Thursday 17 October 2024
How did the Manx cat lose its tail? Infographic.
Monday 18 October 2021
Founder effect in the creation of a cat breed
In terms of community and domestic cats, the so-called "founder effect" is apparent in, for example, two cat breeds that come to my mind quite quickly namely the Manx and the Turkish Van. There are others. Both these breeds were moggies at one time living in the communities from where they orginate.
Manx cat was created via the founder effect on the Isle of Man many years ago. Photo copyright Helmi Flick. |
In relation to domestic cat evolution, the founder effect works when a population of domestic and community cats are in a certain area and confined to that area. Some early members of this group of cats become the foundation cats for all the cats in the area. It's a bit like the creation of a breeding line when cat breeders selectively breed for a certain appearance. They choose a foundation cat and use that individual throughout their entire breeding programme and indeed other breeding programs. There is a loss of genetic variation.
The meaning of “lines” in cat breeding
Manx
This sort of thing can can occur naturally in a confined space. For example, the Manx cat was confined to the Isle of Man which is about 30 miles long. A genetic mutation for a missing or short tail occurred in one cat on that island. It was passed through inheritance to other cats. The original mutated domestic cat with a short tail became a foundation cat to all others until there was a large population of short-tailed or no-tailed cats confined to a 30 mile long and 10 mile wide island.
Turkish Van
Turkish Van. Photo: Helmi Flick |
Polydactylism
The founder effect is why short tails were perpetuated in the isolated populations on the Isle of Man, as mentioned, and in Japan and the Kuril Islands (Kurilian Bobtail). And the founder effect also accounts for the high percentage of domestic and community cats in Boston with extra toes known as polydactylism. The original cats with extra toes procreated to create more and the genetic mutation did not dissipate among the general population but was confined to the Boston area. This allowed for a quite high percentage of cats with extra toes to be present in that area.
Why are Maine Coons polydactyl?
Bengal cat
All Bengal cats orginate in very few first generation leopard cat x domestic cat hybrids created in the 1970s as I recall.
Breed personality
You can find certain personality characteristics within cats of a certain breed because one male individual founder cat has passed on their inherited character to many cats within that breed because an individual founder cat was used by a number of breeders. Perhaps, this is why the Ragdoll cat is known to be laid-back. I don't know how many foundation cats in total exist for the Ragdoll cat breed but I suspect it is a very few and there may be one individual cat which started off that breeding line for all the cats of that breed which means their personality has been handed down for generations.
Saturday 3 May 2014
Phnom Penh, Cambodia: It’s rare to find a cat with a normal tail
Photo by Julie Masis - Tour Guide carries tailless Cambodian cat |
Thursday 14 June 2012
Manx and Sphynx Cat Breeds Becoming More Popular?
There are various ways to measure cat breed popularity. Each is likely to produce a different result. I cover that in more detail on this page which is a similar but extended article to this one.
Vetstreet used the number of births on their database for 2011 to come to the conclusion that the Siamese was streets ahead for popularity. I can believe them but - there is always a but, isn't there - who are Vetstreet? They seem to be a general content website about pets. They have disclaimers about their advice. I don't know why they have a database of purebred cats especially one that contains '623,000 cats born in 2011'.
The number of births is a pretty good guideline as to popularity but were these all purebred cats? The number quoted is large and it should include random bred cats. In fact I would say it must include moggies because it would seem unlikely to me that they have 623,000 purebred cats on their database.
This is what they came up with:
- Siamese
- Persian
- Maine Coon
- Ragdoll
- Bengal
- Himalayan
- American Shorthair
- Manx
- Russian Blue
- Sphynx
As to the Siamese cat. There are 3 or 4 versions of this breed. Which one are Vetstreet talking about?
Saturday 19 May 2012
1900 Manx Cat Compared to 2000 Manx Cat
On the basis that both cats are good representations of the breed at the time (which I believe is the case), the Manx cat has been developed to be shorter in length and more cobby. Also the modern Manx leans forward more indicating the preference for hind legs that are longer than shortened forelimbs. The head looks a bit more rounded as well. The 1898 cat is essentially a normal random bred cat without a tail in terms of overall shape while the 2007 cat is a refined and selectively bred Manx along the lines of what it is believed the Manx should look like but exaggerated somewhat. The general modus operandi is to breed slightly extreme and in some cases very extreme (e.g. contemporary Persian) to make the breed more outstanding and interesting while differentiating it from other breeds.
