Manx lifespan?

I have a 10yr old cat that I got from the SPCA. He's part Manx and part shorthair. He definitely shows Manx traits like round eyes, shortened tail (about 8inches long), shorter spine, and he's sort of dog like in behavior.

My question: do Manx cats have shorter lifespans than other breeds? At 10yrs old he is still active and in great health. How long can I expect him to live?

Thanks

Mine was 11 when she died but they live longer.

A friend of mine had a Manx/Maine Coon mix and she lived to be late teens. She was totally tailless and did have on/off problems with elimination cause she didn't have the muscles back there.

My Manx lived to be 8 years old and died from heart failure. I did some research at the time to try to figure out if it was the breed or just the (bad) luck of the draw. Manx's can sometimes have skeletal and elimination problems, but still can live the same lifespan as any other cat.

A few years later I lost a plain old DSH cat at age 8 from heart failure. Then I found out that male cats in the 7-10 year range have the worst odds for heart problems. Bad luck just struck me twice.

My half-Manx, half dsh also died of heart failure at 5 years...he was a sweetheart. His name was Max..... He also had the shorter tail (about 8"), round eyes, lovely personality, and never had litter box issues.

The lifespan of a Manx is about the same as a regular short-haired cat..up to 20 years.

If your Manx is already 10 years old, and in good health, then he's past the critical heart problem age. Manx purebreds can also have what 'they' call Manx Syndrome which includes possible heart failure in males at about 5 years old.

Enjoy your healthy Manx...and he'll give you years of love and laughter. I'm happy for you that you have a healthy little fellow.

Our Manx is 15 1/2. She is still in good health though thin and experiences some arthritis. Her tail is about 2 inches.

I've read that all cats can be expected to live about the same length, it just depends on what they've been eating, home conditions, sickness, etc.

Kitty is a rescued tailess Manx (1.5 years old) with elimination problems off and on, but healthy otherwise, and so sweet. I hope she lives to be very old and happy If yours is healthy now, I wouldn't worry.

Well, I guess I'm pretty lucky then to have a happy and healthy active 10yr old. Thanks for all the replies!

Before I decided on Sphynx I was looking at Manx again also. Mine had about a 1/2 stub. She was a very strong cat though. She also saved my sister when Whiskers attacked her.

Originally Posted by manxduke

Well, I guess I'm pretty lucky then to have a happy and healthy active 10yr old. Thanks for all the replies!

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Yes, you are very fortunate. I hope he stays healthy for a long time to come!

I know this is an old thread, but I thought it would only be fitting to reply. This is my first post on TCS so go easy on me!

I recently lost my tailed Manx female DSH, Pea, in Summer of 2012 at the age of 16 due to complications of diabetes. I still have her son, Spot, a tail-less Manx, who is now 16, turning 17 in May. His name is Spot and he is currently at the vet with a fecal impaction secondary to chronic renal failure. This is the second time he has had an impaction, the last was in 2006. I treated this successfully at home, spent New Year's Eve giving SC fluids and enemas. The only other problem besides diabetes,which has now resolved, has been urinary blockage back in 2005.

When I had Spot examined /neutered as a young cat, the vet was under the impression that Manx cats don't live very long and 'you're taking on a life-long project' by having a Manx as a pet. That is a direct quote which has stuck with me all these years but I suppose we have proved him wrong. I wouldn't trade Spot for anything and I'm not sure right now but I think I would do it all over again.

I have a male manx breed cat. He's totally tail less, a true rumpy. No stump, no nothing. Hind legs are much taller in height than his front legs and it's definitely noticeable. He doesn't have Manx Syndrome either so I guess I'm (and him) are lucky. He's now 16 1/2 years old and this upcoming June 13th (if nothing health wise crops up on him) he'll be 17 years old. He chose me as his favorite and he's my constant shadow. He never allows me out of his sight for very long. Right now he's laying on a nice 4" thick comfy orthopedic bed, which is always in front of my computer monitor since I'm using my Desktop tower computer and he's watching me type this message.

He can still run like the wind and jump. The highest place in the house for him to jump is on our 30" tall bed (from ground to top of bed). I tried to discourage him from jumping up and down of the bed when he was getting older. I figured arthritis would creep into his joints and jumping off the bed onto the floor would take it's toll on his front shoulder joints and this is why when he was 10 years old, I got him a 6 step cat stair so he can walk up to the top of the bed and walk back down the steps when he wants to get back on the carpet to go to the kitchen or any other place where he wants to go.

