BREED STANDARD

The Manx cat closely resembles the British Shorthair in type with the obvious exception of the tail and the breed standard has changed very little over the last century.

The Body - The Manx should have the appearance of a solid, compact, medium-sized cat with a broad chest, deep flanks and a short back. The rump, should be higher than the shoulder, ideally as round as an orange exactly as asked for in the original standard.

Legs - Substantial and muscular legs, with short front legs and higher back legs.

Head - This is fairly large and round with prominent cheeks. There should be a strong muzzle, a firm chin and an even bite.

Nose - The requirement is for a broad, straight nose of 'medium length' without a definite break.

Ears - These should be medium in size and open at the base tapering to a narrow, rounded tip, when viewed from behind should resemble the shape of a cradle.

Eyes - Large and round, colour should be in keeping with the coat colour but this is not very important as only 5 points are allotted to eyes.

Tail - Tail-lessness is the requirement of the GCCF standard - 'The rump should be felt to be completely rounded with no definite rise of bone or cartilage interfering with the roundness of the rump.'

Coat - This should be short and 'double-coated', and having a short, very thick undercoat with a slightly longer overcoat. Overall this gives the Manx cat a well padded appearance. Quality of coat is of great importance; more important than colour or pattern. For show purposes with the GCCF at present it is a case of Shorthairs Only. There is also a semi-longhaired version of the Manx, the Cymric which, is can be shown with TICA.