Manx Syndrome Help!!

[Medusa]

Aw, sweet little one. Bless you for taking him in. Having several special needs cats myself, I know how blessed you become. You'll be good for each other.

[mrspunkysmom]

Thank you for taking him in.

I had a manx cat when I was a teenager. We adopted her when on vacation at my great uncles. She was sterile and only lived a few years. I do not think it was related to the MS but I cannot remember.

Anyway, I've heard two theories as to why some manx develop MS and some do not.

1) The manx cat has to alternate breeding with non-manx cats every other generation. So if two manx breed, their offspring must breed with non-manx. If the manx-to-manx breeding continues unto the third generation, the litters are born with many problems including sterility and spina bifida, and do not live long. I don't remember what problems are with the second generation breeding.

2) A manx can have no tail, a stub tail, or a long tail. The tail does not define the manx, as the manx also have longer hind legs, and probably a few other characteristics I've forgotten. A no-tail or stub-tail manx must breed with a long-tail every other generation to reduce the possibility of genetic problems such as spina bifida.

Of course, people can get awfully hot when you introduce a theory they do not like, but I have heard both of those theories.

I suspect that both are true. People who are stuck on pure-manx would not like breeding with a non-manx. I also suspect that on the Isle of Man many of the long-tail cats that were assumed to be non-manx and were actually long-tail manx.

I also assume that breeding every other generation with a non-manx would not breed out the characteristics.

I hope I remembered everything as I am doing this from memory.

Bless you again.

Remember to get your bites looked at and keep them clean.

Anne

[Lizzie]

The very best people you can talk to about this on P.T. are two who don't post here very often because they are so very busy. I will send them both regular emails and ask them to drop in. Mumpkees, in particular, has specialized for years in cats with disabilities that make diapers, expressing bladders and bowels, etc. necessary on a daily basis. You might also want to subscribe to the Yahoo group Handicats2, make sure it has the 2 after it because the regular Handicats group is rarely visited except by spammers.

You've done a wonderful thing and I hope this little guy has many happy years ahead of him.