Egyptian Mau
| Egyptian Mau | |
|---|---|
Bronze colored Mau
|
|
| Origin | Egypt |
| Breed standards | |
| CFA | standard |
| FIFe | standard |
| TICA | standard |
| AACE | standard |
| ACFA/CAA | standard |
| CCA-AFC | standard |
| Domestic cat (Felis catus) | |
Egyptian Maus are a small- to medium-sized short-haired cat breed. Along with the Bahraini Dilmun cat, they are one of the few naturally spotted breeds of domesticated cat. The spots of the Mau occur on only the tips of the hairs of its coat.
The breed conformation is described as
a balance between the compactness of and the slim elegance of a Siamese. Its medium-length body is muscular, with the hind legs longer than the front, giving the Mau the appearance of standing on tiptoes when upright.
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, providing for greater agility and length of stride. Maus have been clocked running more than 48 km/h (30 mph).
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, whether female or male, wiggles and twitches its tail, and appears to be marking territory, also known as spraying, but during this behavior the Mau is not releasing urine. Facial expressions may change according to mood, and eye color may change from green to turquoise.
Despite claims that the breed originated in Egypt, DNA analysis shows mainly European and North American origins. The feline genome data published in the Pentascope document shows the Egyptian Mau to be very closely related to the Maine Coon, Korat, and American Turkish Angoras (not native Turkish Angoras). The phylogenetic tree published in PlosOne demonstrates that the Egyptian Mau belongs to the group of Western-derived breeds. The East Mediterranean/Anatolian group is omitted because breeds that supposedly originate in that geographic area do not do so.
The Mau achieved championship status in some organizations in 1968. There were attempts by British breeders to create Maus from cross-breeds of Abyssinians, Siamese and tabbies, however, these did not resemble the true Maus. This mix became the basis for the Ocicat.
Egyptian Maus will have either a 'scarab beetle' or 'M' marking on their foreheads. Those with the latter tend to be from the United States.P
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Wikipedia