According to Leonardo Da Vinci, every cat is a masterpiece. We can only subscribe to this loving view of the wonderful creature. The saying naturally also applies to every conventional house cat. But it seems to apply to the Egyptian Mau in a very special way. This strikingly beautiful and mysterious short-haired cat with beguiling green eyes developed, as its name suggests, in Egypt.
Story
While the Egyptian Mau developed properly in the 1950s, breeding began 3,000 years ago. The Egyptian Mau was found in ancient wall paintings in Egypt. In ancient Egypt, cats were particularly popular in the community because they kept the grain stores free of mice.
There are many myths about the exact origin of the Egyptian Mau. She is said to have descended from the cats of Egyptian pharaohs, who were embalmed and buried with their masters. There are rumors that genetic testing confirms this myth. However, the exact origin of the Egyptian Mau has not yet been finally clarified. Just as mysterious as their appearance is probably their origin.
The now existing Egyptian Mau was discovered in 1952 by an exiled Russian princess named Nathalie Troubetzkoy when she came across a cat owned by the Syrian ambassador in Italy. Fascinated by the beauty of Egyptian descent, Troubetzkoy brought some cats of this breed to the United States and began breeding them there.
In 1968 the Egyptian Mau gained a lot of recognition at various exhibitions. In 1977 she was finally awarded first place by the “Cat Fanciers Association” (CFA). Incidentally, the breed has only been bred in Europe since 1988.
Short-haired Cat
The Egyptian Mau is one of the short-haired cats. Your facial expression is described by some as “worried”, but most of all as attentive. After all, she always looks at her environment and her people with a very alert and interesting look, which nothing escapes. The head of this distinctive beauty is wedge-shaped and slightly rounded, the ears are medium to large in size, and the eyes are almond-shaped. If a person had eyes as large as a cat, they would be the size of tennis balls, by the way.
The Egyptian Mau is medium-sized and graceful, almost delicate, but muscular and athletic. Compared to the Oriental Shorthair, it is a bit stockier. The body structure is thus perhaps a little different from the representation on Egyptian paintings, where the Egyptian Mau tended to be more delicate. Female cats of this breed are usually smaller and lighter than the feline representatives of the male sex.
The external peculiarity of the Egyptian Mau is the noticeable spotted pattern of the fur.
The breed standard provides three color variants: “Black silver spotted tabby” (silver with black spots), “brown (black) spotted tabby” (also known as “bronze”: brown basic tone with dark brown to ideally black spots), and “black smoke” (black-gray basic color, through which it shimmers white-silver so that the black dots come into their own). There is also a rare color variant called “black” (depending on the type of sunlight, the dots can only be guessed at here – in comparison with the color variant “black smoke”, the silver hair base is missing in this case). The Egyptian Mau is the only naturally spotted pedigree cat in the world.
Even if the Egyptian Mau is domesticated, it has retained some of the characteristics of its ancestors. These include their cheetah-like gait and a loose flap of skin that extends from the flank to the hind leg. This gives the Egyptian exotic remarkable freedom of movement as well as extraordinary agility and maneuverability when jumping.
Egyptian Mau Temperament
By nature, the Egyptian Mau is friendly, people-oriented, cuddly, playful into old age, intelligent, sensitive, and active. Their affection and cuddling experience is increased when the owner of this wonderful cat breed challenges and encourages his roommate kitty extensively with intelligence toys, movement toys, and scratching toys. Because that is what she needs, and when these basic needs are met, she will thank her human roommate with a lot of cuddles and human orientation.
In this context, it is also important that you can find the time to devote yourself to playing with your beloved feline friend. This strengthens the connection between the two of you, corresponds to a species-appropriate attitude – and will be a lot of fun for you too. Living together with other conspecifics also offers the Egyptian Mau the stimuli it needs to feel good. Especially when you can spend less time with the cat, having a second cat in the household is very important for their well-being.
The Egyptian Mau tends to be cautious about strangers. The mini tiger of Egyptian origin is more than just related to humans – it needs the love of its human roommate very much and would literally die without it. This causes it to demand the love of its owner at times in a gentle but emphatic way.
