Maus are known for their exquisitely melodious voice which comes with a very loyal nature, making them the most charming pets to have! They also have a very royal lineage and are known to be the only breed with naturally occurring spots on the skin. According to the Cat Fanciers Association it has the distinction of being the 20th most liked breed.
History of Egyptian Mau Cats
Outcome of one of the oldest domestic cat breed, Maus are known to be a descendent of the spotted African Wild Cat. “Mau†is Egyptian for cat. Such spotted cats can be seen in early Egyptian wall paintings dated almost 3000 years ago (oldest being in about 2200 B.C.). They had the status of a deity in ancient Egypt and were worshipped! There were actual laws for their protection (anyone found killing a Mau was stoned to death!!) and were even mummified after death. This breed was trained to catch birds and fish and even guarded the crops from small animals. This breed comes down from the line of Baba, a silver spotted queen.
According to breeding experts, this cat must have been an outcome of mixed breeding with a subspecies of the African Wild Cat. During WWI the breed went almost into extinction and there were only a few survivors in Italy. It was introduced in America in 1956 when a little before WWII the exiled Russian princess Nathalie Troubetskoy travelled from Rome to America with one of the Mau kittens, Baba and two other rescued Maus. On reaching the US, she made her own cattery with the name of Fatima Cattery and started breeding the Maus. Initially all Egyptian Maus could be traced back to these two cats bred with selected domestic breeds. However, recently, there has been importation of other Maus from India and Egypt as well that has helped inbreeding and thus further developing the breed.
Appearance of Egyptian Mau Cat
Maus have elegant, medium-sized bodies. They have a medium-short, thick, spotted and striped coat that does not need a lot of grooming. What’s unique is that their skin is also spotted! Maus resemble the Ocicat breed because of the spots on both. The spots don’t have an equal distribution on the body and differ in size and shape. They must also not be joined or develop into a tabby or mackerel pattern. The tail and the legs are banded horizontally, as in going around the legs and the tail. However, the bands on the legs need not be strictly horizontal. The spotting must have a broken necklace on the stomach and an “M†on the forehead. This “M†should extend to the back of the head till the tip of the tail. The fur may be silver (with black spots), bronze (with seal spots) or smoked (with black spots). On average it takes 15 months before the colour and pattern of the coat is completely developed.
The young ones may be born with tarnished or cold coats. Tarnish is basically a silver coloured coat with some areas of fur in bronze while cold is a lighter shade of bronze.
They have almond-shaped, goose-berry green coloured eyes with a definite mascara line set in a rounded, wedge-shaped head. The colour of the eyes, at times initially amber with a goose-berry green outline, can also take up to 12-18 months before developing into the final colour. They have a long nose, a rounded muzzle and medium-sized ears with the nose rising a little from the bridge till the forehead and ears tufted, slightly pointed and placed considerably apart from each other. They have a powerful and well-built body. The males weigh somewhere around 10-14 lbs while the females weigh 6-10 lbs. The males are also thicker around the neck and shoulders with comparatively well-rounded cheeks.
The front legs of Maus are slightly shorter than the hind legs but their walk must be normal. They have small, oval-shaped paws. The front paws have five toes while the back ones have four and are longer. The tail narrows slightly towards the tip. It is preferred that a Mau has a belly flap and the shoulder blades must be prominent while the backline comparatively lower.
Personality of Egyptian Mau Cats
They are a highly intelligent and curious breed that has the capability to take out different sounds. They are known to be able to open doors. They are leash trained easily and will learn tricks readily. Their loyalty is widely acclaimed and would love to follow their favourite person around. They are the first ones to greet you when you get back home and the last ones to say good night. They are definitely not lap cats and do not like to picked around either. They are also very active and athletic with the ability to jump as high as 6 feet in the air. They can also run really fast (30 miles/hour).
Their soft, melodious purring is simply mesmerising especially when it is accompanied with that waggle of the tail and joyous licking of the owner. They are good with children. However, they do not like sharing their place with other pets so a single-pet home is preferred. They can also be difficult to handle so people who have had experience with cats are better suited to own this breed. They have a relaxed and patient nature and do not like to be alone. Their shyness needs to be rectified via an early socialisation. Without this socialization, they are likely to be uncomfortable around strangers and a changed environment.
Health and Care of Egyptian Mau Cats
Maus can be very susceptible to anaesthesia and other medications and hence, whenever such a need arises, keep on taking advice from the vet. They also like to live in comparatively warmer conditions than other cats. A weekly grooming by wiping them with a damp cloth and nail clipping will suffice.
Egyptian Mau Cats
Maus are known for their exquisitely melodious voice which comes with a very loyal nature, making them the most charming pets to have! They also have a very royal lineage and are known to be the only breed with naturally occurring spots on the skin. According to the Cat Fanciers Association it has the distinction of being the 20th most liked breed.
