Egyptian Mau - cat of the pharaohs

What will you learn from the article?

1. History of the origin of the breed
2. Breed characteristics
3. Description of the Egyptian Mau breed
4. Character
5. Health
6. Care
7. Feeding Video

“We mentioned the cat, but he is already running,” says the Egyptian proverb (analogous to ours: “Easy in sight”). Folk wisdom, probably, did not mean some mythical cat, but known in the world under the name Egyptian Mau!

History of the origin of the breed

These cats are legendary. Their ancestors in Ancient Egypt were held in such esteem that during their lifetime they were revered as deities, and after the cat went along the waters of the Nile to the eternal kingdom, the owners shaved off their eyebrows in memory of her and were inconsolable for a long, long time, drawing pictures on papyrus in honor of the tailed celestial.

Distinctive features (the appearance and special “leopard” color) are similar to those sacred Nubian cats and the Mau known to us. But the homeland of the modern Egyptian Mau is, rather, not a land of pyramids, but a land of great opportunities.

Several times breeders tried to restore the ancient breed, but force majeure circumstances reduced their efforts to zero. By the mid-1940s, representatives of this breed were practically no longer encountered. But Mr. Chance and Princess Natalia Trubetskaya intervened in the matter.

The aristocrat, having emigrated from Italy to the United States in 1956, took with her several Mau, discharged from Cairo. It was there, in America, that the silver cats Lisa and Baba and the bronze cat Jojo in the Fatima nursery did everything possible and impossible to recreate the population. Within a couple of years, Trubetskoy could boast of 10 beautiful Egyptian women.

Thus, the Russian princess Natalia Trubetskaya saved a breed with a 3-thousand-year history from extinction.

Breed standard

The Egyptian Mau is a type of cat that resembles the Abyssinian. The CFA standard imposes the following requirements for the breed.

1. The build is strong and muscular, with well-developed bones
2. The ears are set high and wide, medium or large in size, sharp at the ends, sometimes with tassels.
3. The eyes are almond-shaped, large, and gooseberry-green in color, located slightly obliquely towards the ears.
4. The coat is short or medium length, shiny, thick and silky.
5. Three types of color: silver, bronze, smoky.
6. Markings: dark spots, scarab mark, “oriental makeup”.

Disqualifying features of the Egyptian Mau breed: lack of characteristic markings, yellow eye color.

Description of the Egyptian Mau breed

What does an Egyptian Mau look like and what are the differences, say, from the currently fashionable Bengal cats? Indeed, at first glance, these breeds have a lot in common, but already the second and third ones convince us that Egyptians have their own characteristics. Do Bengals have the exclusive scarab beetle color? Did evolution inscribe the mysterious “M” on the foreheads of other pussies? After all, who but Egyptian women can pronounce “Mau” clearly? So the breed standard convinces that the Egyptian Mau cat is unique and inimitable.

1. The head of the Egyptian Mau is wedge-shaped, very harmonious - neither excessive roundness nor unnecessary pointedness is observed. There is a noticeable hump in the nose area:

• Egyptian women's ears are either medium or large. They are set high, sharp at the tips, tassels are allowed, the ears are set on alert, the ears are covered with short hair;

• The goddess Bastet (a woman with the head of a cat) once worked on the appearance of the Egyptian Mau; since then, their large almond-shaped eyes have been decorated with “goddess makeup” - distinct eyeliner lines.

The description of eye color in the breed standard is limited to the shade “young gooseberry”. Although young animals cannot always please their owners with unripe berries. From 8 to 18 months, some kittens change eye color, but after one and a half years, Mau eyes should only be green!

IMPORTANT! Experts who evaluate an animal's compliance with breed standards suggest how to determine that this is definitely a Mau - pay attention to the cat's gaze. If he is a little amazed, this is the Egyptian Mau in all its amazing glory!

1. The body of the Egyptian Mau cat is compact, graceful and strong. The Mau has a loose fold of skin on its belly, thanks to which Egyptian beauties can take a wider step compared to other feline beauties.

• The limbs are medium. The hind limbs are longer than the front ones, but due to the special gait, the back always looks straight. The paws are slightly oval in shape, and the toes on the hind legs are longer than on the front ones.
• The tail is also medium, its thickness is almost the same along the entire length of the tail, only towards the very tip it narrows and the tail becomes pointed.
• Speaking in general about the body and muscles of the Egyptian Mau, it can be noted that they are very slender. According to the standard, neither excess weight nor thinness is welcomed. The right balance is the key to Egyptian beauty.
• An Egyptian cat weighs 3-4 kg, but a handsome male weighs 4-6 kg. Moreover, reviews from owners are unanimous that cats are more graceful and muscular than females.

1. The short hair of Egyptian Mau cats is surprisingly soft and silky to the touch. It shines well in the sun and has its own characteristics - each hair has 2-3 ticking rings. Non-closing ring-necklaces decorate the breasts of Egyptian women; transverse non-closing stripes are located on the front legs from the shoulder and the hind legs from the hip.

1. Egyptian Mau are also unique in that out of almost 256 known cat breeds in the world, they are the only ones with a spotted color of natural origin. Moreover, the spots form hairs that are colored only at the very tip. The spots on the cat’s body are scattered chaotically, as noted above, but on the animal’s forehead they form a distinct letter “M”. In addition to the “M”, a visually noticeable “W” is inscribed in spots in the area of ​​the ears towards the back of the head.

In general, spots are a breed-forming characteristic for the Egyptian Mau. They should be clear, ideally round and contrasting. No description can convey the beauty of this spotted coloration! “Mackerel” (merging of spots into stripes) is a disadvantage of the breed.

