Egyptian Mau
The only naturally spotted breed of domesticated cat, the Egyptian Mau is a medium sized cat breed and has been described as a balance between the compactness of a Burmese and the elegance of a Siamese. Most people may think that the natural spots of an Egyptian Mau are found only on the coat, but they are also found under the coat on the cat's skin. It is an ancient breed from natural stock.
Ancient History
•The exact origin of the Egyptian Mau is not recorded so it's not quite certain where its history begins. It dates back over 3000 years and is perhaps the oldest of all domestic cats, as well as one of only two naturally spotted breeds still in existence. It is thought that the Egyptian Mau is a descendent of the African Wild Cat, while domestication occurred sometime between 4000 and 2000 BC. It was often seen in many wall paintings of Ancient Egypt, where it is thought that Egyptians quickly saw the value of the Mau.
Egyptian Mau's spots are on the skin as well as the fur.
•They were initially used for hunting purposes to retrieve birds. In fact many paintings of the Egyptian Mau are of them holding a bird in their mouth. The oldest images are in Ancient Egypt as hieroglyphs that have been carved in the walls of temples around 2200 BC. During this time, the Egyptian Mau was thought to have held great importance in religion and was even worshipped as a god. They represented almost every aspect of life. When a cat died in Egypt its body was mummified and entombed, just like the important leaders of Egypt.
•The modern Mau has a somewhat different history. It is said to have originated in 1953. Russian Princess Natalie Troubetskoy met the cat of the Egyptian Ambassador to Italy and convinced him to obtain several others for her. It is said that she then began to breed them. It received championship status in some organizations in 1968. Attempts were then made by British breeds to create Maus from cross breeds, however their attempts failed and they did not resemble true Egyptian Maus.
•Egyptian Maus differ from other cats in several ways; anatomically, metabolically, and in their personality and behavior. They are fond of warm temperatures in which they thrive best. They are sensitive to medicines and anesthesia and their gestational period is much longer than other cat breeds. They have been known to chirp instead of meow, and when they are happy they will wiggle their tails.
•Pure bred Egyptian Maus are not found in large numbers throughout the world. In fact, there are only about 3000 of them alive today. As of 2007 there were fewer than 200 Egyptian Mau kittens registered with the GCCF each year. As of 2006 a total of 6741 Maus were registered with the CFA. All purebred Maus come in five different colors; silver, smoke, bronze, black and pewter. They must all have green eyes.
Personality
The Egyptian Mau is well known for its intelligent personality and close bonding with responsible owners. They have been known to greet their owners at the door after coming home from work. Their speed and intelligence make them a good outdoor pet as they can generally avoid any type of danger posed to them, although vets suggest you not give them an outdoor life. They are not particularly friendly to strangers or other strange animals.
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