Meet The Egyptian Mau Cat

Beautiful and elegant, the Egyptian Mau cat is the descendant of the Egyptian sacred cat. His appearance represented the return of a race that was revered in the very distant past.

In Egyptian mythology the relationship between gods and cats is represented by the figure of the goddess Bastet, half cat and half woman, protector of the house. This mythical breed did not reach Europe until 1950, when a Russian princess, exiled to Italy, used her knowledge to obtain two specimens and began to breed this splendid breed.

Features

The Egyptian Mau cat is a medium-sized animal with an athletic and muscular body. A special feature of this animal is that its hind legs are slightly shorter than the front ones, which gives it a very elegant bearing. Its head looks like a wedge, similar to that of Asian cats, although its nose is not quite as pointed. Another peculiarity of this cat are the ears: large and pointed, with a wide base and a pinkish interior.

Unlike Asian cats, these animals do not have elongated eyes, but on the contrary they are round and large with a green, yellowish or almond color. The tail of the Mau is very thin and long and its coat is dense, medium or short in length, with fine grayish colored hair and patches similar to those of wild cats. Other color variations in this cat’s fur can be for example bronze and smoke.

The personality

The Mau is a very self-confident cat and this can be clearly seen from its demeanor, although it may occasionally appear aggressive. Without a doubt, however, after centuries of living with people, he has become a quiet, affectionate and playful cat , even if this does not compromise his independence at all. He is often wary of strangers, even though he gets to grips very quickly.

He is a foolproof hunter, so it is best to keep him away from other small mammals. In the same way, however, it needs to stay in contact with other cats during the first years of life, since it has a great sense of territoriality and if it is not accustomed to the presence of other cats from an early age, you could have problems living together in future.

You must also keep in mind that this breed tends to be very possessive towards food and toys, so it is good to get it used immediately to the idea that others can touch and use its things, especially if you live with children, who will tend to be more invasive towards the private spaces of the animals.

In general this is a cat that, while needing a large amount of motor activity to burn energy, adapts very well to apartment life,  even when it has to remain closed for a long time.

Health

Something you will need to pay close attention to when dealing with this breed is the cold. In fact, since it comes from desert areas, it is not well equipped against extreme cold. In the presence of low temperatures he tends to develop respiratory problems and suffer from hypothermia, so the best thing to do is to keep him well covered, away from drafts, during the coldest months of the year.

Due to the shape of its legs, it can have difficulty in the muscles of the back and spine, but with good nutrition and adequate exercise you can avoid this type of problem.

The coat also needs to be combed weekly to prevent it from ingesting too much hair, which can jeopardize the health of its digestive tract.

Likewise, it can suffer from some food allergies, so you need to be very careful. In general, a diet based mainly on meat you feed is recommended, as it can easily be allergic to some of their components.

Finally, we must know that it is  a very greedy cat, so you will have to carefully measure the portions you provide, to avoid obesity. However, being a very old breed, it has developed a large amount of antibodies which allow it to enjoy a long and healthy life.