Manx Cats mature when?

Hi all. I have a question regarding
Manx cats.

In Dec. last year, a stray or dump off
young cat appeared in the hood. I
(sucker that I am) took her in, with
the intention of foster and adopting
out if I could find no owner.

And oh how I tried to find an owner!!

The vet visited and we discoverd she
was spayed. The vet check her teeth
and said it was over a year old - probl.
about 1.5 yr.

Well... this little cat GREW while in my
care.. and NOT in the fat way. Tho
she's quite nicely filled out now ...

She got bigger frame wise and size
wise I think. Those who met her early
on and months later commented on it.

So, my question - was the vet wrong
on age, could she have still had some
growing left to do and been about 8/9
months old? OR is the Manx breed
a slow growing breed?? Could she
be really a 2 year old?? not a 2.5 year
old??

She acted VERY kittenish when I got her
too.. playing, high energy etc. I would
have placed her myself at under 1 year
over 6 months...

Not that it matters - I love the scamp -
she's got a TON of personality. V. V.
bossy (growls if you pick her up when
she doesn't WANT to be picked up, LOL!)

And "guards" HER turf/person from other
cats QUITE jealously. (She attacked an
older male cat when he was getting too
friendly w/ me, and impinging on HER
territory!!).

Tiny meow tho. Almost never hear it.
And chirrups at me
when she demands love. Purrs
not loudly or often, but when content...

Oh, and was fascinated w/ the bathtub
and all things running water for many
months (falling in 2x cured her of it tho!!)

Also excellent climber dispite no tail. Has
done less climbing lately, as I think a little
too "heavy". Need to put her on a diet.

Despite all attempts to get to eat wet,
free feeds on dry (and at that loves
the junky stuff, LOL!)

Anyway, is it possible she was still
growing when I got??

I don't know, thats a good question! Hehe, sounds just precious with the tiny meows, and hyper personality, which if I understand are common in Manxs. I just adopted my Manx baby a little over a month ago, and the vet has been pretty confused about her age as well, especially cause she was very tiny and not well nourished when I got her. Anyways, as I said before, thats a good question, I'd like to know how long it will take Marlee to get to her full size, b/c I have no idea what to expect as far as her size goes. Any pics of your baby?

Just because she doesn't have a tail doesn't make her a manx. I would say she is just a small Domestic cat.

Originally Posted by AshleyNicole

I don't know, thats a good question! Hehe, sounds just precious with the tiny meows, and hyper personality, which if I understand are common in Manxs. I just adopted my Manx baby a little over a month ago, and the vet has been pretty confused about her age as well, especially cause she was very tiny and not well nourished when I got her. Anyways, as I said before, thats a good question, I'd like to know how long it will take Marlee to get to her full size, b/c I have no idea what to expect as far as her size goes. Any pics of your baby?

Click to expand...

Wish I had the pics! Haven't gotten round to that part of
the board yet tho! when I have more TIME I will for sure, LOL>

Lexie is about 8 lbs - a mid sized cat. Manx from what I
read are "stocky" type cats, and so well fleshed out.
BUT not over large like the Maine Coons.

I STILL think she was less than a year when I got her.
She behaved like a young kitten with my older senior
male (belly up, submissive etc round the food dish)
now she's quite the pushy thing, and CHASES the
old dear when he's outside. Bad kitty, bad kitty!! LOL.

We will see. I'd love to see pics of Marlee... They
are adorable when little!!

Take care & see you in the forums.

Originally posted by opilot

I'd love to see pics of Marlee... They
are adorable when little!!

Take care & see you in the forums.

Click to expand...

She is precious! Just like you, I've yet to get some pics on the computer. I don't have a digital camera, and am in the process of using a whole roll of film on Marlee. I'm going to get the copies put on a CD like you can do at WalMart, so hopefully I'll have kitty pics soon!

Yep, *breeders* get very annoyed at the use
of "Manx" to describe DSH w/ no tails.
(NO offense meant...)

