The origin of the Egyptian Mau breed, the standard of appearance, character, description of health and care for it, breeding characteristics and kittens. Price when buying a kitten. The Egyptian Mau is a spotted cat with a very ancient history dating back to those ancient times, when the famous Egyptian pyramids were just being built, and the people of Ancient Egypt worshiped a cat goddess named Bastet, who gives people the warmth of home comfort, fertility lands, health and love. Sacred assistants of the mother goddess of life Bastet - Mau cats, protecting a person, his home and family members from evil spirits and misfortunes, were deified, revered and loved in Ancient Egypt.
The origin of the Egyptian Mau breed
The Egyptian Mau is a cat of the same age as the ancient pyramids of Egypt. And this means that she is already at least 3 to 5 thousand years old (from the ancient Egyptian the word "mau" is translated without any special frills, simply - "cat").
Nevertheless, it is believed that the breed received its main selective development only at the beginning of the 20th century. It was in those years that European cat breeders turned their eyes towards Egypt, intending to revive the population of the ancient cats of the Egyptian pharaohs.
But their grandiose plans were prevented by the Second World War, which swept a ruthless fiery roller not only across the countries of Europe, but also through Egypt itself, in fact, exterminating the small remnants of the population of these ancient animals. The cause of the revival of the Egyptian Mau has become almost hopeless.
And this would really be so, if not for the Russian princess-emigrant Natalya Trubetskaya, who managed to save several specimens of classic Egyptian cats. It was she who presented the remaining representatives of the Egyptian Mau at a specialized exhibition in 1953 in Italy. The almost extinct breed was saved.
Having moved to the United States permanently in 1956, Princess Trubetskaya brought with her to the states three representatives of the Mau breed: two silver cats and a bronze-bodied cat, who laid the foundation for her famous American cattery of Egyptian cats Mau "Fatima". To participate in the Trubetskoy exhibition championships, the standards of silver, bronze and smoky cats were officially registered.
Further selection of the breed was already carried out by professional breeders from the USA, Spain, Hungary and Czechoslovakia, who as much as possible tried to recreate the appearance of the cats of the pharaohs from the frescoes preserved in temples and pyramids.
The end result of multidimensional and painstaking breeding work has become whole lines of Egyptian Mau:
- all generations of cats from Princess Trubetskoy's cattery are united in the "Traditional Original Line" group;
- the descendants of the Tori cat, imported from the city of Delhi (India) and significantly improved the overall health potential and some qualities of the breed, are called the "Indian line";
- the descendants of Egyptian cats brought by American breeders directly from Egypt in the 90s of the XX century are called "Egyptian line". All the Egyptian cats brought in those years were simply caught on the streets of modern Cairo and Alexandria and were the most common wandering city animals. The "Egyptian line" is currently the largest and most widespread in the world.
External standard of Egyptian Mau cats
The Egyptian Mau is a medium-sized cat breed characterized by its strong athletic build, well-developed bones and muscles.
The head of the animal is of medium size, round in shape with developed cheekbones and a well-defined mustache zone. The profile of the cat is wedge-shaped with a straight nose line. The neck is strong, muscular, and can be short to medium in length. The ears of the Mau are distinctly triangular in shape, alert set, wide at the base and tapering towards the ends. Ears range from medium to large.
The eyes of this breed are amazing - at the age of 8 months to one and a half years, they tend to change their color from weak green to deep green. Eye color is defined by the standard as exceptionally green. A different color of the iris of the eye will lead to the disqualification of the animal. The eyes are large, set wide apart. Their shape is almond-oval. The look is wary and surprised.
The physique of the cat is of medium build, but strong, gracefully muscular, with a perfectly developed chest and high wedge-shaped shoulder blades. The Mau breed belongs to medium-sized cat breeds. The body weight of a mature Mau cat is 5–6 kg, and that of a cat is 3–4 kg. Between the hind legs of the animal there is a fold of skin that allows you to take a longer step, which significantly adds agility to the Mau. The back line is straight.
The paws of the animal are medium in length and although the hind limbs are somewhat longer than the front ones, due to the peculiarities of their anatomical structure, the back line remains flat. Paws are strong and muscular. The front ones are five-fingered, the rear ones are four-fingered. The shape of the feet is oval or round. The tail is medium in length and thickness, gradually tapering towards the tip. It is covered with wool of medium length.
The coat of the Egyptian Mau is short, well-fitting and resiliently harsh to the touch. Smoky cats have softer and silky fur. The standard provides for three types of coat color with a mandatory clear spotted striped pattern.
On the Mau's forehead there should be a mandatory pattern, referred to in the circles of experts as "scarab". The drawing really resembles an Egyptian scarab beetle in its outlines. There are stripes along the neck and chest of the cat, gradually transforming into a spotted pattern on the sides and back of the animal. The tail and paws are decorated with rings, and partly with spots.
Color standards for representatives of the breed:
- Silver color - the main color of the coat is silver, with a distinct pattern of stripes and spots of dark gray and almost black. The hair around the eyes, on the chin and on the front of the neck is white. The nose is black. The ears are gray-pink with black tips.
