Manx fur is very unique – there is a soft down-like undercoat with longer guard hairs. Not all manx are prone to matting, but those that are usually mat with a vengeance. As soon as a mat starts to form, it goes like wildfire all over the cat.

The best thing to do is groom your manx cat’s fur every single day – be vigilant in the warmer summer months to make sure that matting hasn’t started. Once it does, even if it’s just a little, it’s wise to take kitty to the groomer to have the smaller (easier to get at) mats shaved out. This prevents the mats from spreading, as they tend to do. Then the cat gets to keep his/her coat. As long as you are vigilant. Otherwise you and kitty will endure the indignity of the lion cut look lol.

I’ve heard it told that even Persian breeders have an easier time grooming their long haired cats. Longhair manx (sometimes called Cymric) coats are not as long as a Persian’s but it is still pretty mid-length. It’s that undercoat that sometimes gets out of control. And when it does, it’s like clumped cotton candy.

How many times have you bought expensive cat toys for your cats? They play with the new toy for a while and then it’s tossed into a corner and forgotten. My lot loves the simple things. Q-tips, scrinched up paper balls, even a plastic straw! With today’s economy, saving money on expensive cat toys is a good thing!

If you are crafty and want to make easy cat toys yourself, you can make your own cat toys. Modern Cat has a weekend giveaway of cat toys made by Etsy designers. All you need to do is make a comment on the various posts to be entered into the draw!

Or you could buy the “Make Your Own Cat Toys Book” from Amazon below.

I still get lots of email and the occassional phone call about manx in Canada. As far as I know, I am still the only registered breeder in Canada in any registry. That being so, I often refer people to breeders in the USA. Of course that’s where and how I got my foundation cats some 5 years or so ago now.

If you know of any Canadian manx breeders, active ones, pop me an email or reply to this post

Otherwise, if you are one of the many who find their way to Mystic Tails only to be disappointed we have no kittens… there is still hope for you! Contact one of the very reputable catteries I deal with on my links page. I have happily dealt with and sent referals to Romannx, Currtail and AnaManx for many years.

Lastly, do join the website (it’s free) to be informed of when we do have kittens expected or available. I’m hoping by next summer sometime. We plan to buy a house in the spring, so we’ll see!

It’s definitely getting colder out, and the leaves have started to turn color so suddenly. The weather here has been glorious, even if cool at night. Summer is pretty much over.

This morning I’m updating the site some. Maggie sits beside the monitor in the desk nook, curled up and keeping an eye on things. Mick, Willow, Pixie and Rune are on the back of the couch waiting patiently for some birds to show up on the patio. Hunter is having a bath on the same couch, while Fozzy slumbers temporarily on the other couch. Temporarily because eventually Dad will get up and oust him off there lol.

Pixie gave us a scare last month with her getting Pyometra. She had to have an emergency spay but came through like a trooper and is back to her bouncy, happy self. So she won’t be having kittens, and it’s a real shame. She is a beautiful, loving girl with so much spunk. If cats have a sense of humor, this cheeky girl is the poster child. We are so very relieved that she is ok.

I’m about to get some tea and deal with this rotten headache that has been lingering for a few days. Maybe allergies or a nagging bug that isn’t quite taking hold thank gawd. But it’ll be a nice, lazy day for me. The usual weekend household chores (for me!) are done. I get to relax and enjoy the day. I hope your Thanksgiving weekend is going well too.

As you may know, my mother passed away last March. She had been diagnosed with lung cancer in Feb 2007.  My husband and I mutually agreed to have no more kittens during her illness in case I needed to suddenly fly to BC to be with her and help my parents out. The hubby didn’t want to be left caring for wee kittens or a pregnant mom-cat if that happened. We also decided to have our Micky (aka Moondancer) neutered. So we haven’t had kittens in a few years.

I’ve recently started a new job and am working full time again. We are now looking to buy a house in Ajax, ON, closer to where we are both working. Somewhere by the lake would be lovely, there’s a great watefront park we’d love to be near. So that’s the focus at moment.

Soon as we see the move being more immenant, I’ll be looking for a full male again. You can be sure we’ll get Rune into some local CFA shows, he’s bound to make heads turn (I may be biased). Maybe Maggie will make a re-debut as well (she’s already a champion).

I’ve been getting a lot of inquiries on other Canadian Manx breeders. I just wanted to let you know that there aren’t any that I am aware of. Please keep in mind that my cats are CFA registered, they are purebred cats with pedigrees. I do not condone nor encourage breeding non-pedigreed manx cats (or other non-pedigreed breeds). So obviously I will not entertain breeding my cats to a non-pedigreed cat, I do not sell whole cats period, and I will not advertise non-pedigreed cats either.

Lastly, if you are looking for a pedigree manx cat, I have several very reputable contacts on my links page. They are USA catteries that I work with and are owned by ladies I know personally. I’d happily refer anyone to these wonderful ladies. Please note that there may be a wait list for a kitten. Also note that I do not keep a waiting list. If you are interested in waiting for a Canadian bred manx kitten from Mystic Tails, please join my newsletter or visit the site often.