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Getting a Cat or Kitten
17 min read
| Family-friendly: | 5/5 |
| Playfulness: | 4/5 |
| Intelligence: | 4/5 |
| Tendency to Vocalise: | 2/5 |
| Likes Other Pets: | 3/5 |
| Grooming needs: | 3/5 |
| Shedding: | 4/5 |
Cymric
The Cymric is a solid, chunky and compact cat, medium to large sized, with a semi-long coat. The most notable feature of the Cymric is the lack of tail, - they share the same ancestry as the Manx, so as a result may be a ‘rumpy’ – no tail; ‘rumpy-riser’ – 1-3 tail vertebrae; stumpy – up to 1/3 of a tail and finally; longie – full tail.
The coat is medium-long and dense, well-padded across the body, further adding to the rounded, chunky appearance of this breed.
Lifespan
8 - 14 years
Weight
3.6 - 5.4kg
Colours
Comes in all colours and patterns accepted for the Manx type.
The need-to-know
- Great for first-time cat owners
- Enjoys playing games and is active at home
- Playful and curious cat
- Sociable and dependent cat
- Slightly talkative cat
- Average build cat breed
- Requires grooming every day
- Needs extensive outdoor space
- Great family cat
- Can be left alone all day
- Can cope with a busy household
This breed has a higher risk of health issues
The lack of a tail is a severe genetic defect and the Manx cat's 'deformed' spine may damage the spinal cord and affect nerves to important organs as well as increasing the chance of arthritis developing from an early age. In some cats the anal passage may be narrowed and this can cause bowel blockages.
Personality
Sociable and playful, whilst the Cymric is a muscular and athletic cat, they are not overly energetic. Pleasantly chatty, with a sweet-sounding voice rather than a strident or demanding one, they enjoy the company of humans, but are able to amuse themselves while the family is at work or school.
Although semi-longhaired kittens have always occurred within litters of Manx kittens on the Isle of Man, it was Canadian breeders who decided to intentionally produce them as a new breed. They began in the 1960’s but the type did not gain popularity until the 1970’s, with some breed registry’s recognising them as a breed in their own right and some only as a sub-type of the existing Manx breed.
Access to a very secure garden or to an enclosed cat run will give the Cymric more space to explore and more reason to move, even if only to chase the sunny patches from one sleeping shelf to the next! Fresh air and sunshine are good for any cat, but do ensure the Cymric cannot escape, as this attractive and unusual cat is at risk from pet thieves.
Although athletic in build, as an adult the Cymric is inclined to idleness so movement and fitness must be encouraged via play, and careful placement of food dispensing toys. By placing such toys at the top of cat-trees, and then putting the water dish down at floor level, it is easy to encourage the Cymric to get off their furry behinds! Despite this idle nature they will amuse themselves when the mood takes them, so supply suitable toys both for play with a person, and for solo play.
A daily groom is necessary as the Cymrics long coat can mat, and without a tail it is harder for a cat to balance to groom their entire body. A greasy coat is a sign your cat is not self-grooming at all and this may indicate poor health.
As with all cats, regular vaccination and parasite control is recommended.
The Cymric is well suited to family life, as long as children are old enough to respect a cat’s space and handle them gently, however they will not enjoy a very busy or noisy home with very young children and such a home may result in stress related behaviour problems.
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