Egyptian Mau Cat Breed Profile

Not every cat with a spot having lineage Egyptian Mau. Not every cat in the streets of Cairo are the Egyptian Mau. We must be observant to see that it was the Egyptian Mau. The Egyptians want the right to be recognized through a combination of those beautiful spots, head shape, body type, body size, coat and eye coloring. Apart from their physical differences to see the other cats, Egyptian Mau also has a very rich history and natural that no other cat stock look.

Egyptian Mau In Ancient Egypt
Exact origin of the Egyptian Mau are not documented and therefor can not be known for certain. However, the trust that developed over this, that the Egyptian Mau is the ancestor of African Wild Cat. This belief is because it is based on the appearance of the Egyptian Mau is very similar to the African Wild Cats. African Wild Cats are also known in the same area where the Mau first appeared. No matter how they arose, after the breed was domesticated it became very necessary.

The Egyptian Mau is an elegant beauty that graced Ancient Egyptian art as early as 2200 B.C. Throughout most of the Ancient Egyptian timeline, these cats were seen as both loving companions to be treasured and valuable protectors to be honored and revered. Egyptian Maus were originally trained to hunt prey, such as birds and fish, and return the bounty to their humans. They were also taught to guard crops by keeping away small animals that would disturb them. Cats were held in such high regard that if anyone were to be caught killing a cat in this time period, they would be immediately stoned to death for their crime.

Egyptian Mau Appearance in General
The proper Egyptian Mau should look proportioned with an overall medium size. The face should be medium length, with a rounded muzzle. Adult males may also show jowls. The ears should rest well back on the head with sufficient space between them. The eyes should be large and almond shape. Gooseberry Green is the only acceptable eye color, however, many Egyptian Maus begin life with Amber colored eyes; the Egyptian Maus eyes are allowed to mature like a fine wine for up to eighteen months, changing from Amber to Gooseberry Green. Many times the majority of the iris will be Amber with a defined ring of Gooseberry Green around the pupil.

The feet of the Egyptian Mau are small and oval. There should be five toes on the front paws and four longer toes on the back paws. The shoulder blades should be visible and stand up higher than the back line. A loose skin on the stomach, or “belly flap,” is highly desirable. The tail should be medium at the base and have a slight taper as it extends outward. The back legs are higher than the front legs, but the Egyptian Mau should walk evenly regardless. These powerful legs allow the Egyptian Mau to reach speeds of over 30 miles per hour.

The Egyptian Mau showcases a scarab, or an “M,” on their forehead. The scarab turns into dorsal stripes at the back of the head and flow down to the tip of the tail. The tail also sports bands perpendicular to the dorsal stripe. The legs, both front and back, should also have bands, however, the leg bands do not need to flow evenly or be perfectly horizontal. At least one broken necklace should appear on the chest of the Egyptian Mau.

The Egyptian Mau’s spots do not need to make a pattern. They may be small and round, large and oblong, or any combination in between. Their spots should never make any type of tabby or mackerel pattern, and connected spots are undesirable. Silver and smoke Egyptian Maus should have black spots and stripes, where bronze Egyptian Maus should show dark brown markings. Oftentimes, the toes and ears are spotted as well. The ears may also have lynx tips without penalization.


Certain matings can result in producing kittens whose coats are either tarnished or cold. With Egyptian Maus, tarnished generally refers to a silver cat that has areas of fur that are bronze in coloring. Cold is often used to describe a bronze Egyptian Mau whose bronze coloring is not as dark as desired. Cold bronze was once another known as another color itself, called Pewter.