Meet the mama, Aura. She is a combination of Tabby and Egyptian Mau. She is
on the thin side which is normal for this species. Very alert, lovable, and independent. She is a high jumper
and enjoys playing with things that challenge her. Aura is a silver with stripes and spots on her belly. A magestic
feline.
The Egyptian Mau is the fastest of the domestic cats, with its longer hind legs, and unique
flap of skin extending from the flank to the back knee, provides for greater agility and speed. Maus have
been clocked running over 30 mph (48 kph).
Maus often possess very musical voices. They are known to chirp, chortle and emit other
distinctly unusual vocalizations when stimulated. Another behavior, quite common in happy Maus, has been described as "wiggle-tail."
The cat, male or female, moves its back legs up and down, and appears to be marking territory, also known as spraying, but it is not actually releasing urine. Even veteran Mau owners are known to check after
a joyous Mau does this little dance.
The exact origin of the Egyptian Mau is not recorded and
therefore cannot be known for certain. The Egyptian Mau is often said to be descended from African wild cats, and a descendant
of the cats seen in wall paintings of Ancient Egypt. This, while perhaps being partly true, does not reveal the
careful breeding that has taken place to create the 'purebred' Egyptian Mau, which was only given championship status in
some organisations in 1968.
The modern Mau is said to have originated in 1953, Italy,
when exiled Russian Princess Natalie Troubetskoy met the cat of the Egyptian Ambassador to Italy. She
convinced him to obtain several cats from Egypt for her, and she began to breed them. Maus were attempted to be created in
Britain by cross-breeds of Abyssinians, Siamese and tabbies, however these did not resemble the true Maus.
Egyptian Maus will either have a 'scarab beetle' or 'M'
marking on their foreheads, those with the latter tend to be from the United States.
Egyptian Maus are thought to be one of the progenitor breeds
of the modern domestic cat. They have anatomical, metabolic and behavioral differences from other cat breeds
which could be considered as evidence of antiquity or at least uniqueness from other cat breeds. Maus are more temperature
sensitive than most breeds - they are fond of very warm temperatures. They are more sensitive to medicines
and anesthesia. Maus allegedly have an unusually long gestational period, about 73 days. The maximum normal
period for cats is 65-67 days, although Siamese may take a day or two longer.
Purebred Egyptian Maus are a relatively rare breed. As
of 2007, fewer than 200 kittens are registered with the GCCF each year. As of 2006, a total of 6741 Maus
are registered with the CFA. Maus come in five colors. From most to least common these
colors are: silver, bronze, smoke, black and blue/pewter. They have green eyes and on rare occassion amber eyes.
Sometimes their amber eyes will change after 18 months of age.