From what I understand the genetics of cats
results in tail mutation due to VARYING causes
in the genes (it just "shows" in the tail, but
the gene mutation locations may be very different),
so yes it could well be she's "JUST" a DSH with a mutation
that causes her to have a 2 inch tail, a mutation completely
unrelated to the one that produces Manx cats. OTH she
could be a pet quality Manx - god knows there's too many
reckless breeders and kitty mills out there...

I like to think, she's quite possibly
a breed cat.. certainly given the factors in my finding
of her... and her subsequent behavior...

She was a very pampered indoor only (paw
pads that were pristine!), that's for sure!
And very well behaved too (no clawing furniture etc.).
My own two kitties weren't nearly as well behaved!

And she's terrified of mesh carry bags for pets
(but NOT carriers, just bags - the sight of one
sends her into snarling, hissing and escape attempts...)
and yes, she HATES and is afraid of men carrying boxes,
when they come to the door, she
DOES growl. oh my how she does!!

But, she's very well behaved in her carrier though -
not in the LEAST afraid of traveling (which
ALL my cats most certainly WERE/ARE!!)
And she adjusts when going visiting to other
houses (so long as no dogs or cats over there...)

I have never seen ANY of that behavior in ANY of my
(hum, 14 cats if you count family cats) to this day!
None of mine react in the ways she does..they
certainy don't GROWL like dogs (unless facing a
threat like a dog), travel calmly in carriers,
and get upset at men with boxes at the front
door...

all of which tells me she's had experience
in cars, with mesh carriers and with
trucks & possibly moving?

Anyway, I like to possibly delude (possibly not!) myself
she's a breed cat who got out in a move,
or who's owner was careless, or who was
kidnapped and dumped by the jealous boyfriend....

I can tell you one thing.. if she wasn't pampered
before? she sure is now!!

Yep, we do. No offence taken at all.

Glad she is so well loved.

We had a Manx cat when I was a child. Our Manx had just a tuft, where the tail was supposed to be, and he had extremely long back legs. When he ran he almost looked like he was hopping, like a rabbitt. We got our Manx from a breeder and he was a pure bred, so his body type was what a Manx is supposed to be like. I would say, if your cat has the extremely longer back legs, longer than the average cat, then it well could be a Manx. However a two inch tail seems long to me for a Manx, although I am no expert. I can just tell you that our Manx didn't have a tail at all, just a tuft.

As far as maturing, he seemed to mature at much the same level as any other cat. I do recall he was a good sized cat though.

I have a friend with a manx. She got it as a kitten...and i did`nt notice any difference at all in it`s maturing .(From other cats)
Linda

Manx's can be classified as a nubby or stubby, depending on the length of the tail (or lack of one). They will have longer back legs than the front, and their leg joints are wider than the average cat (makes them look more boxey and we call them "wide-bodies"). They also quite often have a double coat of fur - if you brush the hair backwards you will see a fine downy layer under the top layer.

I adopted a Manx from a rescue group many years ago. It took him close to 3 years to grow to full size and was about 18 pounds when full grown. He was Mr. Personality - dominant, fun loving, playful, caring and sensitive. He ruled the house (as is their personality) but did it in a very patriarchal way - nurturing versus overpowering.

Just because the cat has a partial tail doesn't make it a Manx - you need to look at all of her phyiscal attributes.

Thanks all. Let's see:

check on long legs (this gal can lie on back, not lift
head an inch off floor raise leg to mouth
and lick back paws!!), a rise
to rump (looks like sports car, higher back end, LOL),
wide set ears, and from what the pics show on Manx, rounded
Manx face and eyes.

Runs rabbit like, bouncing sort of gait.

Double coat (you can see this particularly well round
the hind leg areas where longer guard hairs on top
are "over" a shorter fine downy coat underneath.

She's smoke I discovered - her fur roots are WHITE,
tho she is entirely a black cat (with white locket).

wide chest for a female, shorter front legs than my other kitties -
a low slung, sports car cornering type of cat

The 2 inch could be bobbed - lots of pet quality Manx
breeders will bob the tails of the "longies"
(Manx that were born with partial tail
or even a full tail).
Could also be quite natural as Manx come in
all tail lengths...from full to none.

