Egyptian Mau general features, temperament, health

Egyptian Mau cat breed photo

Weight: 5-10 Ib Origin: America

Grooming/Shedding: Medium, Coat: Short.

Color: Bronze, silver, smoke.

Span of life: up to 20 years.

Breed: Apparently, the Egyptian Mau cat wandered through Egypt in the days when Egypt itself did not yet exist. This cats lived on the banks of the Nile river, side by side with some ancient people, that were cultivating some ancient plants - and the small, but very lively spotted cats were helping those people to save the crop from the ubiquitous rats and mice.

And then the same cat was watching with interest the construction of the pyramids of Giza, digging tombs in the Valley of the kings, romance of Antony and Cleopatra, and other amazing events of the long Egyptian history.

At that time, cats were considered sacred animals, they represented the goddess Bastet, so the Egyptian Mau (which, to be honest, did not have this beautiful name yet) were surrounded by universal love and respect. As time passed, the Pharaohs have disappeared from the face of the earth, but the small spotted cats were still observing - when Napoleon's troops shoot off the nose of the Sphinx, when the Suez Canal was built, when the desert was crossed by the tanks of General Rommel and when on the beaches of Hurghada and Sharm El Sheikh were landing the first troops of tourists... However, at the time of arrival of the tourists to Egypt, Egyptian Mau had already become a worldwide known cat breed, that officially existed since the seventies of the last century.

It was about one hundred years ago, when Egyptian Mau began to appear in Europe and they were quite taken root there, but all this was confused by the war: during the war Europeans were somehow not up to improve the feline species, and all breeding programs in all breeds were stuck. And the small spotted cats were almost forgotten until the fifties, when a couple of future Egyptian Mau, who lived in the house of the Syrian ambassador, caught the eye of living in Italy, Princess Troubetzkaya.

Egyptian Mau cat breeds

The princess decided not only to keep the same cats in her household, she got seriously engaged in their breeding. And in the early seventies, when princess moved from Italy to America, she also took her cats with her and founded the cattery under the name "Fatima". Related with the American Shorthair cats, Egyptian Mau, finally received their recognition as a breed, but since that time they are not considered Egyptian cats anymore. They are cats "made in USA". Well, America always was a country of emigrants, and these cats here became absolutely legal American citizens.

The breed was officially recognized in 1977.

General Features: Egyptian Mau are relatively small in size - a male, which weights five or six kilograms is considered a big Mau. They certainly should be covered with the very well pronounced spots. As for colors, the cats of this breed are allowed to be silver, bronze or smoke. Their eyes should be the color of the "young gooseberry" as it is poetically written in the standard of their breed. Note - not just a gooseberry, namely the young, that is strong and bright green color.

Egyptian Mau are not born green-eyed - their eyes become the color you want in about a year and a half. But until that time, owners can only look nervously at the cat's eyes and anxiously wonder, if there will be "the young gooseberry" or it will not appear. And if it did not appear, then all is lost...

Maybe you do not have a real Egyptian Mau. In addition to the wonderful eyes, Mau is also adorned with very large ears and a necklace around his neck and a stripe on the back. At the head of these cats flaunts a distinct letter M, coming in contact with the letter W. Also Egyptian Mau have a special creases on their stomach - this margin of excess skin, allowing the cats of this breed (as well as tigers and some other members of the cat species), stretching in length, to make very long jumps and graceful pirouettes.

Which definitely makes Egyptian Mau one of the most agile cats - they are almost unbeatable in jumping, running and all other kinds of active games. At the same time on the face of this cat is forever frozen a very cute expression of amazement, due to the very special shape of their eyes.

Temperament: Egyptian Mau in any sense can not be called capricious - this cats are quite undemanding in the house and they also have an extremely cute temper, though, of course, a cat with such an ancient lineage might afford sometimes different tricks. However, the Egyptian Mau have chosen not to pretend too important, but become a true friends of man - if there are some cats-companions in the world, it is definitely and exactly the Egyptian Mau. Mau is a very well designed cat, that does not cause any troubles to her owners. The short coats of this cats do not need any bathing or even brushing. Also the Egyptian Mau does not shed much.

You do not have to wonder, what and how to feed your Egyptian Mau today. Despite his ancient and noble origin, Egyptian Mau is not too demanding in food. Also this cats differ with so powerful appetite that sometimes they have to be limited in food, otherwise they will gain weight immediately, and even the inherent mobility of this breed will not help. Egyptian Mau at any extent does not belong to the "sofa" cats. Therefore, those who dream of a kitty , that is peacefully sleeping in the corner, should not purchase a kitten of Egyptian Mau.

Egyptian Mau breed

Cats of this breed do not want to waste their precious time on meaningless sleeping - maybe they only sleep, while no one is at home. And the owner, who allowed himself to leave Egyptian Mau alone for a long time, should be ready, when he returns home, to expiate his guilt before the bored cat. The Egyptian Mau rushes to give a hug to his beloved owner, he will curl at his feet and he will not rest until you would not take the cat on your knees and will not listen to everything he has to say. And these cats love to talk! They do not yell or scream, they meow loudly and gently purr, and it seems as though they hasten to tell people the whole story of their - cat's - life. When they are done talking, Egyptian Mau immediately start their games - and they love to play so much,  that from this time-spending they will not be distracted even if it will happen the end of the world.

For example, one very respectable Egyptian Mau - he is already an adult cat - who has attained the years when other cats are usually very respectable gentlemen, even at the shows do not release his favorite toy from his teeth, and he is never afraid of any judges. However, it looks like these cats are not afraid of anything - they are not timid at the sight of strangers, they are affectionate with their guests and their dogs, and children - by the Egyptian Mau believes -  are very appropriate mates to play with. But only to "play with" Egyptian Mau are not ready to suffer all sorts of nonsense, that comes from children.

For example it will not be possible to put some baby-doll trousers on the Egyptian Mau. Mau would not scream and scratch, he will just get away as all smart cats do, and run and jump, and play again, but somewhere else.

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Because Egyptian Mau can perfectly entertain himself without any naughty children - for him the whole world is full of fun. And a piece of an old newspaper paper or a cork from the bottle in terms of Egyptian Mau are not worse than a cat's toy of a special design, decorated with the peacock feathers and with silver bells ringing.

However, despite their exceptional energy and mobility the Egyptian Mau are not intended to spoil things that does not belong to cats. This cats are very smart, and if they were once scolded for dangling curtains, for the second time they will not go for the same trick again, because they are not harmful and they easily agree with the master's prohibitions. but, to be completely honest, they will not miss a bird or a hamster. They simply can not. The hunting passion rages within them. So if you have a mouse, moles or birds in your summer home, then most likely soon they will not be there.

Mau are not aggressive and they are very sociable, but if it is necessary, they are quite capable to stand up for themselves. But the martial arts, they save up for emergencies, because they prefer to make love, not war. They are so tender that even the Egyptian Mau males help their wives during childbirth - they rush to lick the baby, and if the young mother left the kids at least for a couple of minutes, the father immediately will lie down with the children and he will be faithfully warming them with his spotty body.



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