When Cats were Rarities

Manawatu Times, Volume LVI, Issue 7435, 19 January 1931, Page 2

When Cats were Rarities

The Mans cat is dying out. Even' in the Isle of Man itself the tailless breed is becoming rare, while the mainland type, complete with tail, is increasing in numbers. In order to encourage the breeding of the true Manx cat, prizes are to be offered fr the best specimens of the type. A suggestion of-protec-tive ' legislation, which was made recently, has, however, been rejected. The Manx cat is not a native of Man —indeed, it is believed to bo of Japanese origin, though how it got to the Isle of Man from far-away Japan is something of a mystery. But then, the ordinary domestic cat is not a native of Britain and was comparatively rare in Europe until lato in the Middle Ages. The Manx cat is believed to be the result of crossings between the Egyptian cat, a sacred animal in ancient Egypt, and the wild cat, now almost extinct in England. Cats without tails, or with rudimentary tails only, arc still common in certain parts of the Far East.