Cat
Breed Description:
The Egyptian Mau breed of cats are a small-medium sized short-haired cat breed. The Egyptian Mau breed is the only naturally spotted breed of domesticated cat. The spots on an Egyptian Mau are not only just on the coat; a shaved Mau does, in fact, have spots on its skin. The spotted Egyptian Mau is an ancient breed of cat from natural stock; the look of this ancient breed has not changed significantly in over 3000 years as established through evidence in art work.
Temperament:
Albeit largely anecdotal, the Egyptian Mau is well known for intelligence and close bonding with responsible and loving owners. Such owners typically report that their Maus eagerly greet them at the door at the end of a long day at work. Usually requiring more effort than other breeds, Maus can be "lap cats," but their alert nature makes the task difficult, yet far more rewarding once accomplished.
Weight:
Females weigh between 6 and 10 pounds and males average between 10 and 14 pounds.
Living Conditions:
Although ill-advised by most veterinarians and animal-care givers, the Egyptian Mau breed of cats love the outdoors. Their speed and intelligence when combined allows the Egyptian Mau breed of cats to avoid dangers when carefully introduced to the outdoor world very early in life. Egyptian Maus will always be busy controlling the mouse and rat population in the back yards and farms.
Exercise:
The Egyptian Mau breed of cat is the fastest of the domestic cats, this is attributed to their longer hind legs, as well as a unique flap of skin extending from the flank to the back knee which provides the Egyptian Mau with greater agility and speed. These cats have been clocked running over 30 mph.
Origin:
The exact origin of the Egyptian Mau is not recorded and therefore cannot be known for certain. The Egyptian Mau is often said to be descended from African wild cats, and an ancestor of the cats has been seen in wall paintings of Ancient Egypt.
The modern Egyptian Mau breed of cat is said to have originated in 1953, Italy, when exiled Russian Princess Natalie Troubetskoy met the cat of the Egyptian Ambassador to Italy. She convinced him to obtain several cats from Egypt for her, and she began to breed them. From her the Egyptian Mau breed of cat has been described as having a "troubled" look, with their round eyes and open expression. The Egyptian Mau achieved championship status in some organisations 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 breed of cat will either have a 'scarab beetle' or 'M' marking on their foreheads, those with the latter tend to be from the United States. 