This past January, I had a "complete" physical workup on him (blood, liver, urine, etc) and everything was normal. My vet said he has great genes, but she also said I take excellent care of him. His teeth needed cleaning since gingivitis was starting to show and my vet, put him under and cleaned his teeth. No complications from the procedure or the anesthesia she used on him, but she only gave him half a dose because of his age. No signs (yet) of arthritis.

My wife's good friend has had two manx breed cats (not at the same time), a male and a female and they both lived till they were 15. Both died in their sleep one night (years apart). Both of them never had Manx Syndrome either.

My vet said she has three more manx breed cat patients she takes care of at her clinic. None of them have Manx Syndrome either. They range in age from 8-12 years of age. My manx cat (Tiger) is the oldest.

Of all the manx breed cats I've come into contact with, all them are "people cats". They're super friendly and not shy. Our cat doesn't hide when the "repairman" comes (from any company) into our home.

I have always wondered whatever happened to some of Spot's siblings. I gave out a baby pic with their date of birth on it. It simply said 'May 18, 1997' at the bottom of a Polaroid. There were two tailless, a male and a female, and one stumpy female. We'll anyways, I sure do love the breed. My guy is friendly and never hides from anyone. He greets me at the door when I come home and follows me wherever I go.

I just lost my Sox, male long hair, black with white Manx. His bladder and kidneys failed. I am so heartbroken, I raised Sox from the time he was six months old. His tail was about 2". He was my nubby buddy, cuddle buddy, and all around the best ever house cat. I don't think I can bring another cat into my home now.

I am so sorry to hear about your loss. Now that I have a Manx kitten, I get how much of a chum and constant companion they can be. Its hard to lose a best friend...

I have a purebred Manx male, completely tailless. He'll be 14 yrs old in a month or so. He started having some diarrhea problems back in 2009 but we learned to control with chia seed and he only needs it 2 or 3 times a year now (followed by a round of probiotics).  Other than that, he's in pretty good health except I notice he's not very flexible anymore, has trouble cleaning himself in certain spots (never used to get matts but now he does...i'm almost an expert at shaving them out now though lol).  Also he's about 2lbs overweight, doesn't help him being able to clean himself, has trouble getting over giant belly (we are working on this)!  He's had arthritis in his spine sometime now...I fear he also has something that won't show up on xray as well (disc? muscle? ligament? issue)...he loves to be picked-up but I hardly do it now because he makes a pain noise every time   But its not like he goes about in pain.  I mean, he's quite lazier than he used to be and goes about alot less since I got a second cat about 2 yrs ago (apparently that meant he didn't need to follow me to the bathroom and other cat stuff anymore) but he throws his toys about and revels in his catnip quite regularly.  I give him cosequin for his back, it def helps...if I run out for more than 3 days when he's back on it, 2 - 3 days in, he gets all crazy cat running around and stuff and I could swear he's showing me how much better he feels (and then goes back to being his lazy old self the next day or so).  Anyway, I hope he's got another 40 yrs in him, silly or not!  

I just lost my 14 year old Manx, Hermes. I came home from work and I believe he had a stroke. That morning he was fine. Raised him since he was a kitten, I miss him so much. He was HIV positive when I got him and he wasn't supposed to live a month. But he had no problems at all. I still feel guilty about my decision, but my boy wouldnt want to suffer. He gave me that look like he was ready. Manx cats are definitely the best breed.

We adopted a Manx cat, named Squeaky about 4 years ago in 2013. I should say she adopted us, because somebody abandoned her. I am baffled that Manx cats don't live long.

I lost Squeaky last Wednesday the 6th. I am heartbroken. She adopted us. Squeaky was between 3-4 years old when we got her in 2013. So I am guessing she was between 7-8 years old. I brought her in Wednesday the 30th because I didn't want a coyote to get her and she would sleep under cars. Thursday- I didn't let her and she stopped eating and drinking food and water. I should have taken her to the vet on the 1st of September. I know it is too late now. I always take my cats to the vet. Most of my other cats live to be 13+ years. So I am really baffled as to what could have caused her to stop eating and drinking. I printed a picture of her as a memorial.