Considering a Manx -- health questions

tbutler

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I've been looking at a very personable, 2 year old "rumpy" Manx that a local animal rescue organization has. I was decidedly not looking for a Manx -- after my last cat, Spot, I really wanted to find a "conversationally" vocal cat (preferably) with a long tail. Spot was an incredible cat who was a great conversationalist and had a beautiful long tail. But, this little Manx came up to the glass and did his best to "sell" himself to me. He's a delightfully friendly cat with a lot of personality, so I started reading up on Manx and find myself more than a little scared. (Which is only exacerbated by the fact that the little guy seems to be under-the-weather right now -- he's sneezing a lot and his caretaker has him on antibiotics at the moment; she was also a bit unhappy with the shape of his stool.) 

In any case, assuming whatever he has now isn't serious, I'm just wondering how likely it is that the average Manx will have Manx-specific health issues. Googling Manx brings up all sorts of discussions about incontinence, elimination problems, etc., sometimes first showing up even past the kitten stage. I think I'm especially leery because my previous cat died not too long ago of an antagonizing saddle thrombus and I just hate to think I might be setting myself up for a cat who is more prone than average to major health issues, possibly even early in life.

Does anyone have insights into Manx and the likelihood one might live a perfectly normal life for a cat?

Thanks!
 

red top rescue

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We do have one rumpy at the shelter who has dribbling problems and was given up because of that, and he will probably never be adopted because of that. But he's happy, he has his own 2-story cage, and like the rest of the mob, he gets to run loose all night every night in the thrift store.  Our two stumpy manx are just fine.  I can't tell you how many rumpies develop problems or if they are apparent as kittens or develop later, as I don't have that much experience with the breed.  Perhaps you should ask that question in the breeding forum.  A friend of mine got two lovely rumpies from a breeder when they were kittens and they never developed any problems.  I do think that if you have reservations about taking on a kitten who may or may not have future health problems, especially since he is in a multi-cat shelter environment and dealing with an upper respiratory infection at the moment, you would really be safer to get a kitten or cat from a private home, one who has not been in a multi-cat environment and has been kept inside, with an inside-only mother cat, especially if she has been tested negative for feline leukemia and aids viruses.  As much as I am pro-rescue and want people to adopt from rescues, shelter babies are exposed to a lot of things early in life when their immune systems are not completely developed, and some of them can have some problems later on because of this.   I would suggest that while the little Manx is recovering, you look around and see if you can find another kitten, perhaps a Siamese mix, as they have long tails and are talkative, one who has been home-raised and kept inside and not had exposure to a lot of other cats, because those will be the least likely to have future health problems, but you can never, ever be sure.  (Unfortunately, there is no way to predict a saddle thrombus, and I'm sorry you had to experience that.)   You have time to think about the cute little Manx, since they shouldn't be releasing him until he is over his sneezing and antibiotics.  If you still feel so drawn that you can take him on whether or not he has problems in the future, whether he develops a dribble, whether he has chronic sniffles, and whether his life is long or short, then adopt him.  Love is always taking a risk and making a commitment.  Love can always break your heart.
 
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tbutler

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Thanks. I think your advice sounds wise -- I'm still processing on this. I'm not necessarily opposed to some risk, but was worried maybe I was stepping into an unusually risky setting before I was even attached. Apparently this little guy has been returned once; the rescue worker said the person who adopted him became scared after reading about "Manx syndrome" and turned him back in. 

