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Cymric
Cat of the Month ~ October 2009
The Cymric is strictly considered by some cat registries to be a long-haired variety of the Manx cat, rather than a separate breed, and except for the length of fur, in all other respects, the two breeds are exactly the same. The name Cymric (pronounced kim-rick or kum-rick) comes from Cymru (pronounced kum-ree), the original Welsh name of Wales (though the breed is not associated with Wales at all). It is believed the name may have been given as an attempt to give a 'celtic' name to the 'breed'.
According to Isle of Man records, the taillessness trait of the Cymric began as a spontaneous mutation among the island’s domestic cat population. Though there are many myths which surround this animal. Given the island’s closed environment and small gene pool, the dominant gene that decided the Cymric’s taillessness was easily passed from one generation to the next, along (it appears) with the gene for long hair. Long-haired kittens had been born to Manx cats on the Isle of Man, but had always been discarded as “mutants.” Then, in the 1960s, similar kittens were born in litters from Manx cats in Canada and this was the start of the increase of Cymric popularity.
