Egyptian Mau

Weight: 6 - 14 pounds
Life span: 18 - 20 years
CFA rank: 20

Breed History | Background:

Archaeologists have discovered cats in the tombs of ancient Egyptians that look a lot like the Egyptian Mau of today.
Regarded as one of the oldest domesticated cat breeds, the Mau may be related to a spotted subspecies of the African Wild Cat.
The American lineage of Egyptian Maus can be traced back to the cattery belonging to exile Russian Princess Nathalie Troubetskoy, who came to the United States in 1956.
The Cat Fanciers Association first recognized this breed for cat show competition in 1968.

Cat Look:

Easily mistaken for an Ocicat or even a Bengal, the Egyptian Mau sports natural spots not only on the coat, but the skin, too. The main difference is that Maus are smaller than these two breeds.
The Mau displays a lithe, athletic body, wedge-shaped head, almond-shaped gooseberry colored eyes and a coat that comes in silver, bronze and smoke colors.
Maus take up to two years before reaching physical maturity.

Behavioral concerns:

Ranks as one of the most athletic and agile cat breeds.
Maus are capable of leaping six feet in the air from a standing position and running up to 30 miles per hour.
You need to play with them daily to unleash their pent up energy.
Maus are often regarded as being aloof because they take their time in forming friendships with people and other pets.
They tend to be even tempered and aware of everything that is going on around them.
They are very loyal and devoted to their favorite people and will display their affection in dog-like ways – such as waiting at the door to greet you when you come home and bringing you a toy to start playtime or chirp or chortle at you to get your attention if they notice something happening like a bird on the feeder or a spider crawling on the kitchen floor.
They can develop friendships with other family pets, but need to do so on their timetable and terms. They are not readily receptive to interacting with non-resident pets.

Grooming:

Easy, minimally shedding coat benefits by being wiped down once a week with a slightly damp washcloth to retain its shine.

Suggested Nutritional Needs:

Fun Facts:

The word, Mau, means “cat” or “sun” in Egyptian.
The Egyptian Mau competes with the Abyssinian for bragging rights as being the most direct descendant of ancient Egyptian cats.
The head stripes on this breed resemble a scarab beetle, regarded as Egypt’s holy beetle that was often touted as a symbol of the sun.

Glossary