- Bronze color - the main color of fur ranges from ivory to bronze-brown with a clear pattern. The drawing itself is brown and dark brown. The hair on the chin, back of the nose, neck and “glasses” is light cream or ocher. The nose is black or dark brown. The ears are brownish pink.
- Smoky color - base color ranging from dark gray to black, sometimes with a silver tan. The pattern is black, contrasting, well-defined. The nose is black. The hair of the ears is colored in the base color.
At a young age, Mau (usually 2–5 months of age), it is difficult to guess its true adult color. Experts call this transitional stage fuzzy (fuzzy). A kitten without fuzzing has an advantage when judging by judges at championships.
Sometimes in litters black or marble Mau are born. But these colors are not provided for by the breed standards, and therefore are not used for further selection and are not allowed to the championships.
Character of the Egyptian Mau
The past millennia of life of this cat with a man were not in vain. The Egyptian Mau is an extremely friendly animal with a docile and accommodating character, full of ebullient active energy. Their energy is manifested from a young age, the Egyptian woman is very playful, inquisitive and mobile, has excellent hearing (not understanding words, she tries to delve into the meanings of the intonations of your voice) and excellent eyesight.
These cats are born hunters. And if you live outside the city in your own house, then you can be calm, with the worries of the Mau hunter, not a single mouse or rat can even come close to your home.
This animal has one, amazing for the representatives of the feline world, passion. Egyptian Mau adore the water element, so the owners of such a pet do not have any problems with bathing. On the contrary, this cat always rushes with joy to the bathroom, ahead of its owner.
Possessing a rather independent character, the Egyptian cat is jealous of the owners' observance of her feline rights and not everyone allows herself to be stroked or cuddled. Expressing displeasure, the Egyptian Mau is able to stand up for itself well and show claws and teeth. But he does this extremely rarely. Only in special cases.
Always experiencing special affection for someone, one of the family members, however, does not show jealousy and vindictiveness towards the children of his chosen one.
This is a very sociable animal, able to get along without any problems with all family members and other pets, while observing independence and self-sufficiency. He loves high places that give a good view and allow you to track all the movements of people and animals. Egyptian cats are intelligent, observant and highly capable. Easy to learn and accustom. They are among the best companion cats for humans.
Egyptian Mau health
In general, the breed of cats of the Pharaohs is considered a fairly healthy breed, especially after the introduction of fresh Indian blood and "noble" blood of modern Egyptian yard cats into it.
However, breeders are still unable to overcome the main problem of the Egyptian Mau - hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (a disease of the cardiovascular system). This hereditary pathology is so strong at the genetic level that it was even transmitted to new breeds of cats for selection, which were involved in the Mau. But scientists believe that they will soon be able to find a solution to this problem.
Some individuals of this breed have been diagnosed with asthma by veterinarians. Fortunately, such cases with Mau are extremely rare. The average life span of spotted favorites of the pharaohs ranges from 13 to 15 years.
Caring for the Egyptian Mau and kittens of this breed
Despite the fact that the "Egyptians" are big cleaners and problems with their bathing (because of the special love of cats for water) never arise, it is very important not to forget to systematically care for the beautiful spotted coat of your pet. In principle, no particularly complicated procedures are needed for this. Standard grooming, as for any shorthaired breed. You just need to do it systematically, using special brushes and combs with rounded teeth, in order to avoid injury to the pet's skin. Finish the procedure by polishing the wool with a soft suede or velor cloth.
It is also necessary to regularly care for the cat's ears, cleaning them with cotton swabs and a damp cloth, but without penetrating deep into the ear.
The best food option for Mau is high-quality luxury and premium food from a reliable manufacturer, combined with fresh lean meat. Since this cat is an expensive and rare breed, you should not save on its good nutrition. The sexual maturity of the Egyptian Mau is three years old. Pregnancy is tolerated by expectant mothers-cats quite well, cases of toxicosis or any pathologies are noted quite rarely. After two and a half months of pregnancy, the cat brings 4 to 6 kittens. After giving birth, all the attention of a mother cat is devoted to her offspring.
Mau cats are not only excellent mothers, but also excellent fathers. Which is pretty amazing. Usually cats do not take part in the upbringing of the younger generation. But among the Mau tribe there are laws. And cats with might and main are involved not only in nursing and raising kittens, but also cases have been described when dad-cats helped cats during childbirth.
Price when buying an Egyptian Mau kitten
Despite the modern wonders of selection and obvious progress in restoring the population of ancient Egyptian cats, at the moment, this animal is still quite rare (even in the United States in 2008, only 200 kittens of this breed were registered). Because of what it is not so easy to buy an Egyptian Mau kitten, especially in Russia.
According to the latest data, only four nurseries engaged in Mau selection are registered in Russia. And they are located exclusively in the capitals - Moscow and St. Petersburg.
And accordingly, the price for a kitten of this breed is quite high, the very minimum is 50 thousand rubles. Mau brought to Russia from abroad are even more expensive - from 500 to 1000 US dollars.
For more information about the Egyptian Mau cat breed, see here:
[media =
