Tasman Manx page 1

TASMAN MANX SH & LH
Standard of Excellence

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

The Tasman Manx is the result of a recessive curly coat mutation which appeared in litters of Manx in both NZ and Australia, hence the name “Tasman” Manx. The overall appearance should be that of a medium-sized, compact, muscular cat, with a moderately curly coat. The Tasman Manx has a head that is fairly round and large with a firm muzzle and prominent cheeks, short front legs, height to hindquarters, great depth of flank, and a short back which forms a smooth continuous arch from the shoulders to the round rump. The coat is unique, forming very loose waves, with some hairs being corkscrewed from the base of the shaft.

The Shorthair coat is well-padded with a crisp texture, which varies with coat colour. Sparse furnishing in the ears and no tufts between the toes exemplify the Tasman Manx as a shorthair cat. By contrast, the Longhair has a medium/semi long coat with a silky texture, which varies with coat colour. The britches are full and curly coated, and some tufting of hair between the toes and some furnishings in the ears can be a distinguishing difference between the Shorthair and Longhair. Tasman Manx are slow in maturing and allowance should be made for young cats in judging depth of flank, stud jowls in the male, and overall lack of maturity.

There is no penalty for a rise of bone or cartilage which does not stop the judge’s hand when the palm is stroked down the back and over the rump. The rump of the Tasman Manx is felt with the palm of the hand ONLY. The flank should have greater depth than any other breed, adding much to the short, cobby appearance.

Head	Fairly round and large with prominent cheeks. Nose broad and straight, of medium length without break. Strong muzzle without any hint of snipyness. Chin firm but at a slight angle away from the nose. Stud jowls in the mature stud cat.
Ears	Rather wide at base, tapering to rounded tip. Medium-sized, set wide apart; when viewed from behind, they resemble the rocker of a cradle. Hair may be tufted with sparse furnishings.
Eyes	Rounded, large and angled, slightly higher at the outer edge of the eye. Eye colour conforms to coat colour.
Chin	Firm, but not in perpendicular alignment with the nose leather, but rather, falls away at an obtuse angle.
Muzzle	Slightly longer than broad with definite muzzle break. Round whisker pads.
Profile	Gentle nose dip with a moderately rounded forehead.
Neck	Short and thick.
Body (Torso)	Cobby, medium-sized body. Great depth of flank, short back which forms a smooth continuous arch from the shoulders to the round rump. Body should not be so short that it appears out of balance.
Legs	Sturdy boning and well-muscled. Forelegs shorter than hind legs. Hind legs, with substantial musculature, should be straight when viewed from behind.
Feet	Round shape of medium size. Suggestion of toe tufts in the Tasman Manx Longhair.
Tail	Appears tailless. No penalty for a rise of bone or cartilage, which does not stop the judge’s hand when the palm is stroked down the back and over the rump.

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TASMAN MANX
Standard of Excellence