Jennings, a UK show cat judge of 1901, says1 that "In shape and size the Manx resembles the ordinary short-haired cat, and may be of any colour and markings, the absence of tail giving the appearance of greater length of limb." Mr Jennings hints that some Manx cats with stumps of tails are ordinary cats with docked tails.
The CFA breed standard for the Manx makes it clear that this cat should be short in length ("short back") and round. The forelimbs should be short and "hind legs much longer than forelegs...".
There you have it. A classic example of how a breed develops over 100 years or so. You can make up your own mind if all that effort resulted in a better cat.
Note: 1. DOMESTIC AND FANCY CATS - ISBN 9781164623557 - pages 22-23. 2. The top photo is published here on the basis that it is in the public domain due to the lapse of copyright over time. Helmi's photo is published with her permission.
Associated: Kurilian Bobtail, a short tailed cat from islands of the east coast of Russia.
Thursday 10 May 2012
Manx Cat Imported From Far East?
The Isle of Man was a recognized sea port. They even built ships there. We know that ships cats have been a standard feature on ships since ancient times and still are. They serve a useful purpose.
Short tailed cats are known to be common in the Far East. This was and remains a definite hotspot for short tailed cats. In fact it has been the case for a thousand years or more. Harrison Weir on 1889 wrote1 that short tailed cats were commonly seen in the Malay Archipelago and in Burma and Thailand. He called the short tailed cat of the area the "Malayan".
In addition we have the well known Japanese Bobtail, the lesser known and perhaps genetically connected Kurilian Bobtail, the Mekong Bobtail and short tailed or kinked tailed Siamese cats. These cats come from the area in the Far East highlighted in red in the map below.
Area and places were short tailed cats found |
The Isle of Man is also marked on the map. You can see how far apart these areas are. It would seem more likely that the Manx cat was imported from the Far East as opposed to the cat developing from a genetic mutation on the Isle of Man.
Of course, very long established bobtailed cats might not be limited in origin to the area indicated. It is just that we have confirmed and established information that they are commonplace in this area. Also there is no trend or tendency for short tailed cats to appear in the United Kingdom or Ireland (except for the Isle of Man).
The American Bobtail and Pixie-bob, both American domestic cats are short tailed. However, they are very recent cat breeds (1980s). They do not have a long history as is the case for the cats mentioned above. It may well be that they both have the same origins as the Manx. These cats were found in Arizona and Washington USA as marked on the map.
Note: 1. Our Cats and all about them at page 82.
Wednesday 8 February 2012
Manx Cat Health Problems
In the case of the Manx cat, when the "Manx gene" is inherited from both parents (homozygous) it results in the death of the offspring in the womb. In Manx to Manx matings 25% of the potential litter is lost in womb during fetal development.
Accordingly, in breeding the Manx you cannot breed Manx to Manx and the offspring is a heterozygote (carries one Manx gene).
The shortened tail is what we see as a consequence of the presence of the Manx gene. However, the gene affects other parts of the cat's anatomy causing Manx cat health problems (Manx Syndrome).
Spina bifida
This is a malformation of the vertebrae and spinal cord. The neural tube (the precursor to the central nervous system in the embryo) is not fused together. Skin can cover the defect. The medical condition can result in fecal incontinence and urine incontinence (in some cats). Other health problems caused by this condition are:
- hind limb weakness and/or incoordination
- constipation and megacolon
- hopping instead of running
- cavitation
- syringomyelia
- brain deformities
- hemivertebrae
This refers to "imperforate anus". A membrane covers the anal opening. Surgery rectifies it as I understand the condition.
Rectal prolapse
Spinal defects can lead to straining when going to the toilet which in turn can cause rectal prolapse. In layman's terms this means rectal tissue is forced to the exterior at the anus. This condition requires immediate veterinary treatment.
Corneal dystrophy
This Manx cat health problem "exists in an inbred line of Manx" cats. This is an autosomal recessive trait meaning not sex linked and an inherited recessive gene causes the problem. The symptoms are central cornea edema (swelling) at four months of age and ulceration of the cornea later.
Pyoderma
Pyoderma may affect the dimple where the tail should be. Pyoderma is a bacterial infection of the skin. The dimple should be kept clean. If it develops the hair should be trimmed and a local antibiotic (cream) applied to the area.
Arthritis
Some cats can suffer from arthritis. I am not sure how prevalent this is or how much more common over the average. Arthritis can affect all cats, purebred can random bred.
Although I am writing about Manx cat health problems meaning the purebred cat, it would seem reasonable to presume that these conditions can affect random bred cats affected by the Manx gene.
Source: Medical, Genetic & Behavioral Aspects of Purebred Cats ISBN 0-9634124-0-X
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