Egyptian Mau, Egyptian Mau cat

Egyptian Mau history:
The Mau comes from Egypt. Its ancestors are the once sacred cats of the Pharaohs there. If you visit Europe, you’ll see statues of these cats made that have been preserved in the Louvre and in the British Museum. These are statues that were constructed during ancient times in an effort to worship these creatures and have been preserved over time.

These cats were imported to the United States in the early 1950s. And it has flourished ever since. These are quite popular cats because of their terrific temperaments and amazing markings.

Egyptian Mau cat temperament
While you might first be attracted to the mau's beautiful spotted coat, you will likely become addicted to the breed's temperament and personality. Known for their intelligence, high activity level, and loving devotion, maus make great companions.

Like their alleged ancestors who tagged along on bird hunts with their Egyptian worshipers, maus love to stalk, be it catnip mice, rubber balls, or wiggling fingers. In fact, they adore all mock hunting games, particularly fetch. Toss a catnip mouse and your mau will run it down and trot it back to you, toy firmly gripped in powerful jaws and eyes gleaming with predatory triumph, for repeated throwing. If allowed outside they become adept hunters, so for the sake of the local wildlife and your mau's health and safety, keep her inside. Maus are also fascinated by water – they love to dabble their toes and drink from the faucet, and some even enjoy splashing around like a dog.

Egyptian Mau cat pictures

Egyptian Mau Appearance

The Egyptian Mau is one of the few naturally spotted cats. It has an elegant, long body and a stride like a cheetah. The eyes are oval shaped and vivid green in colour with dark highlighting sometimes referred to as "mascara". There are two stripes on each side of the face next to the eyes, and banding on the legs and tail. The short coat may be one of four base colours (silver, bronze, smoke, or black), all with randomly placed black spots and black striping.

You won't find a more distinctive looking cat than the Mau. It's surprising Maus haven't become the latest unusual pet craze. Plus it's fun to have a cat that directly traces its lineage to the first cats domesticated by humans. (It was actually a two-way street. With agriculture came stored grains, followed by lots of rodents, followed by very grateful cats. They were happy to associate with us - we provided them with an easy, ready supply of food.) As with any breed, watch for the quality of the breeder, buy only from reputable breeders with clean catteries and healthy, friendly cats. The Egyptian Mau is the only natural domesticated breed of spotted cat. The Egyptian's impression should be one of an active, colourful cat of medium size with well developed muscles. Perfect physical condition with an alert appearance. Well balanced physically and temperamentally. Males tend to be larger than females.