How to Care for a Longhaired Manx

Longhaired Manx are hardy cats with few special care requirements. Still, your Manx depends on you for food, shelter, health care and love.

Instructions

1. Talk to your vet about feeding if you have a kitten younger than 6 weeks old. This is especially important for the Manx breed, which can develop a deadly condition called Manx syndrome that is caused by the Manx's tailless gene. The syndrome may not show up before 4 months of age.

2. Feed kittens younger than 6 months canned kitten food three to four times a day.

3. Reduce feeding to two times a day at about 6 to 8 months of age.

4. Keep dry kitten food and fresh water available at all times.

5. Change to adult food at 1 year of age. Mix 1/4 adult food with 3/4 kitten food and gradually increase the amount of adult food over 5 to 10 days.

6. Feed your cat the good stuff - avoid generic brands. Don't give your cat food intended for other animals; cats have specific dietary requirements.

7. Mix dry cat food with wet. Cats like variety, too.

8. Don't give your cat bones, and avoid uncooked food. Table scraps are OK in moderation.

9. Don't give your cat milk. It can cause diarrhea.

10. Have female cats spayed at 4 to 6 months of age; males neutered at 6 to 7 months. Female cats can go into heat and begin reproducing as early as 4 months, and get pregnant again while still nursing the first litter, so don't wait.

11. Keep an identification tag with your address and phone number on your cat.

12. Scoop waste from the litter box daily, and clean the box and refill it with clean litter weekly.

Tips & Warnings

• Cats can be happy indoors if they have a companion pet, toys, scratching posts, window shelves and lots of attention from you.

• You might be able to train your cat to walk on a leash or harness - but watch out for dogs.

• Hold your cat with one hand under his chest and the other hand under his back legs, keeping him close to you.

• Play with your cat or kitten with toys, not your hands, which can encourage biting and aggressiveness. If your cat bites, blow in his face before pulling your hand away.

• Reward your cat when he's good instead of using physical punishment when he's bad, which will only make him scared of you or cause him to act out when you're away. A loud noise or squirt of water can help stop bad behavior.

• Give your cat his own "garden" (from a pet store or vet) so he won't eat your plants, some of which may be poisonous. Or, to prevent plant eating, place cedar blocks or hot chili peppers on the soil, or hang the plants out of your cat's reach.

• Because they have no tail, rumpy Manx have a tendency to get "poopy butt," especially if their stool is soft. Experiment with different foods to find one that agrees with your Manx.

• The outdoors poses many possible dangers, including fights, disease, getting lost, hypothermia, traps and getting stolen.

• Small objects such as buttons, needles, shoelaces and tinsel can be hazardous if your cat eats them.

• Keep household cleaning chemicals and medicines in places safe from your cat's curiosity.

• Certain plants, such as poinsettias, can be fatal to your cat, as can the water in the base of your Christmas tree stand.

• Take uneaten food away from a kitten after 10 minutes - overeating can cause diarrhea or vomiting.

• Your cat can be strangled or suffocated by plastic bags with handles.

• Hide electrical wires.

• Keep toilet lids down.

• Make sure your window screens are secure. Cats don't always land on their feet, and they don't have depth perception.

• If your cat refuses to use a clean litter box, see your vet - it could indicate a health problem.