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The Egyptian mau is an athletic and elegant looking cat characterized by a random mottled pattern. It is said that the Mau have an exclusive “worry” look. This facial expression results from large green currant eyes located straight below the frown and between the parallel lines of the nose.
Egyptian Mau cat is one of the oldest breeds, living next to a man, giving him his affection and love, helping to always be in a good mood.
Egyptian Mau cats are one of the oldest breeds on earth, because the pharaohs still admired their graceful games, Egyptian women copied the black eyeliner of their eyes, and the bodies of dead cats were mummified and buried in gold and silver sarcophagi in a temple dedicated to the goddess of fertility and the hearth of Bastet – she portrayed by a woman with a cat’s head. Egyptian Mau have come a long way from wild existence (the African wild cat is considered their ancestor) to the status of a sacred animal. And they helped them in this excellent hunting skills.
Residents of the Nile Valley began to notice that in places where small wild spotted cats settle, there are fewer mice, which means that grain reserves remain intact, rats disappear, and with them the epidemic of deadly diseases, there are fewer vipers, which means that people need to be less afraid of them bites. Cats began to be tamed gradually, and by the time the New Kingdom (XV century BC), they were domesticated and began to be revered as a sacred animal. Images of these charming cats are found on many ancient Egyptian bas-reliefs next to the figures of the pharaohs and their wives, because the Egyptian Mau settled not only in the homes of ordinary Egyptians, but also in the royal chambers.
Killing a cat was punishable by law, and if the owners killed a cat, they mourned, shaving their eyebrows. Deceased cats were mummified and buried in expensive sarcophagi with honors, so that in another world the cat could also live next to the owner. But the cult of beautiful cats left with the great dynasties of the pharaohs and by the beginning of the twentieth century remained only in legends and books on ancient history. Although the Egyptian Mau cats themselves did not disappear – quite agile spotted cats ran through the streets of modern Egypt, many Egyptians continued to keep them in their homes. In Europe, spotted cats from Egypt also met, they were even shown at exhibitions, but there were not many of them, and after the Second World War there were practically none.
The Egyptian Mau world owes the modern revival of cat breeds to the Russian Princess Natalya Trubetskoy, who left for Great Britain after the First World War and moved to Rome before the Second World War. The first Egyptian cat appeared at her, as usual, by chance – a neighbor boy brought her to her. It very much resembled the animals that the princess saw in ancient images, so she decided to learn more about the history of these beautiful and graceful cats. Through a senior diplomat, she managed to get her Egypt two more pets – a cat and a cat. These animals became the basis for the revival of the Egyptian Mau, the so-called “Egyptian line”, which Natalya Trubetskaya bred in her kennel “Fatima”, which she opened after moving to the United States. In 1968, Princess Trubetskaya registered the Egyptian Mau cat breed at CFA, the Cat Lovers Association.
In the 80s, the American cat breeder, owner of the Millwood cattery, brought to America two cats that she found at the Delhi Zoo – they looked identical to the Egyptian Mau. From them developed another line of breed “Indian”. And already in 1992, the cat breed Egyptian Mau was recognized by FIFe – an international organization for the breeding of new cat breeds.
Now cats of the Egyptian Mau are known all over the world, although this breed is still among the rare.
Native country: Egypt
Characteristics of the Egyptian Mau cat
Cats of the Egyptian Mau are harmoniously composed, they have a medium-sized body, flexible, with well-developed muscles. The straight legs are medium long, the hind legs are slightly longer than the front ones, and there is a fold of skin on the stomach of the hind legs, which is believed to help Egyptian Mau to take a wide step and develop high speed while running, because Egyptian Mau are the fastest of domestic cats.
The tail is medium long, tapering from a wide base to the tip, which should always be dark in color. The head is medium in size, slightly wedge-shaped. The ears are triangular, rather large, widely spaced. The eyes are large, almond-shaped, but closer to round.
According to the breed standard, by 18 months they should change their yellow shade and acquire the color of a “young gooseberry”.
Color is the main virtue of Egyptian Mau cats.
The dark letter “m” must be clearly visible on the forehead of cats, and the letter “w” on the crown between the ears. Together they form a scarab pattern.
The eyes of the Egyptian Mau must be black-stroked, two black stripes are also obligatory: one from the corner of the eye, the other from the cheek towards the cheekbones.
The Egyptian Mau’s coat is meek, but not strong, smooth, but resilient. The hairs have two ticking strips – dark-colored rings. The main feature of the color of cats is dark spots of a round or oval shape, which should not be connected in a line, but should clearly stand out against a lighter background.
On the neck and forelegs, a dark tone of hair forms several “necklaces”. On the spine, the dark color is more intense, forms a dense line of spots. According to the standard, three colors are allowed: silver – on a light gray or gray background, the picture is dark gray or even black; bronze – against a light golden or dark golden background, the figure is dark brown, while the belly is painted in ivory; smoky – on the main dark gray and even black color (without ticking) the visible pattern is black.
