Egyptian Mau

Quick Facts

• Weight: 7 – 9 pounds

The Look of a Egyptian Mau

This shorthaired breed is blessed with gooseberry-green eyes, a twitching tail, and a coat that comes in silver, bronze, or smoke beneath the natural spots. That’s right. The spots are also on the skin.

Some people confusion the Egyptian Mau with the Ocicat, which also sports spots. The Mau features a rounded, wedge-shape head and lithe, muscular body.

Grooming needs are minimal. Their easy-maintenance coat will benefit by being wiped down by a damp washcloth once a week or so and keeping the nails clipped.

Females weigh between 6 and 10 pounds and males average between 10 and 14 pounds.

Traits

• Loyal to their owners
• Extremely agile and athletic
• Capable of making different sounds
• Inquisitive and highly intelligent
• Masters tricks easily
• Easy-to-care-for spotted coat

Ideal Human Companion

• Families with children
• Singles with no other pets
• Experienced cat owners

What They Are Like to Live With

Fans of this breed boast of the Mau’s fierce loyalty and devotion, moderate activity level, and soft, melodious voice.

Don’t be surprised if your Mau is standing at the door waiting to greet you when you come home from work. They totally bond with their favorite people. However, they are not readily fans of other critters, even other cats and fare best being the one-and-only cat.

For an unexplained reason, Maus tend to be more sensitive to anesthesia and medicine, so work closely with your veterinarian if any medical treatment is required. In addition, they prefer warm temperatures, more so than the average cat.

Things You Should Know

The Egyptian Mau prefers to be a “four on the floor” cat (all four feet on the ground) rather than being picked up and placed in your lap.

This athletic breed is capable of leaping up to six feet in the air from a standing position.

Regarded as the greyhound of cats, the Mau can run at speeds up to 30 miles per hour.

Egyptian Mau History

Ranked as one of the oldest domesticated breeds, the Egyptian Mau is thought to be related to a spotted subspecies of the African Wild Cat. Held in high esteem, this breed was worshipped as deities, protected by laws, and mummified upon death in ancient Egypt. The matriarch of this breed was silver spotted female named Baba.

According to historical records, a female Egyptian Mau kitten was scheduled to accompany exiled Russian princess Nathalie Troubetskoy from Rome to the United States. However, they missed getting on a huge luxury ship, the ill-fated Andrea Dorian that sank after being rammed a Swedish liner. In 1956, the princess successfully arrived in the United States and brought the first Mau to this country.

Today, the Egyptian Van is ranked 20th in popularity among the breeds listed by the Cat Fanciers Association, which granted it championship status in 1977.