Anyway, no matter what her provenence, she's got
some characteristics that tell me she had an interesting
if not *traumatic* past, and was quite
loved and cherished at some point...

It is just that if the vet was correct based on the teeth,
and she WAS a year or more old, she should have quit
growing. But she DEFINITELY grew! Both up, and
alas now she's growing OUT!

I have to put her on a diet soon. She loves ALL dry
food (but not wet).

That's the biggest reason I figure she has Manx blood
somewhere in her. She grew when she shouldn't have
based on her teeth's age/yellowing, AND she has
those super long back legs, wide chest and
wide set ears, combined
with the short stump
(and man is it CUTE when that
stump starts wagging, or she puts it up at attention
and quivers it at me!!)

But Manx or not, she definitely grew. I'm sure as sure
can be she got bigger size wise and not just fat wise, LOL!

Manx mature very slowly, taking up to 5 years. I highly recommend this website http://www.manxalotrescue.org/ for tons of great info. on Manx. Also, it has a forum group called Manxcuties. From the descriptions of your cat's behaviors, esp. that chirping, she sounds classic Manx. My Joey is a Manx mix, as his coat is thin, altho he has the underfur, just like a rabbit. He can jump to the top of the curtain rods from a sitting position. He is maturing late -I didn't get him neutered till over a year old, and at that, he still hadn't "bloomed". Joey is my little boy alright; it's great cuz I have 2 kittens that would harrass me all night, except that Joey won't let them near the bed. And when I'm feeling poorly, from neck pain or kidney problems, Joey knows it and doesn't let even JC near me.
Congratulations on your Manx! A little warning though - for some reason, some people don't like the look, and may try to scare you with myths, such as that Manx will turn on their owners; when they grow up, they become very aloof & don't like humans, their backs will get arthritis and they will be unable to walk, blah,blah, blah... My SIL had a purebred Manx back in the 1970's, a wonderful cat with a strong personality, so I knew that the myths were just that. But finding the Manxalotrescue was a real Godsend - I hope that you find it useful, too!
I look forward to seeing pics. Susan

Manx's lack of tail or stumpy tail is due to a recessive gene. In otherwords, getting a short or even long tail would be more likely, as a long tail is the dominant gene. In fact, Manx kittens are breed with one long tail Manx and one tailess Manx so that there are no spinal defects.

Just because a cat lacks a tail doesn't make it a Manx. Same as long haired cats are not all Persians, not all large cats are Maine Coons, etc.

Many Manx cats have long tails, and most Manx breeders dock the tails in order to sell the litter, because this is what people expect. Pet quality Manx have stumpy tails or long tails at birth. Show and breeder quality Manx are rumpies or rumpy risers - meaning no tail or only an itsy bitsy one. A Cymric is actaully a long haired Manx, and in the US is no logner classified as a Cymric. In Canada however, they are considered 2 distinct breeds. True Manx also are any color EXCEPT pointed - such as Flame point or Siamese markings.

They have round faces and stocky build. Front legs are short, back legs are long, and they cannot meow very loud. They are playful, but also laid back. They are consdiered a "dog cat" and like to play fetch! They also tend to be a one person or family only cat. If moved to a different home after coming to love a family, as a rule they do not react well.

I've heard once the adult teeth are in, its hard to tell the age - its a best "guesstiment". Your vet may have been going by how clean the teeth were - little tarter build up or something.

My first HHP was guessed to be around 2 yrs old - we will never know but gave him a "birthdate" based on that information.

Since your little manx grew and filled out more and based on other behavior (tho rexes act like kittens almost all their lives) you might want to just make your kitty 2 yrs old and go from there. Doesn't matter THAT much....

I love smokes, they are so pretty! Is your kitties tail a working tail? They can either be stiff (not-usable) or working. I think its so cute when they have a little nub of a tail and it still works. Way to cute.