A mix of Scottish Straight and ‘Munchkin’, Manchester – or Manchy for short – has become a viral sensation due to his super short legs. Living with his owner Alexander Ushakov, 36, in Moscow, Russia, Manchester has become an online star, with more than 57,000 followers.
Owner Alexander said: ‘Manchester was born on September 15, 2018, and I bought him at the age of four months.
Despite this, many fans on Instagram love little Manchester. His owner describes him as ‘very playful and vociferous’, telling Metro that he is ‘always meowing, loves playing mad games, and is always running around the house.
He added: “I decided to create an Instagram account for him because I thought he was cute enough to please other people. As it turned out, he has quite a lot of fans!
“I think the main reason he has been so popular is because of his cute appearance and adorable post.”
You might have never heard of this tiny breed of cats, but ‘Munchkins’ have been around since the ’80s. The entire species descend from just two cats who were born in Louisiana with a genetic mutation that caused them to have tiny legs.
Munchkin’ or ‘sausage’ cats have quite a controversial breeding history, with many people saying that the unnatural appearance, characterized by a genetic mutation, can cause a variety of health issues in the cat.
Peta explains that breeding any animal to have ‘specific physical features is cruel and irresponsible.
Andrew Prentis, of Hyde Park Veterinary Centre, warned in 2017 that breeding cats to effectively have no legs ‘for entirely cosmetic reasons is very disappointing.
