RW, SGC Maullenium’s Luke Mauwalker
by his Mom
(USA)
RW, SGC Maullenium's Luke Mauwalker - Photo ©copyright Helmi Flick
RW, SGC Maullenium's Luke Mauwalker, the silver mau pictured in Helmi's pictures on your Egyptian Mau page, is our cat. We adopted him this past summer, after he was neutered following his retirement from the breeding program at Maullenium and from competing in TICA and CFA. He is an honorably retired household cat now, doing what his Egyptian ancestors did thousands of years ago.
Luke was born in the spring of 2006 to Suleiman Pharo and Maullenium Khalifa. I believe that he is the grandson of Mas-Ree Maus Zeus of Maullenium, pictured at the maullenium.com website, because I've seen Luke make the exact same face as Zeus is making in his pictures there. The expression Luke has in the pictures Helmi took is his "worried mau" face, which he usually has when he is exposed to something that he is not used to or when he is concerned about something. Usually, his expression is more relaxed.
Luke is a small cat, about 8 pounds and the overall size of a Siamese female cat. He is compact and muscular, and he is very strong and quick. He has amazing balance; I have seen him jump from the top of a television five feet to the top of a door and make it without overbalancing. He is athletic; when he jumps on the bed or on your tummy, he lands so light that you can hardly feel he is there 'til he head-butts you or tries to bite your nose (which he reserves for people he really likes). He has the classic mau personality; friendly and social.
He is the most affectionate cat I've ever met, and he loves to snuggle when I'm watching television or messing with the computer. He loves to be in the middle of everything, and he is addicted to these protein treats that the cats at Maullenium get. He knows where I keep them and every time I move toward the refrigerator (where they are), he is there demanding one. He has all sorts of chirps, purrs, and meows, and the loudest purr I've ever heard from a cat.
He is also very intelligent, and knows when we are coming home, or when we're leaving. He wakes me up on weekends so I don't sleep too late and get headaches. He even shares my allergies-both of us get runny noses when the mold count is too high. He's a lot of company and a good friend.
I'm fascinated by Luke's fur. He does not have the downy undercoat that our regular tabby cats have. His overcoat is more coarse than theirs is, but that's changed a little with the changes in his diet since he came to live with us. He gets more canned food than he got in the cattery and that's changed the texture of his coat. His coloring is very adaptable. He disappears into any non-solid background. You wouldn't think that black and silver would be so adaptable, but it is. He also has very sharp fangs and claws.
I think that Luke may be descended from maus brought from Egypt in the 1990s, but I have not discussed that with the Marduliers (his breeders), so I'm not sure. He is a classic silver mau, with all the features you look for.
He was TICA's best silver mau internationally in 2007, and one of the pictures above was featured in Cat Fancy magazine in 2009. If you do web searches for Egyptian maus, Luke's picture comes up frequently. He is the poster cat for his breed, and we are proud of him. He's simply an excellent cat.
Luke's Mom