The breed standard in this country has changed very little over the last century.

Body - The Manx should have the appearance of a solid, compact, medium-sized cat with a broad chest, deep flanks and a short back. The rump, should be higher than the shoulder, ideally as round as an orange exactly as asked for in the original standard.

Legs - Substantial and muscular legs, with short front legs and higher back legs.

Head - This is fairly large and round with prominent cheeks. There should be a strong muzzle, a firm chin and an even bite.

Nose - The requirement is for a broad, straight nose of 'medium length' without a definite break.

Ears - These should be medium in size and open at the base tapering to a narrow, rounded tip, when viewed from behind should resemble the shape of a cradle.

Eyes - Definitely large and round. The colour should be in keeping with the coat colour but this is not very important as only 5 points are allotted to eyes.

Tail - Tail-lessness is the absolute requirement of the GCCF standard - 'The rump should be felt to be completely rounded with no definite rise of bone or cartilage interfering with the roundness of the rump.'

Coat - This should be short and 'double-coated', and having a short, very thick undercoat with a slightly longer overcoat. Overall this gives the Manx cat a well padded appearance. Quality of coat is of great importance; more important than colour or pattern. For show purposes with the GCCF at present it is a case of Shorthairs Only. There is, however, a semi-longhaired version of the Manx, the Cymric (pronounced Kim-rick) which, is now able to be shown with TICA.