippers and trim the long hair around his but off. They do this with long haired dogs to keep the feces from sticking to the hair. It'd be a far better option than removing his tail, clippers are inexpensive, and it would only take you a matter of a few minutes to trim it.

My understanding is that surgery in that area can cause elimination problems and even paralysis -- I wouldn't do it! The fur-trimming idea sounds good, though.

I also wonder if changing the "format" of the litterbox might help. Maybe a larger box, a top-entry style... anything different might cause him to adjust his behavior in some way that would help.

Oh! And maybe a change in litter, too... some cats don't like to spend much time in the box if the litter is sharp or dusty. Maybe he would become more fastidious with a different kind...?

Good luck!

I don't usually trim too much hair around the wigglebutts of my Old English Sheepdogs, though many people do. They are in their long coats year round. And by long coats, I mean 8-12 inches.
I do keep the area combed out as matting tends to cause issues.
Unless they have a loose stool, it isn't a problem.

Same thing works for my son's longhaired calico.

My sister once has a cat who was tailless, but it was obvious that she wasn't supposed to be. She was always VERY cranky when you even looked like you wanted to touch her tail, and she'd scream and jump away (after swiping at you with her fully clawed paws!) if you even lightly touched it. She died a couple of years ago, due to a very fast-growing tumor that was on her rump. It grew so large and so fast. We aren't even sure what caused it, but since it was above her rectum, I have a suspicion that the tail-docking had something to do with it.

I wouldn't get his tail docked. Not only would that probably be extremely painful to him, cats use their tails (even if it is small) for balance and to show emotion. I would think it would probably cause behavior problems, especially if it throws off his balance.

I agree to watch him in the litter box. Make sure it is big enough for him. Is it covered? If so, you may want to try it with the cover off for a week or so and see. It could be that he feels too enclosed or doesn't have enough room to move around.

If he is a long haired cat (or even medium haired) sometimes trimming is your only option. We have medium to long haired cats, and we don't normally trim their butts, but we sometimes do have to cut out small hunks of poo that got stuck in their fur. Also make sure he doesn't have the runs. If he does, then you need to talk to you vet. It could just be a simple matter of changing food or it could be more serious.

Good luck, and welcome!

Momof4's post just made me think -- are you absolutely sure he doesn't have a touch of diarreah? If he does, that could be causing it...

Originally Posted by calico2222

I wouldn't get his tail docked. Not only would that probably be extremely painful to him, cats use their tails (even if it is small) for balance and to show emotion. I would think it would probably cause behavior problems, especially if it throws off his balance.

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Hi, i just wanted to point out from the information i posted earlier. That the Manx develops arthritis in its tail, and that is why they are docked if they do not have stumps already, and that they are also known to have perfect balance without their tails.

I know this is an old thread but I want to get some additional information out there about the symptoms being described. I can't speak to the tail curling up issue. I have had a docked Manx before and he was already done before he got older. I am talking about the sticking to the fur issue and the vomiting. 

I had a cat I got from a shelter, he was a rumpy. He had the exact issues you are speaking of. It took me almost a year but I found the right vet, diagnosed him with megacolon and we corrected the problem with canned and raw diet. Dry catfood caused him all sorts of stomach upsets, constipation and gas that resulted in the same problems you described. It's possible you can switch to canned and be alright. Lactolose and some other meds did no good. I added canned plain 100% Libby's pumpkin (yes cats actually like it) and Miralax. Cornell University talks about this as a treatment for megacolon. Bo also had very pronounced arthritis by the time he was 11. 

Read up on Megacolon and the symptoms. And also try a diet shift if you have a cat with the described symptoms. Take the least expensive options first- canned, no dry, pumpkin, Miralax and then move to raw chicken with the Dr. Pierson recipe to add vital vitamins and minerals to make raw meat a complete meal. Catinfo.org is where to find the diet. 

best of luck.