Wondering About Breed?

I have acquired a solid black, long haired, no tailed, male cat. Midnight's fur is slightly ... rippled, I guess you would call it, on his belly and shorter. When I say no tail, I mean, no tail. He only has a very little bone protruding high up on his backbone. He is very muscular and solid built. A tad unbalanced when doing high wire antics but otherwise very athletic. Never leaves the yard since he showed up and follows us around like a dog.

Could he be a Manx? Or is he more likely an Am shorttail/bobtail? Or has someone amputated his tail? Just looking for best guesses here, as I know no one can be sure without lineage. If he is a Manx, aren't these rare high dollar cats? Surely, someone didn't just dump him.

I have been taking care of him all summer and have checked the neighborhood for an owner with no success. He was very thin, scruffy, and his ears and neck had been chewed up pretty badly when he showed up here with no collar and doesn't appear to have ever had one. I have doctored him and fattened him up and he never leaves the yard.

Is he mine since he has been here so long? If he is, I am going to take him to the vet and have him fixed. I don't need anymore kittens, but I don't want someone showing up and claiming him or suing me after I go to the expense and effort.

Is he mine since he has been here so long? If he is, I am going to take him to the vet and have him fixed. I don't need anymore kittens, but I don't want someone showing up and claiming him or suing me after I go to the expense and effort.

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If he has been with you that long and you have placed flyers around the neighborhood and contacted the local shelters, rescues and received no response..then I would say it is safe for you to have him neutered and consider him as yours.

Katie

He may have manx in the background or as you said, it could have been amputated. A friend of mine adopted a stray and the cat gave birth to all tailed cats but one. The cats lived on a "island like" area so it was not too many "fathers" to pick from as to who this one cat's father was (a manx type).

But she had the coat and body of a maine coon like cat. So my friend called her 1/2 MC and 1/2 manx. Anyway she was a true manx in that she did have occasional problems with the litter pan - she had no tail muscles.

Manx with some tail or full tail don't have those problems. Just something to keep in mind for possible problems.

I have a Manx, though it's unlikely she is a purebred. (Most cats aren't -- they are mixed breeds). She has no tail, but you can feel a little bump if you run your hand over her behind. If your kitty has a rounded body rather than a sleek one, there's a good chance he's got some Manx in him, at least. It sounds like it, from your description of him.

Manxes have been described as being more 'doglike' than other cats -- they bond tightly to their humans.

Midnight's body shape is definitely different than my other kitties. I am not sure is you would call him round, but the biggest difference is his walk. His back legs are longer or something because he walks like a wild cat, sort of.

Does that help anyone?

The back legs being longer is another Manx attribute. I call Thisbe my "souped up puddy tat" because of those haunches. LOL

Well, that kinda sounds like Midnight and he sounds like a herd of elephants when he runs. Thump, thump! Thump, thump!

I still haven't figured out what he is doing out in our neck of the woods.

I doubt he is a Manx. Just before a cat has no tail, DOESN'T make it a Manx(because that's a breed of cat) Most likely he's just a cat without a tail.