A cat belonging to a friend of my mom’s had kittens early this summer. One was a calico with a stump tail. The others were rather non-descript, but that cat seemed like the type one might be able to sell. (I agree with Jon Stewart. “Cats are free.”)
But I wasn’t sure how to go about that. My mom, who already has several cats, took her in, saying she knew some people who might take her, but (of course) they didn’t, & now it seems like the cat is going to end up staying with my mom or with me. And she’s 4 months old already!
I don’t know how rare that calico-Manx combination is. So, should I just keep her & spay her, try to sell her, or what? I’m not really set up to get into Manx breeding, & am afraid I’d just have to destroy most of the kittens.
She’s a short-haired yellow-and-black tortoiseshell tabby with moderately extensive white spotting, and a tail one bone long which she wags like a dog. She has black “eyeliner” which gives her a sort of clown face. She’ll probably end up being pretty long in the body, too. Is this even worth breeding?
gimme. She sounds like a wonderful beauty. sigh, actually, if I was in my own place already I WOULD take the kitten, provided you lived in my area. Where are you?
Just because a cat is born without a tail does not mean it is a Manx. Manx is a breed of cat, not just a tailless cat. The cat you have sounds like it was simply born with a birth defect. I can’t see anyone buying it, and you should definitely spay her.
The only reason cats should ever be bred is to better the breed, and that means having papers and a great show record.
Please, please, please have her fixed and try to find a good home for her. Calicos are popular and you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding someone who would take her home.
It is possible, of course, that you can find someone to buy just about anything, but, as Boscibo notes, a cat without a pedigree is not generally worth real money (and certainly not for breeding). Even if you can find a buyer, I would recommend having her spayed.
According to a good friend of mine who is in the last stages of vet school, the same genetic defect that causes her to have a stump tail could very well cause her kittens to be born with spina bifida–which means that you either get kittens with very gross, very obvious problems, like holes in their spines and paralysis, or you get less obvious but still troubling problems like the lack of bladder or bowel control.
Though I didn’t mention it before, I wasn’t going to breed her to another stumpy, I do know that much. And thanks for the, “She’s a worthless mutant 'cos she doesn’t have a pedigree,” attitude. I suppose you’re all royal bluebloods yourselves.
Sorry, that was snippy & irrational. It just gets me that the Manx would be considered valuable because it’s purebred. The genetic irregularity is the same either way, & isn’t one with an unusual coat pattern more, well, noteworthy?
The thing is, I don’t really think of cats as having strongly defined breeds in the same way as dogs. Mostly it’s just coat patterns, or very minor mutations (like folded ears, or curly hair).
I was using “Manx” as shorthand, when I should have said “stump-tail”, & I had no intention of selling it as a purebred. That said, a purebred is effectively an inbred descendant of some odd-looking moggie in the past, & so no superior to this cat.
If the point is that I can’t sell a cat based on looks, but only on a piece of paper, than point taken. I just thought this might be a cat that would actually be desirable enough that someone would take her. We all have enough cats, thank you very much, but I thought she was too cool-looking to hit on the head & have done with. As it stands, she just adds to the crowd of moggies my mom has taken in, & will probably be put to sleep by the authorities the next time Animal Control gets wind of the excess cat population at the house.
I was hoping someone would want her, but between three different websites where I posted, only Papaveraceae asked. I’m in Missouri, long way from SoCal, but maybe we can work something out. If not, I guess I can take her to the Humane Society.
foolsguinea - I sure didn’t mean that only purebred animals are desirable, it’s just that whenever anyone talks about breeding animals like dogs and cats to sell, I get my hackles up. There are so many unwanted cats and dogs already, and by breeding an unpedigreed animal - no matter how cool it looks or rare colored - the resulting litter, in all probabilty, would end up at the shelter. I even get upset at people who breed pedigreed animals that aren’t of a good quality - just because a dog has A.K.C. papers is no reason to breed, unless the dog has earned outstanding merits in the showring or in the field, IMHO. Pet quality cats should also never be bred. There’s already too many dying every day. Too many people are out to make a quick buck, and the animals themselves are the ones to suffer.
Even if you find a good home for them all, who can say if that home will remain good after the cute kitten phase, and what if the good home also choose not to spay? There can be literally thousands of unwanted kittens born from a single unspayed female (after you factor in all the generations), that makes me sad.
All of my animals - even my horse - are mixed breeds so I’m not snobby that way at all.
My brother found one of these cats in the desert, it had about an inch long tail. We adopted it and it was a cool cat. IIRC, one of the characteristics of a Manx is that the back legs are longer than the front, giving the cat a kind of sloping, hot rod like look.
Before we could get her fixed, she went into heat and birthed a Calico which had the same characteristic in its legs, and a white Siamese with brown tips on its ears and tail and blue eyes. They both had full tails.
The Manx got killed by Doberman dogs that were running loose one day and got into our yard, I hate that breed of dog now. The Calico had a sweet disposition and was the runt of the two offspring. We had to have her put out a couple of years ago, after she contracted cancer and the lumps kept growing back.
The Siamese is still around, he’s about 17 years old now. In his day, he was the king of the block but he’s slowing down now.
I myself would like to have another “stump tail” cat someday.
I’m not much closer (if any, at all), but I’d love to take her off your hands.
I have two neutered males right now, but I’m sure they wouldn’t mind another furry face around the house (yes, they are both inside pets).
To hijack slightly, when I was very young we had a calico who faithfully delivered a litter of kittens each year (my family --or rather my father-- didn’t believe in “altering” pets). One year that calico gave birth to six kittens-- three sets of twins: two yellow tabby, two grey tabby, and two solid black stump-tails. No one wanted the two stumpies so we kept them both and they lived long, happy lives at our homes.
Strangely enough, those two seemed to have much better balance and motor control than any other cat I’ve ever seen. I was always told that cats depend on their tails for balance, but it didn’t seem to bother those two. They scaled the tallest trees in the yards, tiptoed along the thinnest branches.
I loved those cats.
If you’re ever taking a trip east, e-mail me and we’ll make arrangements. Like I said, I’d love to take her.
OK, the cat still needs a home. If someone will take her in the next few days, great. Otherwise, she’s headed to the pound this week. I’ve put it off too long.
It sounds like a great cat. Sorry, I’ve got too many useless parasites* (errr—kitties) so I can’t take in another one. But knowing Dopers’ soft hearts, I am hoping you’ll find a home for this little treasure!
(I call all cats “useless parasites.” The more I love them, the more awful names I call them, so it seems. ;))
Too many people are out to make a quick buck, and the animals themselves are the ones to suffer.