The Egyptian Mau is the fastest of all cats. It can reach top speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour. So that it can let off steam according to its species and cover longer distances, it is very important that the Egyptian Mau cat has plenty of exercises. A large, cat-safe garden is ideal for them. If possible, she should be kept outdoors because of her pronounced urge to move. Because she really likes jumping and climbing. However, it is quite adaptable and can in principle also be happy in an apartment. Then the apartment should offer her as much space as possible.
In the home, too, this very active cat needs climbing opportunities and other suggestions that correspond to a species-appropriate life. This includes, among other things, beautiful vantage points, because she likes to sit in an elevated position. For example, a scratching post with several levels is suitable. As already mentioned, the Egyptian Mau also prefer to spend time cuddling with their human roommates. However, this sometimes very active mini tiger is not a classic lap cat.
This breed of cats does not like loud environments. She can sometimes react frighteningly to noise. She prefers a quiet environment and is always looking for peace. Therefore, you should provide retreats, such as playhouses. The Egyptian Mau could be said to have characteristics of dogs: they are very protective, loyal, and known to greet their owners at the door when they come home.
Egyptian Mau Diet
The Egyptian Mau is so domesticated that the nutritional recommendations largely correspond to those for cats in general. But always bear in mind the origin and ancestry of the cat – tigers, lions, and leopards. Accordingly, she is a carnivore and needs cat food that does justice to her natural eating habits, i.e. as close as possible to the type of meat she would find in the wild. Seen in this light, the Egyptian Mau is quite inflexible in its dietary preferences. You have the choice between dry and wet food, but also self-cooking and BARF (organic, species-appropriate raw feeding are methods of cat nutrition.
A human diet cannot be transferred to cats, even if some owners sometimes try to feed their feline friends a plant-based diet. However, this is incompatible with the type of diet that cats have been used to in their natural environment for generations.
The ideal diet for a roommate kitty of the Egyptian Mau breed is a protein-rich mixture of carbohydrates, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. If necessary, you can also use food supplements for your cat. A well-nourished cat has the best chance that it will be in good health – mentally and physically – for the rest of its life.
If the Egyptian Mau is too heavy, it is likely that it was fed too high in carbohydrates. However, if the cat is fed this way for too long, there is an increased risk of diabetes. Therefore, this type of feeding must be avoided at all costs.
If in doubt, your trusted veterinarian can give you well-founded information about the ideal diet for your domestic tiger.
Maintenance
The grooming of this short-haired cat is uncomplicated. But she loves having her fur brushed and it strengthens your bond with one another. In this respect, we recommend that you regularly groom your fur with a brush. Your furniture is also better protected from loose cat hair.
The Egyptian Mau also needs a scratching post or other scratching furniture to care for their claws. Your roommate kitty can also use it to mark her territory.
Health
The Egyptian Mau is generally in stable health. Breed-specific diseases tend not to occur in her. Only one disease of a neurological nature can affect this beautiful breed of cats: leukodystrophy (also known as Krabbe’s disease). This can lead to behavioral disorders, among other things.
Of course, you should have your beloved roommate kitty vaccinated – against common infectious diseases such as cat flu, cat infectious enteritis, feline leukemia, and rabies. Present your fur nose to the vet on a regular basis so that all-important preventive examinations can be carried out.
Breeder
The Egyptian Mau is so rarely represented in some countries that some breeders have waiting lists. Before contacting a breeder, you could inquire about whether the shelter or rescue center might have one of these beautiful cats to drop off. There are even a few rescue stations that specialize in this exotic Egyptian cat breed.
Whenever you go to a breeder, you should make sure that they are reputable. You can recognize a trustworthy breeder in several aspects. Among other things, the fact that he does not give the kittens away too early, i.e. not under the age of 12 weeks. Also trust your intuition, which will tell you whether the breeder in question is an actual animal lover who really cares about the welfare of the cats – or whether he is just speculating on the income.
If you have decided on an Egyptian Mau, your life at the side of this spirited athlete and sensitive philanthropist is sure to get a lot richer.