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Coat Length Shorthair	Double coat is short and dense with a well-padded quality due to the longer, open outer coat and the close cottony undercoat. Coat may be thinner during the summer months.
Coat Texture & Curl Shorthair	Texture of outer guard hairs is somewhat hard, appearance is glossy. A softer coat may occur in whites and dilutes due to colour/texture gene link but should not be confused with the silky texture found in the Longhair. The curly coat is the major feature of the Tasman Manx Shorthair. Curling should be apparent all over the cat, but will be less apparent on the head and lower legs and down the centre of the spine. The coat should show a gentle rather loose wave falling away from the spine on the body. The wavy coat, should form a loose marcel wave on the neck, chest and belly. Some hairs gather together to form a corkscrew wave and this is especially apparent around the neck and ruff and sometimes on the breeches. Eyebrows and whiskers may be shorter than normal and curled or crimped. There is generally a lack of ear furnishings, but may be curly coated behind the ears. Note: On the tailed Tasman Manx Variant, the coat should show an even loose wave from base to tip, with the individual curls being slightly corkscrewed.
Coat Length Longhair	The double coat is of medium length, dense and well padded over the main body, gradually lengthening from the shoulders to the rump. Breeches, abdomen and neck-ruff is usually longer than the coat on the main body. Cheek coat is thick and full. The collar like neck-ruff extends from the shoulders, being bib-like around the chest. Breeches should be full and thick to the hocks in the mature cat. Lower leg and head coat (except for cheeks) should be shorter than on the main body and neck ruff, but dense and full in appearance. Toe tufts and ear tufts are desirable. All things being equal in type, preference should be given to the cat showing full coating.
Coat Texture & Curl Longhair Longhair	Coat is soft and silky, falling smoothly on the body yet being full and plush due to the double coat. Coat should have a healthy glossy appearance. Allowance to be made for seasonal and age variations. The curly coat is the major feature of the Tasman Manx Shorthair. Curling should be apparent all over the cat, but will be less apparent on the head and lower legs and down the centre of the spine. The coat should show a gentle rather loose wave falling away from the spine on the body. The wavy coat, should form a loose marcel wave on the neck, chest and belly. Some hairs gather together to form a corkscrew wave and this is especially apparent around the neck and ruff and sometimes on breeches. Eyebrows and whiskers may be shorter than normal and curled or crimped. There is generally a lack of ear furnishings, but may be curly coated behind the ears. On Longhairs, the coat on the underbelly may appear shorter, almost as if it has been clipped. There should be no penalty if this is the case. Note: On the tailed Tasman Manx Variant, the coat should show an even loose wave from base to tip, with the individual curls being slightly corkscrewed.

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TASMAN MANX
Standard of Excellence

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Disqualify

Evidence of poor physical condition.

Incorrect number of toes.

Evidence of hybridisation.

Evidence of weakness in the hindquarters.

SCALE OF POINTS (Tasman Manx SH & LH)
Total 100 points
Head, incl. Shape, Ears, Eyes, Chin, Nose, Muzzle, Profile and Neck 25
Body, incl. Torso, Legs/Feet, Boning/Musculature, Balance/Condition 30
Taillessness 15
Coat, incl. length, texture and curl. 25
Colour and Markings 5

SCALE OF POINTS (Tailed Tasman Manx SH & LH)
Total 100 points
Head, incl. Shape, Ears, Eyes, Chin, Nose, Muzzle, Profile and Neck 25
Body, incl. Torso, Legs/Feet, Tail, Boning/Musculature, Balance/Condition 45
Coat, incl. length, texture and curl. 25
Colour & Markings 5

RECOGNISED COLOURS: All colours acceptable.
NOTE: ONLY Curly Coated Cats without tails will be registered as TASMAN MANX.
ONLY Curly Coated cats with tails will be registered as TAILED TASMAN MANX.
All non curly coated progeny, whether tailless or not, will ALL be registered as either TASMAN MANX VARIANTS or TAILED TASMAN MANX VARIANTS. (These may look like regular Manx or Cymric)(Tailed or tailless), but may be carrying the recessive genes for curly coat.

Allowable Outcrosses:
Manx or Cymric. (All progeny registered as Tasman Manx SH or LH Variant, or Tailed Tasman Manx SH or LH Variant)(Note: all will be straight coated)
Manx or Cymric Variant (Tailed Manx or Cymric) (All progeny registered as Tasman Manx SH or LH Variant, or Tailed Tasman Manx SH or LH Variant)(Note: all will be straight coated)
Tasman Manx LH or SH. (all registered as Tasman Manx SH or LH.)
Tailed Tasman Manx LH or SH (All curly coated progeny registered as Tasman Manx SH or LH, all Tailed Curly coated progeny registered as Tailed Tasman Manx SH or LH, all non-curly coated tailless offspring registered as Tasman Manx Variant or non curly coated tailed offspring registered as Tailed Tasman Manx Variants).
NZ Shorthair or Longhair. (all progeny registered as Tasman Manx SH or LH Variants or Tailed Tasman Manx SH & LH Variants)
Domestic SH or Longhair. (as for NZ Shorthair or Longhair)
British Shorthair or Longhair. (all progeny registered as Tasman Manx SH or LH Variants or Tailed Tasman Manx SH or LH Variants.

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