But, in the end you are right. Spot actually had two emergency animal clinic visits in his first month home and was worth the risk without question (in hindsight I realized he was sick when I got him). Other than that run in, he had good health for almost 14 years and was the most loving cat I could have ever hoped to find. He did sneeze frequently throughout his life, but that was never a problem. Thank you, regarding the saddle thrombus -- I'd never heard of it before it happened. It was definitely an awful way to say goodbye to a beloved furry family member.
 

red top rescue

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Actually, this is as good a forum as that one.  I was thinking you could do a search and ask Manx breeders about problems inherent in the breed, but I did a search in this forum Cat Health, and found many threads concerning Manx and their potential problems.  I will paste in one long thread you can check out and to find others, scroll to long box right under the brown bar above and enter a few words to search for, click Search, and you will get a collection of various articles that include those words.  This thread isn't too old and contains a lot of discussion about problems peoples' Manx Cats have had.  On the other hand, my friend had two purebred Manx rumpies and one "mongrel" manx stumpy and they are not having those problems as much.  You don't know if the Manx you are interested in actually HAS Manx syndrome do you?  Have you asked the rescue about it?  Was he returned becaue he HAS it, or was he returned because the adopter read about it and worried he might get it later in life?

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/168238/kitten-with-manx-syndrome-any-advice
 
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tbutler

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Thanks again. As to your question, the rescue worker said that the other person who adopted the cat return him because the person had read about Manx Syndrome and panicked about the cat developing it. (From what I've read, it sounds like it is usually apparent early, but I also ran into stories of it showing up all the way to 5 years of age). I guess what I've trying to do is figure out how often a healthy Manx stays healthy without Manx-issues developing later on. I find lots of stories of Manx with problems, but it is nice hearing about some without, such as your friend's. This little guy is suppose to be a "Manx-mix," so if that's true, I'd think that would be better.

The rescue worker seems to think he is in good shape. I'm a little concerned that he has an upper respiratory issue right now -- he feels warmer than I normally notice cats feeling and as I mentioned, he is sneezing (with, it seems, a bit of blood) and the one thing the rescue worker did seem concerned about was his stool shape. She insists he's just fine; I guess it just makes me a bit nervous, especially with him presently on several medications.

So, I don't know -- I'm still investigating other cats as you suggested and biding my time.

Thanks for your help!
 

sarah ann

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I have a stumpy Manx. I found her by my driveway as a kitten. She has not had any health problems, except she did develop esinophilic granuloma. It started as a lump on her lip which goes away with steroid shots. She gave me a huge scare, as she then developed a huge lump on her tongue. My vet thought it was cancer and wanted me to take her to the vet school. When I called them, they quoted me $800 just to examine her and biopsy it. Instead I took her to a different vet (the first vet is only good for routine stuff), and it turned out to be an infected granuloma. Some antibiotics and 3 steroid shots later, and the lump is almost disappeared.

She probably be will be on steroids on and off for the rest of her life, but she is perfectly healthy other than that.  I have to watch her weight, as steroids can make her diabetic, but so far so good. She has been off steroids for a few months now, but will probably need to go back on prednisolone tabs, to keep the lump on her tongue from coming back.

The best thing you can do, is get a vet exam on the cat you want to adopt.  I think you should be fine.  There is a colony of Max cats where I live, and they all seem to be healthy. I try to catch them and get them snipped, and vaccinated. 
 

red top rescue

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Many antibiotics can cause diarrhea, so you don't really know what his normal stool shape is until he's off the antibiotics, and then it's good to give them some Benebac to restore their natural intestinal flora that the antibiotic kills.  I'm not sure about what antibiotic they are using, but the sneezing blood usually prompts us to use azithromycin as it is a short treatment and seems to stop that instantly.  Normally at the shelter I foster for, we use Clavamox for upper respiratories as it is milder, and we treat from 7 to 10 days, but the azithromycin has the advantage of being a once a day treatment and also is a shorter course.
 
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tbutler

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That's interesting that antibiotics normally clear up the bloody nose. The rescue worker said she just gave the antibiotics as a precaution and didn't he had any kind of infection. I'm trying to convince myself just to go for a different cat to play it safe, but this little Manx is so endearing it isn't easy to do so... I need to post another adoption question on whatever forum makes the most sense on here, though about a different cat.
 

red top rescue

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If the question is about a specific BREED of cat, then you might try posting in Ethical Breeders forum.  If it is a Behavior question, try there. If it's a health question, of course, you are in the right forum here.   We advisors are assigned particular forums according to our strongest expertise but we roam freely throughout the site and give help where we can. 
 
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