History of the Egyptian Mau
The Egyptian Mau is the world’s only NATURAL domestic spotted short hair cat – all the other beautiful cats you see that are spotted are hybrids with many breeds using the Egyptian Mau to enhance their breed.
Egyptian Maus are felt to descent from the African Wild Cat (Felis Silvestris Libyca) – a predator/hunter cat with a calm temperament. This cat is said to have been the cat that helped the Egyptians to value a cat and subsequently domesticate the cat. At a time when the Egyptian Villages were besieged by snakes, rats and mice which attacked and ate their food supplies and granaries, the legend states this cat hunted down the culprits and kept them away.
The villagers started rewarding the cats with food and gradually cats found their way into the villager’s homes, became tame, and lived with them. They had great value to the farmer as they helped sustain life and they eventually also hunted with them. This is revealed in Tomb Paintings during the New Kingdom (1540 to 1069 BC) wherein cats appeared with their families. Parents even named their children after cats, especially daughters. Prince Thutmose (son of Amenhotep III & brother Akhennnnnaten) named his cat Tai Miuwette (little mewer). So precious were cats considered that cats appearing in dreams deemed a good harvest yet to come.
Validation also comes from the evidence provided of mummification around 1000BC. Mummified cats discovered over the centuries mainly revealed Felis Silvestris Libyca (African Wild Cat) entombed so the presumption has been made that this cat is the main ancestor of the modern domestic cat – especially the Egyptian Mau.
Religious status was granted to this cat as goddesses – the first was called MAFDET but the two who became the most famous were BASTET (also known as BAST, PASCH, UBASTI) and also SEKHMET. Bastet was shown having the head of a cat and a body of a woman. Loved by the Egyptians and associated with the Eye of Ra who incorporated the Sun’s power, she became the protector of the women, children and domestics reigning in the households as a goddess. Sekhmet represented the evil counterpart gaining a reputation as the goddess of war and pestilence. Ra supposedly tamed her and she then became the protector of humans. Thereby, Sekhmet and Bastet represent the ying and yang of nature in Pharoic Times.
The rise of the Egyptian Mau was so strong that the Pharaohs’ created their eye makeup after their eye markings, wore cat jewelry, statues were made for shrines and funerals and incorporated fine jewels to depict value. The penalty for killing a cat was death even if it was an accidental killing.
Bubastis, became a city in the Northern area of Egypt in 3200 BC – a city developed to be the center of worship for the Goddess Bastet. On October 31 every year, Egyptians made pilgrimages to this city for the Festival of Bastet. In addition to the partying, the end of the day was celebrated by music, incense, and prayers to Bastet. Unfortunately, the Persians destroyed Bastet in 350 BC and the Cult of Bastet was banned and the cat no longer was declared divine. However, the Egyptian Mau lives on and was not lost in this destruction as evidenced by the same cat depicted in the hieroglyphics being show, bred, loved and revered today in our society.
There is a legend that was reportedly recorded by Herodotus that the Persians used cats in a battle (350 BC) with the Egyptians as they were losing the battle and needed to devise a way to win. Knowing the Egyptians loved and revered their cats, the Persian General used this knowledge to devise a plan to win their battle. The Persians captured a number of the Egyptian cats and shortly after the battle began released the terrified cats onto the field of battle. The Egyptian, seeing their beloved cats compromised, surrendered the city so the cats wouldn’t be harmed – a major loss for the Egyptians.
In Egypt, there is an inscription in the Valley of the Kings where the Tombs of the Pharaohs’ are homed. It reads:
“You are the Great Cat, the avenger of gods, and the judge of words, and the president of the sovereign chiefs and the governor of the holy Circle; you are indeed the Great Cat”
The 17th Chapter of the Book of the Dead states”
“I am the cat (Mau), who fought hard by the Persea tree in Annu on the night when the foes of Nebertcher (A form of Osiris) wee destroyed”
The male cat is Ra himself and he is called “Mau because of the word of the god Sa, who said about hi, “who is like (Mau) unto him?” and thus his name became “Mau” (cat).”
The Eye of Ra has been associated with the Egyptian Mau just as Isis was linked to great mothers.
At one point, only a Pharaoh could “own” a cat, hence the strict laws that evolved regarding cats. They could not be exported and court records show armies sent to retrieve a cat and bring it back to Egypt.
Upon a cats death, families went into mourning and shaved their eyebrows, the mummified the cat and sent him to the afterlife with food in his burial plot.
Gradually some cats were slipped out of Egypt, the first among them historically to Greece and by the 1900’s these cats were found living as far away as Europe where they were bred and shown. A Russian Princess Nathalie Troubetskoy, exiled in Italy before WW II, was responsible for bringing them to the US. Many stories abound as to how she received her first Egyptian Maus from receiving one as a gift from a small boy in Italy to asking the Egyptian Ambassador to give her some Egyptian Maus. Regardless of how she actually acquired these Maus, we owe her a great debt for bringing them here and saving this breed from the extinction it was experiencing at the time. She brought three Maus here in 1956 and called her cattery Fatima. In the early years, due to having just three Maus, the princess used selective outcross breeding with the American domestic short hair and some inbreeding. More recently imports from Egypt and India are strengthening the breed as we know it today.
Cat Fanciers Federation (CFF) recognized the Mau in 1968. The Cat Fanciers Associate (CFA) recognized the breed in 1977 for competition due to the efforts of Jill Archibald who remains active today in the breed. The International Cat Association (TICA) followed suit shortly after CFA.
The Egyptian Mau as we know it today is recognized in Silver, Black Smoke and Bronze for showing purposes. Though the Black Mau and some dilute primary color versions of the Mau are able to be registered, they are not eligible to be shown but make wonderful pets.
It is a cat known for its graceful elegance with a wonderfully developed muscular body that exhibits random spotting and banded legs and tail. The eyes of an Egyptian Mau are unbelievably beautiful gooseberry green color readily exhibited in the worrisome look the Mau has become known for. Most exquisite mascara lines elongate out from the outer aspects of their eyes hence why the Pharaohs’ chose to copy them own eye makeup. Their gait has been likened to that of a cheetah aided by their longer flexed back legs. It is a ticked tabby that exhibits a wonderful platinum undercoat when back brushed as well as a unique scarab marking on its head. Though the coats of the silver and bronze are similar in feel/quality, the coat of the black smoke has the texture of silk.
Highly intelligent, it is a cat that is devoted to his/her family and loves to interact within the family circle. Moderately active, it should be known that a small abdominal posterior primordial pouch enables them to run at speeds up to 35 MPH and jump as high as seven feet. It also has extraordinary powers related to scent, hearing and sight. Perhaps this is why some Maus so thoroughly enjoy and excel in agility at cat shows.
An excellent conversationalist, they chirp, chortle, trill, and love to accompany someone singing in this household, though not all are the best vocalists. They will be extremely interactive conversationalists if you encourage them.
Maus also love water…….they love to try to catch it with their paws and often drink water as a raccoon using their paw to cup the water. They also love to ride on your shoulder so as not to miss anything going on in the house. As mothers, they excel and teach their kittens discipline and house rules in addition to showering them with love never forgetting who their kittens are even as they grow up. Sometimes the male Maus want to take over mothering as they too are very affectionate and appear to have a fondness for kittens.
The Mau has often been described as aloof but it is a misnomer as they are instead somewhat shy and cautious which is good if there is danger about. However, their primary goal in life appears to be letting you know that they love and adore you and until you experience that love from a mau you can’t imagine what adoration is.