Three colors are approved by the standard for Egyptian Mau:

• silver color. Silver-toned coat with charcoal markings;
• bronze color. The coat is light bronze and the markings are chocolate;
• smoky color. The coat is gray, with a silver undertone, and black markings.

Sometimes black Egyptian Mau or "merle" ones are born in a litter. This is the so-called “wild color”, when white wool is combined as the main tone and red as the markings. Males and cats of such colors do not participate in exhibitions or breeding.

Another important point. Often 2-5 month old kittens are covered with phasing, which gives them a neglected and unattractive appearance. Do not worry. By six months, your “ugly duckling” will turn into a classic Egyptian!

Read what a kitten needs in a new home.

Features of the appearance of the pharaoh cat

Egyptian Mau - miniature leopard. By the way, that’s what they call it: a leopard for the living room. But dark spots are not the only marks on the fur coat. A distinctive feature of these cats is their bracelets and necklaces. The necklaces are contrasting stripes around the neck, and the bracelets are half rings on the top of the front legs. In addition, the real pharaoh's cat is marked with the sign of a scarab. This is a dark design in the form of the letter W, located at ear level, connected to the “letter” M above the eyes.

And the eyes... The eyes of Egyptian cats are exclusively green, large and almond-shaped. Like true Egyptians of Ancient Egypt, Pharaoh cats have “goddess makeup”: two long arrows that emphasize the eyes and run along the cheekbones to the temples.

Another unusual feature of the appearance of Egyptian Mau cats is the small folds-bags in front of the hind legs. It is generally accepted that these folds hanging under the belly are needed for the swing of the hind legs when running fast and jumping high.

Character

The Egyptian Mau is an Energizer battery (not considered an advertisement). Not every breed can boast such an amount of energy and expression. Moreover, kittens already from their young claws show so much energy that sometimes it turns into aggression. Just work with your baby and by about 10 months the kitten will learn to control his emotions and show you his true noble character.

The Egyptian cat is very loyal, she will not single out one person from the family pack, but will treat all members of the household evenly and with love. But the Egyptian Mau do not favor strangers.

The owners of these cats note their pleasant voice and ability to “talk for life.” They pick up on the intonations of their owners and respond to them quite appropriately. In the house they prefer to occupy elevated places and from there watch strange bipeds.

Most Mau love water, and if from a young age they are accustomed to water procedures, then in adulthood bathing will bring only pleasant emotions to both the owner and the pet.

Mau are good hunters (it's genetic) and especially enjoy games that involve catching toys. By the way, Mau carefully guards her favorite toys and can even growl when she tries to take them away from her.

In general, the breed is balanced in character and intelligent in development.

Health

Since initially the gene pool of the Mau breed was very limited, the list of hereditary diseases was quite impressive.

At the top of this list are cardiomyopathy and asthma. Today, these diseases, perhaps, cannot be called characteristic of the Mau. However, remember that the Mau's respiratory system is very sensitive and pets must be protected from dust, tobacco smoke, and so on.

The real scourge of the breed is allergies. Mau are allergens and not all foods are suitable for them. If the cat itches and its skin turns red, change the diet (more about the diet below).

The lifespan of the Egyptian Mau is 13-15 years.

Care

Experienced breeders do not recommend keeping Egyptian Mau in small apartments, since the small size of the territory can oppress the proud animal.

If your pet is of the silver type, then if spots appear on light areas of the fur, use shampoos similar to those that women use to remove yellowness from bleached hair and then regular cat shampoo when bathing. After a few baths, unwanted spots will disappear.

There are no other special features for caring for the Mau. Reasonable hygiene of the ears and oral cavity, as well as regular brushing - that’s all care.

Maintenance and care

To make your pet feel comfortable, he needs to be provided with the main cat supplies:

• house;
• bed;
• dishes;
• litter tray.

Given the Mau's penchant for fun, it is recommended to place a box of toys near his sleeping place.

The Egyptian Mau has a soft, musical voice

Caring for an Egyptian cat is quite simple. The list of cosmetic procedures includes:

• regular combing of the coat with a brush or mitten;
• if necessary, bathing with cat shampoo;
• wiping the eyes and ears with a damp swab;
• brushing your teeth with a special paste (1-2 times a month);
• timely trimming of nails using a nail clipper.

Mau love to be the center of attention and treat grooming sessions as a form of play.

Diet

Breeders recommend using ready-made premium food, alternating between dry and canned food. It is worth giving preference to formulations developed specifically for this breed.

With a natural type of feeding, the diet should include dietary products:

• lean meat - beef, turkey, chicken;
• sea ​​fish - hake, pollock, lemonema (no more than 2 times a week);
• porridge – rice, oatmeal, buckwheat;
• vegetables - zucchini, carrots, cauliflower;
• fermented milk products - low-fat yogurt, kefir, cottage cheese.

The following should be excluded from the diet:

• fatty meats;
• river fish;
• bones;
• milk;
• legumes;
• nuts;
• mushrooms;
• spices.

The water in the bowl should always be fresh.

Egyptian Mau cats are active, sociable and require attention.

Feeding

Like any decent battery, the Egyptian Mau has its own energy capacity. They are very active, therefore, they need to eat well. The average daily diet should be based on 80 kcal per 1 kg of weight per day.

Experts still recommend feeding Mau with dry or canned food. This is due, first of all, to their tendency to allergies.

For the Egyptian Mau, choose super premium food specially designed for this breed. Of course, the cost of such food is quite high, but the pet’s health is more expensive.

Video

Photos

An interesting fact: among all the cats, domestic and purebred, the Mau is perhaps the record holder for running. Egyptian women can reach speeds of up to 58 kilometers per hour. Photos and videos of Mau races can decorate your home album.