What is the common way to distinguish the Manx cat because of the cat body-type mutation?
Cat body-type mutation Cats, like all living organisms, occasionally have mutations that affect their body type. Sometimes, these cat body-type mutations are striking enough that humans select for and perpetuate them. This is not always in the best interests of the cat, as many of these mutations are harmful; some are even lethal in their homozygous form.
Polecat-ferret hybrid A Polecat-Ferret hybrid is a cross between a European polecat ("Mustela putorius") and a ferret ("Mustela putorius furo"). Crossbreeds between the two animals typically have a distinct white throat patch, white feet and white hairs interspersed among the fur. It is currently impossible to distinguish pure polecats from hybrids through DNA analysis, as the two forms are too closely related and inter-mixed to be separated through current (2010) genetic methods.