by Marisa (Monroe Ny)
Cleo
Introduction
There was a time on this website when visitors could write their own articles. Some visitors asked questions about their cat and whether they were a purebred cat or not. This is one of those articles. It begins with a question about Marisa’s cat. She wonders whether her cat is part Egyptian Mau. I answered the question and visitors to this website also answered the question. Correction, I don’t answer the question 😒😢. This is because at the time I did not think that the photographs gave me enough information. So, today, about 13 years later (now December 24, 2021) I would answer the question by saying that her cat is a beautiful tabby cat. It is almost certain that Marisa’s cat is a standard tabby cat (moggie).
Of course, the Egyptian Mau is also a standard tabby cat. You will see Egyptian Mau street cats in Egypt today looking a bit like Marisa’s cat Cleopatra. They are not purebred by the criteria of the cat fancy. This is because the tabby cat is the original cat coat. And no doubt some of the tabby cats that you see in Egypt today have a history going right back to the beginning of cat domestication in the Middle East. We are talking about 10,000 years ago. And during the first several thousand years of cat domestication the only cat coat you would see would be the spotted/striped tabby; a reflection of the original wild cat coat.
RELATED: What Breed Is My Cat?
Marisa’s question
Hello, after seeing some pictures of Egyptian Maus I was wondering if my beautiful cat Cleopatra was part Egyptian Mau. She is small-medium sized, and has the spots on her back and legs, with some line marks on her legs also. When I brush her hair back you can still see the spot on her skin. She is very loving and smart and often makes these noises not like meows, but makes sounds when she comes near, wants attention or when she jumps from things. It’s hard to explain its not a growl either but an inner sounding noise.
Her skin folds under the belly, and her front legs are longer than her back. If she is that would be really interesting because she is such a different cat, and the fact that I named her Cleopatra without even knowing this makes her even more special. I have more pictures if you need a better look. Thanks for this great site. Marisa
My response at the time
Hi Marisa. Thanks for visiting and asking. You may have seen some of the other pages where visitors ask whether their cats are purebred. You are wisely asking if Cleopatra is part purebred, which is more likely. Perhaps you might be kind enough to email me some more photos and I will then make a comment. You can see my email address here.
Best, Michael
Comments for Is My Cat Part Egyptian Mau?Average Rating | ||
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| Jul 16, 2010 Rating | Very very close!by: Phil (London) Hi Marisa, I only just noticed this post so sorry for the late reply. Of all the ‘Is my cat an Egyptian Mau’ queries on the site lately, Cleopatra is the one that looks like a Mau the most! She may well have some, or a lot, of Mau in her genes – or she might be a tabby that has broken mackerel stripes that look like spots. As Finn mentioned, I do have two purebred Maus, but that doesn’t qualify me as an expert, so take what I say in the light of that. I would also point you towards the website of the Egyptian Mau Rescue Organization and their ‘Adoptions’ page; EMRO rescues cats from the streets of Cairo and other cities in Egypt, and many of these street cats are feral Maus, or as I like to call them, ‘egyptian maus’ (without capital letters) – many spotted cats there. It’s a bit of a muddy area really; as things stand, and as I understand things, an ‘Egyptian Mau’ is a purebred cat. However, the feral cats of Cairo can quite accurately be called ‘egyptian maus’, as mau is the Egyptian word for cat! She’s a lovely cat, by the way – what an amazing fluke in your choice of name! |
| Jul 16, 2010 Rating | Very very close!by: Phil (London) Hi Marisa, I only just noticed this post so sorry for the late reply. Of all the ‘Is my cat an Egyptian Mau’ queries on the site lately, Cleopatra is the one that looks like a Mau the most! She may well have some, or a lot, of Mau in her genes – or she might be a tabby that has broken mackerel stripes that look like spots. As Finn mentioned, I do have two purebred Maus, but that doesn’t qualify me as an expert, so take what I say in the light of that. I would also point you towards the website of the Egyptian Mau Rescue Organization and their ‘Adoptions’ page; EMRO rescues cats from the streets of Cairo and other cities in Egypt, and many of these street cats are feral Maus, or as I like to call them, ‘egyptian maus’ (without capital letters) – many spotted cats there. It’s a bit of a muddy area really; as things stand, and as I understand things, an ‘Egyptian Mau’ is a purebred cat. However, the feral cats of Cairo can quite accurately be called ‘egyptian maus’, as mau is the Egyptian word for cat! She’s a lovely cat, by the way! |
| Jul 03, 2010 Rating | Cleoby: Maggie Sharp Your Cleo looks a lot like my mother’s cat, Mae. (see https://pictures-of-cats.org/marvellous-miss-mae.html Mae is simply a brown spotted tabby, and I think your Cleo is too. A lot of people come here asking what breed their cat is, when really their cat is a moggie. Which are far greater in number than pedigree cats. |
| Jun 30, 2010 Rating | Elegant Cleopatraby: Finn Frode, Denmark Hi Marisa. Your Cleopatra is a very elegant spotted cat – and loving too from what you tell. She looks like a real lady. That the spots are visible on the skin too is not so unusual – on the hairless Sphynx cats that actually looks kinda funny. I think you should also read the article on https://pictures-of-cats.org/what-breed-is-my-cat2.html – especially Phil’s comments as he knows this breed real well. He has two purebred Maus if I recall correctly. 😉 Whatever Cleopatra may be, you have a beautiful cat that has become special to you. And isn’t that all that matters? 😉  |
| Jun 30, 2010 Rating | Looks like a Mauby: Anonymous Pretty Kitty Looks like a Egyptian Mau |
