Egyptian Mau

The Egyptian Mau, as we know it today was begun in the USA by the Fatima cattery in 1956 when a pair of cats were imported and all members of the breed can trace their ancestry back to these two original cats. Typically Foreign in appearance, the wedge-shaped head of the Egytpian Mau is slightly rounded and gives an impression of flowing curves rather than the angles and planes of some Foreign breeds - for example the Devon Rex. All the facial features have a very pleasing unity of curves and softened angles.

The Mau (mau is the Egyptian word for cat) has been clearly identified in the artwork of the ancient Egyptians, leaving no question in the minds of many experts that the Egyptian Mau is indeed the cat domesticated from a spotted subspecies of the African Wild Cat by this unique culture. To gaze upon this beautiful and engaging creature is an opportunity to view a living relic.

The role of the Mau in the religion, mythology, and everyday life of the Egyptian conveys the degree of affection and respect in which these cats were held. They were worshipped as deities, cherished as pets, protected by laws, and mummified and mourned upon their death.

The base colours of the Egyptian Mau are Bronze, Silver and Smoke, all with random spotting of varying shapes whilst the front legs are spotted or barred or both and the hind legs have a transition from spots to stripes. The head should have a very specific patterning of markings that gives the Egyptian Mau his particular expression. Of fine texture and medium short the coat has a lustrous sheen and requires little attention.

The Egyptian Mau is a highly sociable cat; intelligent and active they enjoy human company and will converse with a soft, melodious voice.

Modified oriental-type conformation; spotted coat. Introduced into the U.S. from Egypt; not recognized in UK. Possibly the oldest domestic cat breed, traceable back to the Egyptian Middle Period. Its fur type is apparently more primitive than that of other breeds and, unlike more modern cats, it has a tendency to face foes rather than flee! In flight, it is also the fastest of the domestic breeds. Not to be confused with a spotted oriental breed, bred to resemble Egyptian cat, which was developed in England and was originally known as the Mau.

History

Egyptian Maus are arguably the oldest cat breed, going back thousands of years in Egypt, where they roamed feral for most of that time. Some people speculate that Egyptian Maus were the ancestors of modern housecats. Today, purebred Maus are relatively rare; there may only be 3,000 of them anywhere on earth. In the 1980s, Egyptian Maus were one of the cat breeds included in the breeding program for the new cat breed, the American Keuda.

The Egyptian Mau is one of the oldest existing breeds of domestic cat, and the only naturally spotted one. Evidence in the form of depictions, paintings, and sculptures shows that spotted cats existed during the time of the Egyptian cat cult, and it is theorized that the predecessor of the Mau was the very same cat worshiped by the ancient Egyptians. A papyrus painting dating around 1100 B.C. shows Ra in the form of a spotted cat beheading the evil serpent Apep. In 1580 B.C., a papyrus record quotes a spotted cat as saying, "I am the cat which fought near the Persea Tree in Annu on the night when the foes of Neb-er-tcher were destroyed!" On a more mundane note, a 1400 B.C. tomb painting found in Thebes depicts a spotted cat retrieving a duck for an Egyptian hunter, showing that cats were not only worshiped but played an important role in everyday life as well.

Egyptian Maus joined the European cat fancy in the early 1900s. Fanciers in Italy, Switzerland, and France worked to develop the breed; however, as it did many purebred breeds, World War II decimated the Egyptian Mau population and by the mid-1940s the Mau was almost extinct.

The efforts of the exiled Russian Princess Nathalie Troubetskoy brought the Mau back from the brink of extinction. While in Italy, she rescued some of the few remaining specimens. She was also instrumental in importing at least one Mau from Egypt via the Syrian Embassy.

In 1956 Troubetskoy immigrated to the United States, bringing with her three Maus bred from her original stock. Upon arrival, Troubetskoy began her own Egyptian Mau cattery (Fatima) and began to promote the breed. The Mau soon collected a following of fanciers who wanted to preserve the rare and historically significant breed.

Because of the small gene pool and because additional Maus were almost impossible to obtain from Egypt, a certain amount of inbreeding and outcrossing were required to continue the breed in North America. Selective breeding for temperament was also a priority, since disposition problems were noted in some bloodlines. Finally, in the 1980s breeder Cathie Rowan brought 13 additional Maus into the United States, paving the way for more imports. In 1991 breeder J. Len Davidson imported four more. This widening of the gene pool was vital to the breed's health and well-being.

