Videos Egyptian Mau Breed Information
Country of origin -
Egypt
Breed standards -
AACE CFA(*) ACFA TICA(*) CCA FIFe(*)
Egyptian Maus are a medium-sized short-haired
cat breed. They are
the only naturally spotted breed of domesticated cat. The spots on
an Egyptian Mau are not just on the coat; a shaved Mau has spots on its
skin. The Ocicat is very similar in
appearance to the Egyptian Mau, but was the product of selective
breeding which led to its spots. Another similar looking breed is
the Bengal cat, but this breed tends
to be considerably larger.
The breed conformation is described by The Cornell Book of
Cats as
a balance between the compactness of a Burmese and the slim elegance of a
Siamese. Its medium-length body
is muscular, with the hind legs longer than the front, giving the
Mau the appearance of standing on tiptoes when upright.
The longer hind legs are another reason for the breed's
startling speed. The Mau also has a loose flap of skin on the lower
abdomen, similar to the cheetah, which
allows a longer stride while running, again contributing to its
great speed. A Mau running at full speed is impressive, with
incredible acceleration.
Maus often possess very musical voices. They are known to chirp,
chortle and emit other distinctly unusual vocalizations when
stimulated. Another behavior, quite common in happy Maus, has been
described as "wiggle-tail." The cat, male or female,
moves its back legs up and down, and appears to be marking
territory, also known as spraying, but
it is not actually releasing urine. Even veteran Mau owners are
known to check after a joyous Mau does this little dance.
1. Origins
The Egyptian Mau is often said to be descended from African wild
cats, and a descendant of the cats seen in wall paintings of
Ancient Egypt. This, while perhaps
being partly true, does not reveal the careful breeding that has
taken place to create the 'purebred' Egyptian Mau, which was only given
championship status in some organisations in 1968.
The modern Mau is said to have originated in 1953, Italy, when
exiled Russian Princess Natalie Troubetskoy met the cat of the
Egyptian Ambassador to Italy. She convinced him to obtain several
cats from Egypt for her, and she began to breed them. Maus were
attempted to be created in Britain by cross-breeds of Abyssinians, Siamese and tabbies, however these did not resemble the
true Maus.
Egyptian Maus will either have a 'scarab beetle' or
'M' marking on their foreheads - those with the latter tend
to be from the United States.
2. Physical attributes
Egyptian Maus are thought by many to be one of the progenitor
breeds of the modern domestic cat. They have anatomical, metabolic
and behavioral differences from other cat breeds which could be
considered as evidence of antiquity or at least uniqueness from
other cat breeds. Besides those already mentioned, Maus are more
temperature sensitive than most breeds - they are fond of very warm
temperatures. They are more sensitive to medicines and anesthesia.
Maus allegedly have an unusually long gestational period. The
maximum normal period for cats is 69 days, although Siamese may
take a day or two longer. For a Mau, it is said that 73 days is
still considered normal. This, however, is not a generally accepted
fact, and it is advised for one to assume a 63-67 days gestational
period. One should track the cat's temperature and if it drops
by a few degrees without birthing, consult a veterinarian.
3. Rarity
Purebred Egyptian Maus are a relatively rare breed. As of 2007,
fewer than 200 kittens are registered with the GCCF each year. As
of 2006, a total of 6741 Maus are registered with the CFA. Maus come in five
colors. From most to least common these colors are: silver, bronze,
smoke, black and blue/pewter.
Black and pewter Maus cannot be shown, but may be used in
breeding. All Maus must have green eyes, but an amber cast is
acceptable in kittens and young adults up to eighteen months
old.
4. Popular culture
In the 2004 movie Catwoman, the cat 'Midnight'
who brought Patience Phillips back to life as Catwoman was played by three Egyptian Maus, as
well as a computer-generated Mau. The movie reveals that the
ancient Egyptian Mau breed has the (fictional) ability to restore
life through its connection with the Egyptian goddess Bastet.
Copyright (c) 2008 Kitt Killion Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
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