Weight: 3 – 6 kg
Egyptian Mau cat behavior
Cats of the breed Egyptian Mau are very companionable, contact, curious, incredibly affectionate and even sometimes can be too intrusive. I always say to future owners: “look when you grind meat in a meat grinder so that your cat doesn’t put her paw there,” because Egyptian Mau love to help owners in all their affairs, ”says Elena SHTERN, owner of an Egyptian Mau cat cattery“ My Time ” –
They constantly demand attention and often cast their voices so that everyone will soon engage in a fun game with her and begin to stroke her. Therefore, for those who want a temporary relationship with the cat: they played, and now they asked themselves from the corner, Egyptian Mau definitely will not work.
But for those who value communication with a cat, this is an ideal option. The cats of the Egyptian Mau breed are very mobile and active, they do not lie for hours on the pillow, but seek entertainment. If a person is not ready to offer them a game, I’ll take care of my own toys, which they must have.
Egyptian Mau, although active, but they have an amazing ability to not break anything or spoil anything, – says Elena SHTERN, owner of the Egyptian Mau “My Time” cat cattery. – even if they jump on a shelf full of objects, then all objects will remain in place.
They will never try to climb a curtain or bring other damage to an apartment. Their activity is combined with caution and delicacy. Egyptian Mau are very fond of people, not only the owners with whom they get along very well, but outsiders, they find a common language with children, get along well with other four-legged pets, even dogs.
Egyptian Mau cats are distinguished not only by energy, mobility, good appetite, but also by excellent health. With proper care and care, they will be able to live happily with their owners. – Egyptian Mau cats have the only genetic disease – a deficiency of pyruvatinase, a farmer in red blood cells. Its absence leads to anemia, from which cats can die. The problem is that the symptoms of the disease can be detected at any age, so when acquiring a kitten, you need to carefully inquire about its health.
As for the rest, the Egyptian Mau cat owners need to adhere to the basic rules for maintaining their pet’s health: every year we need to take a set of mandatory vaccinations – even if the cat doesn’t go outside, we can bring the infection to the house by our own wallpaper and outerwear, equip the windows with special nets, so that the playful and curious Mau do not jump from the high floor, having received injuries, regularly add vitamin complexes to the cats rations. And most importantly – to love and respond to love, then life with the Egyptian Mau, indeed, will turn into an oriental tale.
Egyptian Mau cats are dressed in a short fur coat, so their thick coat does not require additional care.
In spring and summer, cats molt, so during these months, wool should be given more attention. To facilitate the loss of dead hair, the cat needs to be combed daily with a massage net with small bast, which, by the way, will give her pleasure, ”explains Elena SHTERN, owner of the Egyptian Mau cat nursery“ My Time ”. – The rest of the time Egyptian Mau can be combed once a week or more often, at the request of the owner, – there is no great need for this.
Egyptian Mau love water very much, so swimming is a pleasure for them. They can watch from the ceiling the stream flowing from the faucet, the owner taking a bath. The claws of cats should be clipped with a clipper every 14 days – overgrown claws interfere with their movement, can get stuck in a blouse and come off. Ears and eyes to examine, but if the cat is healthy, there is no need to process them.
Dry food helps rid cats of plaque, but if your pet has natural soft food, you can brush your teeth once a week with a special toothpaste and brush to prevent the formation of tartar. To facilitate the removal of lumps of wool from the stomach, Egyptian Mau, like other cats, can be given a special paste.
Remember: it is strictly forbidden to combine two feeding options – this is fraught with problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
The Egyptian Mau’s diet should be balanced, it should contain enough protein and carbohydrates so that energetic Mau can get enough calories that they spend in daily games. But at the same time, cats of this breed cannot be overfed – Egyptian Mau love to eat well, which threatens them with gaining excess weight. And what kind of food to choose – dry, wet, industrial or natural – is decided by the owner himself.
Egyptian Mau cat breed highlights
- The representatives of the breed have a developed hunting instinct, so you will have to monitor the safety of birds and rodents within a radius of several meters.
- Egyptian Mau treat all family members with tenderness and love, and especially the person who is considered the master.
- This breed is not sociable: Egyptian Mau rarely emit loud meows and like to “share” their opinion with the help of purring.
- Egyptian Mau cats do a good job with the forced loneliness and do not play pranks in the absence of the owner.
- Unlike most cats, Egyptian Mau cats are water-loving and will accompany you whenever possible while taking a bath.
- Animals easily find common language with other pets; they are no less friendly towards children.
- Egyptian Mau feels uncomfortable in a small apartment, as they prefer to “live in a big way.”
- Cats are unpretentious in care, but their maintenance is quite costly.