Introduction to the Egyptian Mau
Fizz, our Egyptian Mau Queen
The Egyptian Mau is still a relatively rare and new cat to Britain. The first Mau arrived from the United States in late 1998, brought over by Dr Melissa Bateson. Melissa and the other founder members of the Egyptian Mau club have continued to work relentlessly hard to both promote and develop the breed. If it was not for their dedication, I would not have been able to recognise my own dreams. The Mau club has been affiliated to the GCCF since 2003, and was given provisional status in June 2004. Since then everyone has been working hard and it is hoped that we will obtain Championship status shortly.
Photo by K. Jater
The Egyptian Mau of today is considered to be the descendant of the domesticated cats of the ancient Egyptians. They are immortalised in the Book of the Dead, which portrays the Egyptian Mau as Ra, the sun god, slaying a serpent and as the living form of the goddess Bast, the Egyptian cat goddess, representative of the moon, the Sun gods eye during the night. It is then believed that they were taken to Italy by the Romans.
In the 1950's, Exiled Russian princess Nathalie Troubetskoy who lived in Rome, fell in love with the breed when she was presented with a spotted kitten. She then dedicated herself to saving the breed from extinction and in 1956, moved to America taking with her the three cats she had rescued. These became the foundation of the breed.
Striking beauty
Maus are striking to look at and still resemble the cats shown in Ancient Egypt. They are recognisable by their random spotted pattern, which can be any size or shape but must be distinct, and their unique 'worried' look, set against their large gooseberry green eyes. Their head is also distinct in the fact that they have a complex scarab marking on the top, with their forehead bearing an 'M' and 'mascara' lines barring their cheeks. The Mau is a moderate size cat and has a very lustrous medium-short coat. The recognised breed colours are silver, bronze and smoke, although some classic tabby patterns can occur.
For the full standard of points and breed description, I would recommend you visit the GCCF or Egyptian Mau websites.
What was that?
In my experience they are very playful and intelligent cats. Opening closed and supposedly locked doors seems a speciality. They are very loyal, and love and seek company. They can be initially shy of strangers, but Fizz is not averse to sitting on any guest's knee if she thinks they maybe there for a respectable amount of time. They usually weigh between 6 and 10 pounds for girls, and 10 and 14 for boys, but again in my experience, they can be greedy so need to be kept in check. Paws are masterful tools for stealing off dinner plates!!
Safety outdoors
I do fear for their safety outdoors, not only because of their inquisitiveness with new things including roads, but, because they are so striking, I fear they would be stolen. Maus make good house cats, but like other cats do need stimulation. Playtime with their owners is an excellent way for them to exercise and for you both to bond further.