In 1968 CFF was the first to accept the Egyptian Mau. CCA soon followed, and the CFA granted Championship in 1977. Today, all major associations accept the Mau.

Personality

While fanciers might at first be attracted to the Egyptian Mau's beautiful spotted coat, most become enthusiasts because of the breed's temperament and personality. Maus, like their ancestors that were invited along on the duck hunts of their Egyptian companions, love to fetch. In fact, they love any play activity that mimics hunting behavior, and if allowed outside will become very competent (some might say savage) hunters.

The most striking behavioral features of Egyptian Maus are their great running speed, and their voices: they have been said to chirp, sing, and chortle. They are also said to strongly prefer warm temperatures.

That's not to say they are not devoted to the humans who pay them homage. Fanciers describe them as fiercely loyal cats that generally don't take to strangers. Once they bond with their human companions, they choose to be worshiped by their own family, rather than by the entire human race.

While not overly talkative, Maus will let their owners know if something is amiss, particularly if that something concerns their food dishes. Their voices are usually melodious and quiet. When engaged in conversation with their human companions, Maus wag their tails, tread with their feet, and make a variety of sounds that fanciers call "chortling."

The Egyptian Mau has the distinction of being the only natural spotted breed of domestic cat. An extremely intelligent animal, the Mau places a great importance on family, both human and their own, and is fiercely loyal in his devotion to them. They are moderately active and often express their happiness by chortling in a soft melodious voice and wiggling their tails at great speed while treading with their forepaws.

With an elegant body that is randomly spotted, banded legs and tail, expressive gooseberry green eyes, distinctive mascara lines, a worried expression on the face, and a graceful cheetah-like stride, it is no wonder that the Mau attracts such a tremendous amount of attention at cat shows.

Appearance

The mau is long, graceful, and muscular with a stride like a cheetah. A unique flap of skin extends from the flank to the back knee, which allows for greater length of stride and agility. The Egyptian mau is the fastest breed of domestic cat, clocked at more than 30 miles per hour.

They are medium-sized cats, and usually weigh 10 to 14 pounds for adult males, and 6 to 10 pounds for adult females. The mau's head is a slightly rounded wedge shape, with a slight rise from the bridge of the nose to the forehead. The muzzle is neither short nor pointed. The alert ears are medium to large, pointed, broad at the base, and set with ample width between. The large, alert eyes are almond shaped and slightly slanted. Eye color is gooseberry green.

This breed's most striking feature is the randomly placed, distinctive spotting. Considerable variety exists in placement and shape; the spots can be large or small, round or oblong, irregular or uniform, or in any combination. Regardless, the spots must be vivid and distinct with good contrast between the background and the color of the spots. The face bears tabby barring including mascara lines on the cheeks. The characteristic "M" on the forehead is sometimes described as a scarab beetle mark in reference to the most popular of the magical amulets worn by ancient Egyptians. The legs and tail also possess barring and the tail ends with a dark tip.

The coat is medium-short with a lustrous sheen. Three strikingly beautiful colors are universally accepted - silver spotted, a pale silver ground color with charcoal black spots; bronze spotted, a warm bronze ground color shading to tawny-buff on the sides with dark brown-black spots; and black smoke, a pale silver ground color with all hairs tipped in black with jet black spots. Blue silver, blue smoke, blue spotted, and blue solid, all dilute versions of black, also occasionally occur and can be registered with some associations but not shown for championship.

The Egyptian Mau comes in three colors that can be shown in championship classes: Silver, Bronze, and Smoke. Also accepted for registration purposes, but not for showing, are the solid Black and the dilute versions of the "primary" colors: Blue Silver, Blue spotted (dilute bronze), Blue Smoke and the solid Blue. Although the black and the dilute Maus are not eligible for showing, they make excellent pets like all other Maus.

The direct descendants of ancient Egyptian cats, these gorgeous creatures are the only natural breed of domesticated spotted cat with a coat displaying random dark spots on a light background. The coat comes in a variety of color variations; silver, bronze, smoke and black. Egyptian Maus have a beautiful, expressive face with incredible, large green eyes that lighten as the cat matures. Ancient Egyptians believed that the cat's eyes are reflective at night because they contain the sun's rays. Egyptian Maus are very intelligent, and make wonderful pets, provided they are well socialized from an early age. Grooming requirements are moderate.