Question for the breeders..

First of all let me say that Sammycat is altered. now for my question after a little background.

Sammycat is a Manx that has a small portion(1/2 inch) of his backbone missing where his tail should have started. according to the Vet he has some nerve damage to his rear end mainly affecting his back legs and bodily functions.

At times he will lose his balance when he jumps onto things and has some issues with his bowels and bladder. When he was a wee kitten he would leave me a present on the floor when he would leave the litterbox. The vet said that he would outgrow this when he was a little older and with the exception of a few accidents he pretty much has. Can this birth defect be breed out of a line of cats? A friend of mine was asking me and I have no clue as to what to tell her about this.

I am not a breeder but I do know that the manx gene is horribly unstable. This gene is dominant and a double expression of the gene (having two of them) is almost always fatal in the womb. The expression of this gene is also very unstable: from cats with no tails to cats with stumpys and short tails. Frequently the gene also causes other skeletal deformities. This isn't really a feature of this gene that can be changed with breeding (as far as we know) but rather an example of the instability of certain genes. Manx cats would never have been accepted into the official cat world if they weren't a naturally occuring and long established breed from the Isle of Man (hence the name) in the UK.

Thank you for your reply I wasn't sure how to answer my friend. Sammycat's problems are not severe, but just enough to make him my "special needs" kitty.

Even though he has these problems I just clean up the mess and love him to death anyway. There is no way that I could get rid of him because he has a problem,like someone suggested to me, they are no longer welcome at my house

why would someone tell you to get rid of a special need's cat? That would be like geting rid of a special need's child!!!!!!!!!!!!Thank God that person is no longer welcome in your home!

Originally posted by sherral46
why would someone tell you to get rid of a special need's cat? That would be like geting rid of a special need's child!!!!!!!!!!!!Thank God that person is no longer welcome in your home!

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I really think they hated cats to begin with. As soon as they walked in they were mouthing off about cats and what they would like to do to them.

Originally posted by blondiecat
I really think they hated cats to begin with. As soon as they walked in they were mouthing off about cats and what they would like to do to them.

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I'm really glad they are not allowed back into your home.The nerve of some people.

hi blondiecat !

i think that cats that have amputated tails also have that problem
and the explanation has been pretty much the same. some kind of
nerve damage. also, different degrees of nerve damage.

i work with someone who has only had manx cats and one cat did
have a short period of time where he pooped right outside the litterbox.
so he moved the box and that solved the problem. his other manx cats
never had that problem.

my best friend found a kitten in her driveway with an injured tail and
it had to be amputated. he was and is fine except he would keep backing
up while in the litterbox and pooped over the edge. so she got a large
rubbermaid container. removed the top and use that as a litter box
and her cats jump in and out easily enough and so no more pooping over
the side by accident. i also use rubbermaid containers with no tops as
litterboxes too only i cut out a small U shape so its easier to jump in and out.

another co-worker also rescued a kitten off the street with an injured tail
that also had to be amputated and she has been to the vet numerous times
as her kitty has had major constitpation problems which could shorten kittys
life if not addressed in a timely manner all the time. she has finally got the
kitty on numerous stool softeners and flaxseed oil and flaxseed in cat food
and wet food only and watered down food that has kitty going normally
most of the time. for the other times she has to give kitty an enema.

all the vets agree that kittys with no tails from amputation can have
nerve damage either causing uncontrollable pooping and peeing or
constipation. i guess the same is true with some of the manx cats.