Egyptian Maus are a small- to medium-sized short-haired cat breed. They are one of the few naturally spotted breeds of domesticated cat. The spots of the Mau occur on only the tips of the hairs of its coat. It is considered a rare breed.
Characteristics
Egyptian Maus are considered one of the progenitor breeds of the modern domestic cat. The breed conformation is described as "a balance between the compactness of a Burmese and the slim elegance of a Siamese. Its medium-length body is muscular, with the hind legs longer than the front, giving the Mau the appearance of standing on tiptoes when upright." The Egyptian Mau is the fastest of the domestic cats, with its longer hind legs, and unique flap of skin extending from the flank to the back knee, which assists in running by allowing the legs to stretch back farther, providing for greater agility and length of stride. Maus have been clocked running more than. Also one of the most important recognizable "traits" of this particular animal is a long, dark, dorsal stripe that runs from its head to its tail along its spine. Maus come in six colours. From most to least common, these colours are silver, bronze, smoke, black, caramel and blue/pewter. Black and pewter Maus cannot be shown, but may be used in breeding. All Maus must have green eyes, but an amber cast is acceptable in kittens and young adults up to eighteen months old. The Mau is known for having what is considered a loyal, friendly personality. Maus are more temperature sensitive than most breeds—they are fond of very warm temperatures. They are more sensitive to medicines and anesthesia. Maus have an unusually long gestational period, about 73 days. The maximum normal period for cats is 65–67 days, although Siamese may take a day or two longer. Maus often possess very musical voices. They are known to chirp, chortle, and emit other distinctly unusual vocalizations when stimulated. Another behavior, quite common in happy Maus, has been described as "wiggle-tail." The cat, whether female or male, wiggles and twitches its tail, and appears to be marking territory, also known as spraying, but during this behavior the Mau is not releasing urine. Facial expressions may change according to mood, and eye colour may change from green to turquoise.
Origins
Historical evidence points to the Mau being an Egyptian breed. The feline genome data published in the Pentascope document shows the Egyptian Mau to be very closely related to the Maine Coon, Korat, and American Turkish Angoras. The phylogenetic tree published in PlosOne demonstrates that the Egyptian Mau belongs to the group of Western-derived breeds. The East Mediterranean/Anatolian group is omitted because breeds that supposedly originate in that geographic area do not do so.
The Mau achieved championship status in some organizations in 1968. There were attempts by British breeders to create Maus from cross-breeds of Abyssinians, Siamese and tabbies, however, these did not resemble the true Maus. This mix became the basis for the Ocicat. Egyptian Maus will have either a "scarab beetle" or "M" marking on their foreheads. Those with the latter tend to be from the United States. A Bengal breeder named Jean Mill also made some contributions to the breed. Mill was working with the Egyptian Mau's during the time she was creating the Bengal cat breed. In 1982, Mill took a trip to India and spotted a domestic cat "running around the rhinoceros compound" in a zoo. "He was an orange cat with little spots all over him," Mill said. "He was so unusual, I asked to catch him for me. Mill called him. The curator of the New Delhi Zoo also gave Mill the sister of the cat in the rhinoceros cage which Mill named. These two Indian domestic cats Toby and Tasha introduced a feature previously unknown in the Mau: the rufus polygene. The descendants of these two cats Toby and Tasha were often recorded as both Egyptian Mau and Bengal. It has been said that all glitter in the Bengal cat, Egyptian Mau and Toyger breeds originates from Millwood Tory of Delhi.
Rarity
Egyptian Maus are a relatively rare breed. Fewer than 200 kittens are registered with the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy each year. Not all Mau kittens are registered.
Egyptian Mau Rescue Organization and export
The Egyptian Mau Rescue Organization is an agency for the adoption, both locally and internationally, of tame Maus born in the Middle East. Supported solely by private and corporate donors, EMRO aims to increase education in Egypt and around the world about the cats. EMRO's cats are not pedigreed Egyptian Maus; they are Egyptian and Arabian street cats of unrecorded pedigree that come from the Mau's region of landrace origin. Breed registries will not consider these cats and their immediate offspring as Egyptian Maus. Establishing later offspring as pedigreed Egyptian Maus requires detailed record-keeping to verify parentage, and examination of the cats to ensure they meet a number of exacting breed standard conformation requirements to rule out disqualifying physical traits. For example, the Cat Fanciers' Association will consider the first generation of imported cats to be native Maus; their second- and third-generation offspring are considered domestic Maus. Finally, the fourth generation cats are eligible for placement on the active registry as formal Egyptian Mau breed specimens, provided they have been evaluated fully and approved by a designated representative of the Egyptian Mau Breed Council as conformant.
