manx question

I'm not positive this should go here but...

My kitten Nola is a manx, which I have heard can have many health problems. As of now she seems fine health wise, she just cannot control when she goes to the bathroom.

My question is that I read somewhere that manx kittens with this deformity often don't live very long. Five years at most? Is this true?

I also know that these cats are very friendly and love being around people. Nola cries when we have to lock her in the kitchen at night so she doesn't pee on our bed. My boyfriend wants to send her to live with his mom's outdoor cats when she's older. I'm wondering if her breed is suited to be an outdoor cat?

I dont believe that. My Manx was 11 when she died. I would not put her outside. Mine got out by mistake sometimes. She died having a siezer. She had them since she was a kitten. Her back legs she dragged behind her for 2 years.

I found this article on Manx cats and it had the following

The Manx is a short, round cat; but unfortunately, this cat CAN be too short. The genetic mutation peculiar to the Manx cat determines the length of the spinal column. A super short spine can fail to provide proper nerve and muscle endings which can result in an open spine, a lack of bowel and/or bladder control, weak hindquarters or one weak hind leg. And yet there are super short cats that are strong and healthy. Once a Manx kitten gets past the age of six months the majority of well-cared-for pets live long lives - 15 or more years is not an uncommon lifespan. Normally Manx are extremely hearty cats and are not prone to upper respiratory problems.

As to the issue of indoor/outdoor, most of the members do recommend having the cat be indoor only. You can provide lots of entertainment by playing with them, providing cat trees or places to climb, etc. Keeping them indoors provides a safer environment from cars, dogs, disturbed people. A number of areas in the US have coyotes roaming suburban and urban areas.

Originally Posted by katachtig

As to the issue of indoor/outdoor, most of the members do recommend having the cat be indoor only. You can provide lots of entertainment by playing with them, providing cat trees or places to climb, etc. Keeping them indoors provides a safer environment from cars, dogs, disturbed people. A number of areas in the US have coyotes roaming suburban and urban areas.

Click to expand...

This cat has no bladder control. So the indoor/outdoor part looks slightly different. If they have a safe outdoor area that the cat can live in that might be easier for everyone once the cat is big enough.

cgeiser - You have my respect for caring for this kitten. A lot of people would simply have her put down and not doing the work of caring for a cat that can't use a litterbox reliability. I won't blame you if you end up keeping her as an outdoor cat. The important part is that she'll still be looked after, spayed get vet care when she needs to and is in an area that's safe for cats. I know you can't ever keep outdoor cats in a 100% safe way but some places are defiantely safer than others.

I have heard of manx being good "barn cats" and they do have a fairly thick coat, so that would help when it is cold, etc. That said, they are VERY friendly and supposedly aren't wary of strangers (I only have read this though), so if the cat would be in an area where it would be dangerous for them to associate with a stranger (i.e. something that would do sick things to her or use her as dog-fighting bait) then her being outside would not be a good thing. If, however, you can either put her in a safe rural setting or if you have a fenced in back yard and can get something like a "cat fence" that would work also.

HTH,
Art
BTW: did you get her from a breeder or rescue? Did the breeder or rescue tell you about her condition before you purchased / adopted her? This would be a serious genetic fault / condition and I couldn't see a reputable breeder placing a kitten with this condition (they would either keep the kitten themselves or PTS). Same with a rescue, I can't see a reputable one placing a kitten with this condition without informing you prior to adoption.

If you knew about her condition beforehand, I greatly admire you for taking on such a special-needs kitty... If, however, you did not know about her condition, you may want to contact the breeder and find out about what can be done or what the medical history of the kitten's immediate relatives is.

I got her from a friend. My friends kitten had kittens. At 6 months she took her to the vet to get spayed and found out she was pregnant. So she was neither a breeder, or a backyard breeder. It was just an accident.

We went over to see them one day and fell in love with the little tailless one.

When we got her home we noticed she could not use the litter box so I did some reading. We think that my friend did not know about her problems , because the mom was still cleaning her.

that being said we didn't try and take her back because, well we made a commitment to this kitten and we knew it would be near impossible for her to find another home.

thanks for the input everyone, I was worried about her being an outdoor cat but I feel more at ease about it know. I'm still not sure if I'm going to go for it yet. Of course if she goes I'm going to be calling my boyfriends mom constantly for checkups on her. She lives up in the woods so she will be away from cars. They also have a covered area where the cats sleep/eat so I know she will be fine.