egyptian mau aalspotz - bengal, egyptian mau, ocicat







The Egyptian Mau

As the name suggests the Mau originated in Egypt – mau is the Egyptian word for cat – where their ancestors can be seen in many Ancient Egyptian artworks, some dating back to 2000BC. The present day Mau is believed to be a cat domesticated from a spotted subspecies of the African Wild Cat.

The Egyptians worshipped them as gods, adored them as pets and even mummified them on death. Three Maus were imported into the USA in 1956 by Russian Princess Nathalie Troubetskoy - two silver females and a bronze male – and further imports since have widened the gene pool. It was 1977 before the breed was granted Championship status by the CFA and they were brought into the UK by Melissa Bateson in 1998. A very detailed history can be found on the Egyptian Mau Club website.

The Mau is a very elegant cat, of medium size, both active and alert. They have a very characteristic “worried” expression due to their brow line and eyeset. Their eyes should be a striking gooseberry green in colour, large and almond shaped. Their head is a rounded wedge, with a very gentle concave slope to their profile. Their nose should be of equal width throughout its length and their ears are large and alert, moderately pointed and broad at the base. Their coat is medium in length; whereas the silver and bronze cats have a dense resilient coat, the smoke’s coat is fine and silky. The three Mau colours are Silver (charcoal markings on a pale silver ground), Bronze (dark brown-black markings on a warm copper ground) and Smoke (jet black markings on a pale silver ground, but each hair tipped with black, still giving sufficient contrast for markings to be clearly visible). Maus also come in Black and Blue, but these are not eligible to be shown, although they still make excellent pets.

The Mau is a cat devoted to its family, very intelligent and aware of everything happening around it, having extraordinary powers of scent, hearing and sight.

They are the fastest domestic cat, having been recorded at speeds of up to 36 mph, and can jump straight up to heights of 7 feet or more effortlessly. They are very talkative, chirping and chortling, and often show that they are happy by waving their tails high in the air whilst “padding” with their paws – we call this their “tiptoe dance”! They love their toys, and can be very possessive – once they have a favourite, they will search it out relentlessly and not allow anyone else to play with it. They also love food, and can easily become overweight. They can be stubborn and manipulative, so beware – once they have an idea in their head they will go on and on until you let them have their own way. Although they can be shy with strangers, they love their own family and will shower you with love and affection, insisting upon attention, and not happy until they feel that they are the centre of your life – truly a very special cat indeed!