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The breed of the Egyptian cat Mau appeared almost 3 thousand years ago in Egypt. This is an ancient breed that was not artificially bred, but passed through natural selection. Mau is a short-haired cat, small in size. It has a silver color with dark spots, which are individual for each representative. Their difference from ordinary spotted cats is that these spots are not only on the coat, but also on the skin of the animal. On the forehead between the eyes they have a pattern similar to the letter “M”, and the eyes themselves are quite expressive, as if painted with a pencil. And by the way, "Mau" means "cat" in translation.
Breed history
The real history of the appearance of cats of this breed occurred at least three thousand years ago. Egypt is considered the native country of the Mau breed. But not just the native land, but also the cradle of all domesticated felines. Mau is believed to have descended from an African cat. The time interval, which is considered the time of domestication of animals, dates from 4000-2000 years before the birth of Jesus Christ.
Ancient murals can tell a lot. On many of them, one can observe the image of cats holding birds in their mouths. Some scholars who interpreted the cave paintings suggested that the Egyptians used cats as prey hunters. The oldest fresco that was found is painted no less than 4 thousand years ago.
The farther, the more valuable the cats became. After a while, this animal began to play a significant role in religious life. The inhabitants of Egypt firmly believed that the god of the sun, namely, the god Ra, was reincarnated as a cat. In this image, Ra descended underground every night in order to fight Apophis, the god of chaos and his constant enemy. And the sign that Ra was victorious was that the sun was rising every morning.
The rock frescoes of the god Ra at that time showed him as a spotted cat that tear Apophis apart. And then, starting in 945, the sacred representatives were associated with Bastet. This deity is feminine, which, depicted as a cat or woman with a cat's head. And then the cats were allowed to live in temples, due to the fact that they were considered divine.
The cult of this goddess lasted at least one and a half thousand years, right up to the beginning of the reign of the Roman Empire. Since then, many statuettes of cats made of bronze have been preserved. They were depicted as an animal with elongated paws and wide breasts, which is very reminiscent of the representative of the Mau from Egypt.
If the cat was overtaken by death, he was embalmed and buried with all the traditions. The family in which this unpleasant incident occurred declared real mourning, and in honor of this, all members of the family had to shave their eyebrows. If death did not occur naturally, and someone scoffed at the cat or even killed her, he would face the most severe punishment, which could end in the death of a person.
In the modern world, Egyptian Mau cats started talking about cats in 1952. Natalya Trubetskaya, a Russian princess who moved to Italy, there also saw a beautiful cat, which was the property of the Egyptian ambassador. When she met him, she persuaded him to sell her several kittens, because she really liked them. After the princess began to engage in selection and breeding of kittens of this breed. Her goal was to maximize the similarity of cats to those that were painted by ancient people on wall paintings. In 1956, Natalia, along with the cats, moved to the United States. And it was in this country that she managed to achieve maximum similarity of kittens to the breed.Therefore, they did not change the name of the breed, but left it as it was, because of their strong similarity.
In 1968, in America, this breed acquired the status of a champion, and in 1977, representatives of the Egyptian Mau received CFA recognition.
Egypt is considered the original homeland of Egyptian Mau cats. But some of the latest DNA results show that it found the blood of European and American representatives. And this is not at all strange, because since 1970, those who were actively involved in the selection of this species were specialists from the United States. To do this, they acquired cats with the parameters that were needed on the territory of Africa, as well as India, and only then, in their own country, crossed them with local American species.
Breed description
Egyptian Mau is quite beautiful by nature, and also very active. It mainly grows to medium size, but it remains quite elegant, with well-developed musculature of the body.
- Her body feature is that the hind legs are slightly longer than the forelimbs, which makes the cat seem to walk on tiptoe. Speaking of paws, it is worth noting the pads, which by nature she is quite small, oval. The tail is not very long, thicker at the beginning, and narrow at the end, and the end itself is conical.
- The weight of the breed of such a cat reaches 4-6 kg, and sexually mature cats gain a mass of no more than 3-4.5 kg. With this weight and size, the cat looks balanced, not massive. Therefore, it is not worth crossing it with another species to acquire a larger mass.
- The head of the cat is wedge-shaped, with roundings, of a small size, but at the same time this breed has a wide nose bridge.
- Mau's ears are large, rounded, and at the ends are slightly pointed, far apart.
- The eyes are very smart, expressive, almond-shaped. Eye color is light green. Color may change with age. For example, eyes with a greenish tint are noted at about 8 months old, and until 18 a cat may have saturated green eyes. Thus, the cat belongs to the breed. If the cat does not change eye color before the age of one and a half years, then it is disqualified.
