Other Name
The gentle Egyptian Mau is a feline track star. He has been clocked at 30 miles per hour and is possessed of what seem to be springs for legs, which catapult him to high places. He is the only domesticated cat with a naturally occurring spotted coat. The Egyptian Mau fascinates many cat lovers, not only because of its rich history -- which began in ancient Egypt -- but because of its good nature and unique appearance.
Cats were revered in Egypt for thousands of years and even elevated to goddesshood, a fact that they have never forgotten. The Egyptian Mau is thought to have originated in Egypt, a theory supported with research by feline geneticist Dr. Leslie Lyons, as well as archaeological evidence in the form of ancient artworks depicting heavily spotted cats with the same distinctive mascara markings and barring seen in today’s Mau. Possibly descended from the small African wild cat, this is the only domestic cat with a natural spotting pattern. People began to selectively breed the cats in the 1950s. The first Egyptian Maus imported to the United States came from Italy by way of Russian princess Nathalie Troubetskoy. At first, breeders had a limited gene pool to draw from, which made it challenging to maintain the desired qualities of appearance and temperament, but recent imports have improved the situation. The Cat Fanciers Association recognized the Mau in 1977, followed by The International Cat Association in 1979.
