Complete List Of Cats With No Tail That You May Not Know

Sridevi Tolety
Mar 28, 2023 By Sridevi Tolety
Originally Published on Dec 06, 2021
Edited by Rhea Nischal
Fact-checked by Niyati Parab
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Manx cat walking around the house.

Snuggling up with your cat and rubbing their silky fur coat after a long, stressful day can be just the perfect thing to help anyone rest and unwind.

Cats are an excellent companion for any family because of their simplicity of maintenance, cleanliness, and playful antics. The felines are not only cute, but they are also fiercely independent, devoted, and curious.

One of the most distinctive features of a cat is its tail. The tail gives them a sense of balance and keeps them warm. Tails are excellent mood indicators, and cats use their tails to communicate. Cats without tails may appear wilder than cats with tails because they resemble animals like the lynx or bobcat.

Dive in below to learn more about tailless cats! Do not miss out on our articles on cats that shed the most and cats with short legs.

Cat Breeds With No Tails

It's difficult to imagine a cat without a tail. Cats also use their tails to balance themselves when hopping from tree to tree or over any counter and to communicate.

If you expect that a cat without a tail would struggle with both of these functions, you may be wrong. Despite the lack of a tail, the felines born this way get along just fine.

Although rare and not as common as other cat breeds, there are several cats without a tail or have a short tail. The short-haired Manx and its long-haired counterpart, the Cymric cat, are two breeds notable for producing cats without tails.

Cats do not need tails to survive. Manx cats are born without tails, but they are just as active as their tailed counterparts.

Some cats, however, do not have tails at birth (bobbed tails). These breeds frequently begin as a result of a natural genetic mutation during breeding. When kittens get the bobbed tail gene at conception, they now have bobbed tails.

Bobtail cat breeds are distinguished by their distinct tails—or the absence thereof. Due to a naturally occurring genetic mutation, the bobtail cat breeds lack the expressive and long tails found in most cats. Instead, they have either a short tail, a rumpy one, or none at all.

Manx cats are famously called tailless cats. The absence of a tail in the Manx cat results from a genetic mutation produced by breeding on the Isle of Man, an island in the Irish Sea between Great Britain and Ireland.

Some of the famous cats with no tails include the American bobtail cat, Manx cat, Japanese Bobtail cat, Kurilian Bobtail cat, Highlander cat, Cymric cat, Pixie-bob, Desert lynx, and Mekong Bobtail.

Let us know more about a few of these cat breeds. In the 1960s, a couple bred their long-tailed cat with another street cat with a short tail, and thus the American Bobtail was first bred.

The tails of all the kittens were identical, and this trait is still being bred for today. As the name suggests, the American Bobtail isn't actually tailless; instead, this breed has a short tail.

The American Bobtail and its thick coat add to its overall size. American Bobtail cats are usually sweet and playful with their families.

The Japanese Bobtail is a centuries-old breed, and this cat's tail is like that of an American Bobtail. This feline is very energetic. Japanese Bobtail cats tend to show affection, and they love to play a lot.

Some experts believe that the Kurilian Bobtail has a resemblance in appearance to the Japanese Bobtail, and hence some experts believe she is related to the Japanese Bobtail. This feline breed has a bobbed tail that is natural and can vary in length. In fact, no two Kurilian Bobtail cats have identical tails.

The Cymric can be called a long-haired Manx. The double coat of these cats is thick and dense.

They usually don't have a tail at all, yet some have a bobbed tail or even a full-length tail, as these feline kittens can inherit the genes for either Manx or Cymric. The Cymric and the Manx sometimes feel like twins as, like the Manx, Cymric is also playful and energetic.

The Highlander cat is a brand-new feline with curled ears and a wild look. The Highlander is known to be a great hunter. This breed has a naturally occurring bobbed tail, and its appearance is due to a mix between Jungle Curls and Desert Lynx. The Highlander breed, unlike many others, is not afraid of water.