The most important feature of the Egyptian Mau cat is its coat color. It should be silky and shiny, and also quite dense. Also, ticking rings are noted at each end of the hair. There should be several on each. It is believed that the spots that are on the hair of a cat are also on the skin of the animal itself. The real representative of Mau has a pattern on her forehead in the form of an “M”, and in the form of a “W” between her ears or almost on the back of her head. This pattern is also called a scarab.
Color
Three colors are distinguished from this breed - silver with bronze, as well as smoky. When breeding, there are kids of marble color and black. But such options are defective representatives of the species, so they do not take part in exhibitions, as well as in breeding. All three types of color are representatives of the Egyptian Mau, and they take part in champion exhibitions. But besides the listed species, cats of blue color are sometimes found. And in 1997 they were allowed to register them. Black Mau are bred, but, unfortunately, they are not taken to exhibitions.
The body of a cat is of different sizes and shapes of spots, and each representative has an individual ratio. It may be that there are very few spots on the side of the animal, but the only thing that should distinguish them is the strong contrast between the color itself and the spots.
Such a cat lives for about 12-15 years. But still this breed is not so common. For example, in the USA in 2007, only two hundred kittens of this breed were recorded.
Cat character
Representatives of this breed are not only beautiful, but also pleasant in nature. They like to play like small children, and purr in the arms of their beloved master.Those who breed this species note that the Egyptian Mau are quite loyal and loyal cats that attach to their owners for the rest of their lives.
Most of all they like to spend time with the owner who plays with them. After all, these cats love to play, they are quite energetic and inquisitive.
Despite the artificial crossing of species, these cats have retained their hunting instinct. Their favorite pastime is tracking and catching prey. For such cats, it is necessary to prepare a large number of toys, as well as places where you can sharpen claws. And if this nuance is ignored, the cat will make toys on its own from the things that it catches. Also, do not hide your cat’s favorite toys, because it will constantly meow, demanding to return the thing.
It is believed that the ancestors of this cat were engaged in hunting birds, and today's representatives are no exception. They watch and hunt for everything that moves. At home, it can be different candy wrappers, toys. And if you let the cat out into the street, then it will be able to realize itself as a real hunter. But in order for the cat to be healthy, and the birds flying in the yard alive, it is better to keep representatives of the Egyptian breed at home.
These cats are not capricious and silent. The only reason mau will meow is the desire to eat. To communicate with his beloved owner, the cat will not meow, but only rub on its legs and purr. This happens mainly, but there are exceptions. Indeed, despite the breed, each cat is individual.
Egyptian cats love heights, so houses always try to climb higher in order to follow what is happening from there. But at the same time, they do not like closed spaces: closed doors of a room or a closet, if their favorite toys are hidden there. These cats are happy smart, and will be able to overcome obstacles, and get a thing on their own, which is interesting to them.
Despite the fear of cats of water, representatives of this breed love to swim. But this also does not apply to everyone, therefore it depends solely on the nature of the animal. There are Egyptian cats who will enjoy swimming. And others just wet their paws, and this is where their interest in water ends.
Egyptian Mau are very friendly to other cats, as well as dogs. And what can I say about children. These cats become good friends for them. The only ones who may be injured by the cat's paws are poultry and rodents.
Mau Care
Cats of this breed are very fond of eating. Therefore, it is sometimes worthwhile to introduce restrictions and monitor the nutrition of Mau, because they can quickly gain weight and suffer from obesity, which reduces the life span of the animal.
From birth, kittens require increased attention. It is necessary to gradually accustom them to noise and new faces. For this, for example, you can leave the TV on. It’s also worth taking them carefully, with both hands, because they don’t like the careless attitude.
In order for the kitten to get used to clipping and combing, it is worth starting early. Once a week, it’s worth checking the kitten’s ears and wiping them if necessary. Also, do not forget to follow the eyes of the cat. They should not be watery. The norm is considered rare and meager discharge. You can bathe them only if necessary. Their coat stays clean for a long time and does not get greasy.
Animal health
Today, many problems are already behind us, but the only thing left is an allergic reaction to some types of feed.It is also worth noting that not all genetic diseases have been eliminated. Therefore, when acquiring an animal, it is necessary to discuss its heredity with the breeder.
Egyptian Mau is a rather expensive breed, but if the decision to buy a cat is made, you can buy black Mau. As already noted, this color in the breed is considered culling. And such species do not participate in exhibitions. If participation in them is not planned, then you can safely acquire this representative. They are the same in nature, only on their wool it is very difficult to see the spots.
Video: Egyptian Mau cat breed
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