The Egyptian mau is the oldest known breed of cat, dating back to 1500 BC, in ancient Egypt, the Egyptian mau cat was worshipped as a God. The Egyptian Mau is a natural breed, which originates from the Cairo area. (Mau is the Ancient Egyptian name for the Sacred domestic cat). On ancient Egyptian manuscripts and murals, a cat is depicted that looks very much like the modern breed of Egyption Mau. The breeder wanted to replicate the cats of the Pharaohs, and founded the breeding line from a native Egyptian breed that seemed to have evolved spontaneously in the Cairo region. The first Egyptian Mau was shown in Rome in the 1950's.
The Egyptian Mau is the only natural domesticated breed of spotted cat, other spotted cats being the result of selective breeding of the humans' choosing. The Egyptian mau is available in Silver (charcoal markings on silver), Bronze (dark brown to black markings on a warm bronze), and Smoke (black markings on charcoal/silver underlay) varieties. The Bronze Egyptian mau is the closest in appearance to the cat depicted in Egyptian Murals.
The Egyptian Mau is a medium sized, muscular cat, not so substantial as the British Shorthair but is not so svelte as the Orientals. They give the impression of an athletic active cat. The Egyptian Mau is a loving and playful cat. They are extremely clever and love to learn tricks and are one of the few breeds of cat that enjoy walking on a lead. They love being fussed over and having a lot attention. They are active and need some stimulus such as toys or companions to play with and another cat is often a good idea if they are going to be left on their own for long.
The facts presented in this Blog Post were retrieved from 'The Ultimate encyclopedia of cat breeds and cat care' by Alan Edwards, and also from the Purina website.
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