Siamese Cat With No Tail

The Manx is one of the oldest breeds that originated in the Isle of Man. Because of its taillessness, induced by a genetic mutation, the Manx breed is often known as the cat without a tail.

The Siamese cat and the Manx cat are said to be the oldest breeds. The Siamese cat is a long-established breed that descended from cats born in Siam, now Thailand.

They have slender bodies, bright blue eyes, and a creamy coat with black tips. Other personality traits include being intelligent, devoted, protective of their owners, and love for playing around.

A Siamese Manx cat is a hybrid of Manx cats and Siamese breeds, with physical traits from both types. It is also known as an experimental cat breed.

The sleek, unique appearance of Siamese cats is undoubtedly their most well-known feature. One of these cats' parents is a Manx, so it is anticipated to have stubby tails.

However, this may not be the same in all cases, as they get this trait from the dominant gene of any parent. Hence, they can, in fact, have tails of almost any length.

How To Care For A Cat With No Tail?

The tail of a cat is a delicate and important feature of its body. An injury to your cat's tail can occasionally lead to more serious health concerns, creating a wide range of complications.

The missing vertebrae are one of the most common problems in Manx cats. The spinal nerves do not always connect adequately without the tail vertebrae, as they do in a tailed cat.

If you have an incontinent cat, there are several things you can do to keep them healthy. Make appointments with your veterinarian on a regular basis. To avoid skin burn from urine, they will require more personal grooming; excrement remaining on their body and skin can cause both health and grooming difficulties.

A cat's lack of a tail can be due to a variety of factors, including injury. As a result of its damage, injury to a cat's tail will cause additional problems and complications. In many circumstances, a cat's tail can mend on its own. Rest is the best treatment for injuries that aren't too serious.

If your cat's tail is damaged, you should take them to the veterinarian for treatment. You want to make sure they don't get an infection or experience more pain.

Lovely red thoroughbred kitten.

Cats Without Tails Health Problems

The most serious issue for cats born without tails is that spinal abnormalities frequently accompany them. Manx Syndrome is the name for this inherited condition. The absence of a tail in Manx cats due to genetic mutations sometimes causes severe sickness.

The faulty gene that causes tail loss also affects other areas of the spine, which can lead to serious spinal and/or neurological disorders. Spina bifida is the most common spinal cord problem in Manx cats.

This can result in a peculiar stride or the inability to urinate or defecate normally. Missing vertebrae, a deformed pelvis, and rear leg paralysis are some of the other difficulties that can occur; when two fully tailless Manx cats mate, the offspring's deformities may even be severe.

Although little information is available on other breeds of cats, it is believed that the same issues arise in a few other breeds with short tails.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for cats with no tails, then why not take a look at the friendliest cats or Persian cat facts.

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Written by Sridevi Tolety

Bachelor of Science specializing in Botany, Master of Science specializing in Clinical Research and Regulatory Affairs

Sridevi Tolety picture

Sridevi ToletyBachelor of Science specializing in Botany, Master of Science specializing in Clinical Research and Regulatory Affairs

With a Master's degree in clinical research from Manipal University and a PG Diploma in journalism from Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Sridevi has cultivated her passion for writing across various domains. She has authored a wide range of articles, blogs, travelogues, creative content, and short stories that have been published in leading magazines, newspapers, and websites. Sridevi is fluent in four languages and enjoys spending her spare time with loved ones. Her hobbies include reading, traveling, cooking, painting, and listening to music.

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Fact-checked by Niyati Parab

Bachelor of Commerce

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Niyati ParabBachelor of Commerce

With a background in digital marketing, Niyati brings her expertise to ensure accuracy and authenticity in every piece of content. She has previously written articles for MuseumFacts, a history web magazine, while also handling its digital marketing. In addition to her marketing skills, Niyati is fluent in six languages and has a Commerce degree from Savitribai Phule Pune University. She has also been recognized for her public speaking abilities, holding the position of Vice President of Education at the Toastmasters Club of Pune, where she won several awards and represented the club in writing and speech contests at the area level.

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