Overview:
The true origin of the Egyptian Mau Cats is not known. Most of the people believe that they are the descendants of the African wild cats. It is also believed that their ancestors have some link with Egypt. This can be seen in the Egyptian wall paintings as well. The major breeding of these Egyptian Mau Cats started when one of the Russian princesses acquired some Egyptian Mau cats from Egypt after seeing one with their ambassador to Italy.
Color:
The Egyptian Mau Cat have colors like bronze, silver and smoky. The bronze colored Egyptian Mau Cat have dark brown spots with dark to light shade of bronze in the background. The silver colored Egyptian Mau Cat have silver white background with black spots. The smoky colored Egyptian Mau Cat have smoky background with black spots. The color of the Egyptian Mau Cats generally takes 15 months to develop properly.
Appearance:
The Egyptian Mau Cats are a medium to short in size. These Egyptian Mau Cats have a slender but muscular structure. Their front legs are shorter than their hind legs. They have the gait like a cheetah. Therefore, they have a fold under the skin near the belly, similar to that of cheetahs. This fold helps them to stretch their legs for running. They have large ears and long nose. Their head is wedge-shaped.
They have very beautiful and expressive, almond shaped, gooseberry green eyes just like cheetahs, which look like as if they are wearing mascara. Their cheeks are also round and puffy. Their neck is slender while their shoulders are muscular. The female Egyptian Mau Cat is shorter than the male Egyptian Mau Cat. They have a very pretty and shiny spotted coat which does not require much grooming.
Personality:
Egyptian Mau are one of the rare breeds of cats. Love and affection is the basic quality of their personality. This is the reason why they love to hang around humans. Their affection can be seen in their expressive eyes. They are very protective and possessive to their owners and are also very loyal and devoted. These cats have been honored by the ancient Egyptians for these qualities. Egyptians used to worship them and developed laws for their protection. They also used to make their mummies when they die. They look very slender and elegant, but they are also very strong.
Their running speed is around 30 mph. some of these cats like to exercise. Therefore, they are also trained with the harness and the lead. The Egyptian Mau Cats have a very beautiful voice as well. They communicate with their owners and fellows in this voice. Another way of showing their affection and communicating with their owners is that they lick their face or wiggle their tail and knead with their paws. Some of the Egyptian Mau Cats also have temperament. This is also evident from their wild cat look. They look very graceful and fiery but are very alert and active.
