Egyptian Mau
Egyptian Mau History
- Archaeologists have discovered cats in the tombs of ancient Egyptians that look a lot like the Egyptian Mau of today.
- Regarded as one of the oldest domesticated cat breeds, the Mau may be related to a spotted subspecies of the African Wild Cat.
- The American lineage of Egyptian Maus can be traced back to the cattery belonging to exile Russian Princess Nathalie Troubetskoy, who came to the United States in 1956.
- The Cat Fanciers Association first recognized this breed for cat show competition in 1968.
Egyptian Mau Behavior Concerns
- Ranks as one of the most athletic and agile cat breeds.
- Maus are capable of leaping six feet in the air from a standing position and running up to 30 miles per hour.
- You need to play with them daily to unleash their pent up energy.
- Maus are often regarded as being aloof because they take their time in forming friendships with people and other pets.
- They tend to be even tempered and aware of everything that is going on around them.
- They are very loyal and devoted to their favorite people and will display their affection in dog- like ways - such as waiting at the door to greet you when you come home and bringing you a toy to start playtime or chirp or chortle at you to get your attention if they notice something happening like a bird on the feeder or a spider crawling on the kitchen floor.
- They can develop friendships with other family pets, but need to do so on their timetable and terms. They are not readily receptive to interacting with non-resident pets.
Look of Egyptian Maus
- Easily mistaken for an Ocicat or even a Bengal, the Egyptian Mau sports natural spots not only on the coat, but the skin, too. The main difference is that Maus are smaller than these two breeds.
- The Mau displays a lithe, athletic body, wedge-shaped head, almond-shaped gooseberry colored eyes and a coat that comes in silver, bronze and smoke colors.
- Maus take up to two years before reaching physical maturity.
Grooming Egyptian Mau Cats
- Easy, minimally shedding coat benefits by being wiped down once a week with a slightly damp washcloth to retain its shine.
Suggested Nutritional Needs for Egyptian Mau
- Their high-energy nature enables them to burn off calories
- This breed does not have any special nutritional needs.
Fun Facts of Egyptian Maus
- The word, Mau, means "cat" or "sun" in Egyptian.
- The Egyptian Mau competes with the Abyssinian for bragging rights as being the most direct descendant of ancient Egyptian cats.
- The head stripes on this breed resemble a scarab beetle, regarded as Egypt's holy beetle that was often touted as a symbol of the sun.
