The Manx cat is believed to have originated hundreds of years ago on the Isle of Man, off the coast of England. Since many trade ships docked on the Isle, and all had ship cats, it is hard to tell just what the parent cat really was. Obviously, both longhair and shorthair were represented in the original mutation. Many longhairs were seen on the Isle along with the shorthairs. Records have been found on the Isle of Man that describe the cat as a mutation of the island's domestic cats. It is believed that the island cats were involved, however, did some of the island cats come off the ships? We will never really know. Since the Manx (or tailless) gene is dominant, kittens that inherit it can have a full tail, a short tail, a rise (known as a 'rumpy riser'), or no tail ('rumpies') at all. Breeders have found that it is possible to have all these tail lengths in one litter!