Emma Jones
Many myths surround the Egyptian Mau, but one thing is certain: the graceful short-haired cat with the incomparable spots and exotic appearance is strikingly similar to cat depictions from ancient Egypt. Intelligent, playful, and strongly related to her people, the elegant beauty easily integrates into the family.
Egyptian Mau: Character
Did you fall in love with this exotic beauty with the striking patches and the gooseberry green eyes right away? If you want an affectionate housemate with a strong human focus, you will appreciate these character traits of the Egyptian Mau. She is also often referred to as the gentle cousin of the Abyssinians. She loves to interact with her humans while displaying confidence. Their quick reflexes are almost legendary and are said to be unmatched by any other breed of cat.
Keeping and caring for the Egyptian Mau
Since the Egyptian Mau belongs to the short-haired cats, the care required is correspondingly low: brushing once a week is enough to maintain the shine of the short coat; more is accepted as an extra of cuddles. Due to their urge to play and move, a free-range posture is ideal for the Egyptian Mau. In an apartment, she needs plenty of opportunities to climb and play. The Egyptian Mau does not like to be alone and needs at least one companion for company, especially if they live as an indoor cat.
Egyptian Mau: Colors
With the Egyptian Mau, you will discover the only domestic cat with natural spots that have not been crossed through breeding. These stand out in contrasting irregular sizes and shapes from the silver, black, smoky, or bronze-colored fur. The recognized colors also include blue silver, blue spotted, blue smoke, and blue. Black is allowed for breeding, but not for exhibition.
History of the Egyptian Mau
The Egyptian Mau has been one of the recognized cat breeds of the American Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) since 1977. In the early 1950s, Nathalie Troubetzkoj discovered spotted cats in Cairo. After starting her breed in Italy, she emigrated to the USA, where she registered it in 1958 under the name “Fatima”. The rare breed has also been bred in Europe since 1988. By the way, “Mau” means cat in Egypt.
Egyptian Mau: Peculiarities
Since there are very few breeders in Europe, the Egyptian Mau is very rare in this country. A responsible breeder asks many questions in advance in order to find the best possible places for his Mau kittens. He submits the pedigree and only releases the kittens to their new owners when they are 12 to 16 weeks old.