Egyptian Mau FAQ


Contents:

Do the Maus really come from Egypt?
Do Maus contain wild blood?
What colors do Maus come in?
How common is the Mau?
How big do Maus get?
What is the Mau temperament like?
Are Maus noisy?
Is the Mau related to the Siamese?
What is the difference between a Mau and a Bengal?
What is the difference between a Mau and an Ocicat?
Do Maus have any special requirements?
Do the Maus have any specific health problems associated with them?
Where can I get a Mau?
How much can I expect to pay for a Mau?
Is there a breed club devoted to the Mau?

If you have a question that does not appear on this list please email me at the following address:
[email protected]

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Do the Maus really come from Egypt?
Yes! The original three Maus were brought to the USA in the 1950's from Egypt via Italy by the exiled Russian Princess Nathalie Troubetskoy. She founded Fatima cattery, and her cats gave rise to what are now know as the "traditional" line of Egyptian Maus. The gene pool was subsequently enlarged by two cats of Egyptian Mau type imported from India (the so-called "Indian" lines), and more recently by further imports from Egypt. The Egyptian Mau is designated as a natural breed, and outcrosses between Maus and other breeds have never been permitted.


Do Maus contain wild blood?
No. The Egyptian Mau is a 100% domestic cat. It could be argued that maus are in fact the oldest breed of domestic cat since there are records of mau-like cats from thousands of years B.C.


What colors do Maus come in?
Three colors of Mau can be shown in CFA: silver, bronze and smoke. The silver is white ticked with black and black markings, the bronze is brown ticked with black and black markings and the smoke is dark grey with a white undercoat and black markings. These three colors all have the same distinctive pattern of spots on the body and stripes on the legs and tail which is described in detail in the
CFA Mau standard. Solid black Maus can be registered and used in breeding programs but not shown. In addition to the four basically black Maus just described, Maus are also sometimes found with blue markings. There are four colors of blue Mau corresponding to the four black Mau colors: blue silver, blue spotted (the blue version of bronze), blue smoke and solid blue. As of 1997 the blue Maus were accepted for registration by CFA, and the three spotted colors can now be shown in the AOV class. Very occasionally Maus with the classic or bloched tabby pattern will occur in litters; some breeders call these cats marbles. Classic tabbies can occur in all the possible mau colors. A classic tabby mau makes a stunning pet (imagine a silver tabby American shorthair with the elegance and personality of a mau....), but it cannot be shown and should not be used in a breeding program. All maus irrespective of color or pattern should have luminous gooseberry green eyes by the time they are one and half years of age.


How common is the Mau?
Although the Mau was accepted for championship status by CFA in 1977 it is still a very rare breed. CFA recorded a total of 566 Egyptian Mau kittens born in 1996 worldwide, compared with over 6,000 Siamese and over 95,000 Persians!


How big do Maus get?
The Mau is usually a medium sized cat. When fully grown, females are generally between 6 and 8 lb, whereas males are between 7 and 12 lb.


What is the Mau temperament like?
While most people are drawn to the Maus for their exotic looks it is often their extraordinary personalities that endure. The Mau is a very gregarious and interactive cat that likes to be with people and other animals and join in with everything that is going on. A Mau will follow you around the house, ride on your shoulders and sit on your lap (usually on top of the book you are trying to read). Maus tend to bond very strongly to their owners and some Maus can be shy of strangers. The Maus are very athletic and will perform stunning leaps. They are moderately active but not as hyperactive as the Abyssinian; they are often referred to as the "gentle cousin" of the Aby. Maus are very protective of their toys carrying them around and growling at anyone who threatens to remove them. They have a reputation for stealing judges' toys at cat shows and refusing to give them up! Maus are extremely intelligent and will learn to open cupboards and draws, especially the ones where food and toys are kept. Many Maus will play fetch (for what seems like hours) without any special training.


Are Maus noisy?
Maus certainly do not have the loud voices of the oriental breeds such as the Siamese, however some are quite talkative. They will often chirp and chortle rather than mew.


Is the Mau related to the Siamese?
The answer to this question depends on which country you come from. The Egyptian Mau registered by CFA and described in this website has no relation to the Siamese breed and is not of Siamese type. However, very confusingly, a spotted tabby of Siamese type was developed in the UK from the Siamese with the aim of producing a cat that looked like the ancient Egyptian cats depicted in paintings. This breed was, for a time, called the Egyptian Mau. These Siamese-type cats are now referred to as Oriental Spotted Tabbies to avoid confusion with the real Maus, however many cat books published in the UK still call this breed the Egyptian Mau.


