Family-friendly:5/5Playfulness:4/5Intelligence:4/5Tendency to Vocalise: 2/5Likes Other Pets:3/5Grooming needs:3/5Shedding: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.

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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.

Vet Rating

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

History and Origins

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.

Outdoors or Indoors

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.

Enrichment and Specific Needs

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.

Grooming Cymric Cats

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.

Suitability for Family Life

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.