History
Outcome of one of the oldest domestic cat breed, Maus are known to be a descendent of the spotted African Wild Cat. “Mau†is Egyptian for cat. Such spotted cats can be seen in early Egyptian wall paintings dated almost 3000 years ago (oldest being in about 2200 B.C.). They had the status of a deity in ancient Egypt and were worshipped! There were actual laws for their protection (anyone found killing a Mau was stoned to death!!) and were even mummified after death. This breed was trained to catch birds and fish and even guarded the crops from small animals. This breed comes down from the line of Baba, a silver spotted queen.
According to breeding experts, this cat must have been an outcome of mixed breeding with a subspecies of the African Wild Cat. During WWI the breed went almost into extinction and there were only a few survivors in Italy. It was introduced in America in 1956 when a little before WWII the exiled Russian princess Nathalie Troubetskoy travelled from Rome to America with one of the Mau kittens, Baba and two other rescued Maus. On reaching the US, she made her own cattery with the name of Fatima Cattery and started breeding the Maus. Initially all Egyptian Maus could be traced back to these two cats bred with selected domestic breeds. However, recently, there has been importation of other Maus from India and Egypt as well that has helped inbreeding and thus further developing the breed.
Appearance
Maus have elegant, medium-sized bodies. They have a medium-short, thick, spotted and striped coat that does not need a lot of grooming. What’s unique is that their skin is also spotted! Maus resemble the Ocicat breed because of the spots on both. The spots don’t have an equal distribution on the body and differ in size and shape. They must also not be joined or develop into a tabby or mackerel pattern. The tail and the legs are banded horizontally, as in going around the legs and the tail. However, the bands on the legs need not be strictly horizontal. The spotting must have a broken necklace on the stomach and an “M†on the forehead. This “M†should extend to the back of the head till the tip of the tail. The fur may be silver (with black spots), bronze (with seal spots) or smoked (with black spots). On average it takes 15 months before the colour and pattern of the coat is completely developed.
The young ones may be born with tarnished or cold coats. Tarnish is basically a silver coloured coat with some areas of fur in bronze while cold is a lighter shade of bronze.
They have almond-shaped, goose-berry green coloured eyes with a definite mascara line set in a rounded, wedge-shaped head. The colour of the eyes, at times initially amber with a goose-berry green outline, can also take up to 12-18 months before developing into the final colour. They have a long nose, a rounded muzzle and medium-sized ears with the nose rising a little from the bridge till the forehead and ears tufted, slightly pointed and placed considerably apart from each other. They have a powerful and well-built body. The males weigh somewhere around 10-14 lbs while the females weigh 6-10 lbs. The males are also thicker around the neck and shoulders with comparatively well-rounded cheeks.
The front legs of Maus are slightly shorter than the hind legs but their walk must be normal. They have small, oval-shaped paws. The front paws have five toes while the back ones have four and are longer. The tail narrows slightly towards the tip. It is preferred that a Mau has a belly flap and the shoulder blades must be prominent while the backline comparatively lower.
Personality
They are a highly intelligent and curious breed that has the capability to take out different sounds. They are known to be able to open doors. They are leash trained easily and will learn tricks readily. Their loyalty is widely acclaimed and would love to follow their favourite person around. They are the first ones to greet you when you get back home and the last ones to say good night. They are definitely not lap cats and do not like to picked around either. They are also very active and athletic with the ability to jump as high as 6 feet in the air. They can also run really fast (30 miles/hour).
Their soft, melodious purring is simply mesmerising especially when it is accompanied with that waggle of the tail and joyous licking of the owner. They are good with children. However, they do not like sharing their place with other pets so a single-pet home is preferred. They can also be difficult to handle so people who have had experience with cats are better suited to own this breed. They have a relaxed and patient nature and do not like to be alone. Their shyness needs to be rectified via an early socialisation. Without this socialization, they are likely to be uncomfortable around strangers and a changed environment.
Health and Care
Maus can be very susceptible to anaesthesia and other medications and hence, whenever such a need arises, keep on taking advice from the vet. They also like to live in comparatively warmer conditions than other cats. A weekly grooming by wiping them with a damp cloth and nail clipping will suffice.
Recognising Associations
- Cat Fanciers Association CFA
- International Association for Egyptian Mau AIME
- Egyptian Mau Club (UK based)
- Egyptian Mau Breeders’ and Fanciers’ Club EMBFC
- The Canadian Cat Association
- The International Cat Association TICA
- American Cat Fanciers Association ACFA
- AACE
Egyptian Mau’s first claim to fame was the win in the grand championship in CCA in 1972. This was also bred by the Russian princess.
- Cat Fanciers Association CFA
- International Association for Egyptian Mau AIME
- Egyptian Mau Club (UK based)
- Egyptian Mau Breeders’ and Fanciers’ Club EMBFC
- The Canadian Cat Association
- The International Cat Association TICA
- American Cat Fanciers Association ACFA
- AACE
Egyptian Mau’s first claim to fame was the win in the grand championship in CCA in 1972. This was also bred by the Russian princess.
Pictures of Egyptian Mau Cat
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