What is the difference between a Mau and a Bengal?
The Bengals are spotted cats derived by hybridizing the Asian Leopard cat (a wild species) with the domestic cat. The aim of the Bengal breeding program is to create a cat that looks like the Asian Leopard cat but with the personality of a domestic cat. Hence Bengals are larger than Maus with heavier boning and more substantial muscles. The head type is also very different. Unlike the Mau the Bengal has small untufted ears, wide set eyes and prominent whisker pads. Bengals often have larger more widely spaced spots than maus, and some have rosettes which should never bebseen in the maus. Bengals come in a greater range of patterns and colors than the Mau with both spotted and marbled cats accepted for showing. Silver bengals are currently being developed, but are still rare, and generally do not have the clean untarnished color found in the silver maus (note that the snow bengals are not silvers, but bengals with the simese or burmese gene). If you are interested in the details of the differences between the Mau and the Bengal you should read and compare the
TICA standards for the Egyptian mau and Bengal (Bengals are not registered by CFA). One final point is that although a show quality Bengal and a show quality Mau should look very different, the Egyptian Mau has been used as the domestic cross in many Bengal breeding programs (for an example visit the Lotsa Spots Cattery) meaning that many Bengals have a significant proportion of Mau blood. It is thus likely that some pet quality Bengals will actually resemble bronze Egyptian Maus.


What is the difference between a Mau and an Ocicat?
The Ocicat is another spotted breed created with the intention of making a domestic cat with the appearance of a wild cat. The big difference between an Ocicat and a Bengal is that the Ocicats were derived from Abyssinians, Siamese and American Shorthairs and thus contain no wild blood. Again the Ocicat is a larger heavier cat than the Mau (in fact it is CFA's largest shorthaired breed). It should have substantial bones and powerful muscles. The head type is again very different. The Ocicat has a square muzzle with a moderate whisker pinch behind the whisker pads. The eyes are set further apart than in the Mau and may be any color except blue. Ocicats come in more colors than the Mau with 12 spotted colors currently accepted for showing by CFA and many other colors possible (including smokes, solids and classic tabbies). Good silver ocicats are much rarer than good silver Egyptian Maus. For more detail on the Ocicat you should refer to the
CFA Ocicat standard.


Do Maus have any special requirements?
Most Maus do not have any unusual care requirements. As with any cat, a Mau will fair best if kept inside, fed a quality cat food and taken to the vet once a year for shots and a thorough examination.


Do Maus have any health problems associated with them?
Before the introduction of the Indian lines the Mau gene pool was very restricted and the breed suffered from a number of hereditary problems. Both cardiomyopathy and feline asthma were serious diseases associated with the breed. However, breeders have been working very hard to erradicate these problems, and with the increased genetic diversity brought with the introduction of the Indian lines the health of the breed has improved dramatically in recent years. Litter size is often a good indication of the health of a breed and between 1986 and 1996 the average size of litter of Maus registered with CFA increased from 3.122 kittens to 3.537. Although the general health of the Maus is improving some health problems persist. Some maus are allergic to particular foods that cause itchy skin and hot spots. These allergies are usually not life threatening, but they can be tedious to identify and treat.


Where can I get a Mau?
If you have decided that the Mau is the breed for you then you need to set about finding a reputable breeder. CFA will supply a print-out of breeders in your area at your request (phone: 732-528-9797). Lists of breeders on the web are also an excellent starting place. For example, you should visit the
Fanciers Breeder Referal List (FBRL), Cattery Row, the Cat Breeders Exchange and Dream Cats. You can also find lists of breeders in magazines such as Cats USA and Cat Fancy. You can try visiting a local cat show (see the list of CFA shows on the CFA website), although the maus are such a rare breed that you will not be guaranteed to find a breeder at every show. Never buy a mau from a pet store--the kittens in pet stores are often supplied by "kitten mills" that breed cats for money with no care as to correct type, adequate socialization or health. By buying a kitten from a pet store you are supporting unethical breeding practices, because no reputable breeder would sell their kittens this way.


How much can I expect to pay for a Mau?
This will depend on many things including quality, color, age, bloodlines and geographic location. However, as a rough guide you can expect to pay between 400 and 800 US dollars for a non-breeding Mau kitten in silver, bronze or smoke. Silvers are the most popular color, and will often, but not always, be more expensive than bronzes and smokes. Blacks are rare, but are usually sold for substantially less than the other colors because of their lack of spots. Many reputable breeders will spay or neuter pet kittens before selling them and add the cost of the surgery onto the price; pay attention to whether or not kittens come spayed or neutered when comparing different breeders' prices. There is much variation in the quality of Maus, and for this reason I would recommend a prospective Mau owner to do a lot of research to be sure that they find a cat that they like; don't expect all silver maus to look like the one picture that you happen to have seen in a magazine....


Is there a breed club devoted to Maus?
Yes, there are more than one. I belong to the
Egyptian Mau Breeders and Faciers Club (EMBFC) which is a CFA club. According to the constitution regular members shall be those who are breeding and/or showing registered Egyptian Maus. These members shall be entitled to vote and hold office. Associate members shall be those who own Egyptian Mau pets, or those interested in the breed, such as judges or prospective owners. They have the same rights with the exception that they are ineligible to vote or hold office. Members receive the EMBRC Newsletter approximately four times a year which contains lots of pictures and news about Maus. Application for membership should be made to the club secretary, Bonnie Wydro, who can be contacted at [email protected]. I am also a founder member of The Egyptian Mau Club, a new British breed club set up with the aim of getting the Egyptian Mau accepted by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy.


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