Egyptian Mau

Temperament & personality

Maus are loyal in a dog-like way. They attach to their people, learn routines fast, and often greet family members with a distinctive chirp or trill rather than a plain meow. With strangers they tend to hang back and observe before deciding anyone new is acceptable.

This is a high-drive, intelligent cat that needs a job. Climbing, chasing, and problem-solving are not optional extras; a bored Mau invents its own entertainment, usually involving height and speed. Tall cat trees, puzzle feeders, and daily interactive play sessions keep that intelligence pointed in a good direction.

Raised alongside children and other pets, Maus do well and enjoy the company. They can be sensitive to chaos and sudden change, so a predictable home suits them. Give a Mau enough stimulation and it is affectionate and devoted; leave it under-exercised and you will see restlessness and mischief.

Vaccination schedule

Egyptian Mau kittens follow the standard core FVRCP series, protecting against feline viral rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, and panleukopenia. Vaccination starts at 6 to 8 weeks and repeats every 3 to 4 weeks until the kitten is at least 16 weeks old, because maternal antibodies interfere with earlier single doses.

Rabies is given once at 12 to 16 weeks and then boosted on the schedule set by the vaccine label and local regulations. FVRCP gets a booster at one year, then continues every one to three years depending on your vet's risk assessment and your cat's lifestyle.

Because Maus are active and many enjoy supervised outdoor time or leash walks, FeLV (feline leukemia) vaccination deserves a serious conversation with your vet. Any cat with outdoor access or contact with cats of unknown health status should be protected. Keep the record card updated at every appointment.

Best food & diet

An active breed burns real energy, so feed a complete, high-protein cat food built around named animal ingredients. Kittens and young adults especially need enough calories to fuel constant climbing and sprinting, but portions still need to be measured so an athletic cat does not slide into an overweight one.

Split meals across the day and consider a portion delivered through a puzzle feeder or food-chase toy. This suits the Mau's hunting drive, slows fast eaters, and turns feeding into the mental work the breed craves. Wet food supports hydration, which is good for urinary and kidney health in cats generally.

Watch for reactions to common proteins, since some Maus are sensitive to beef and chicken. If you see itching or digestive upset, ask your vet about a controlled diet trial rather than guessing. Keep fresh water freely available, ideally in more than one spot or via a fountain, which many Maus prefer.

Common health problems

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the main cardiac concern. This thickening of the heart muscle can progress quietly, so periodic veterinary heart checks and awareness of murmurs or breathing changes are worthwhile, particularly in cats from known lines.

Beyond the heart, the Egyptian Mau is generally a hardy natural breed without a long list of breed-specific inherited diseases. Even so, buying from a breeder who health-tests their lines and can show you results is the best safeguard against inherited problems. If you are getting a Mau from a breeder, ask directly what screening the parents have had and whether they were tested clear.

Feline asthma, essentially allergic airway disease, is over-represented in the breed and shows up as coughing, wheezing, or crouched open-mouth breathing effort. Like all cats, Maus can run into lower urinary tract problems; watch for straining or frequent litter-box visits and see your vet promptly. Both asthma and urinary trouble respond well to early attention, so do not brush off a persistent cough or repeated straining as minor.

Allergies & skin

Because the Egyptian Mau is prone to asthma, airborne irritants are a bigger deal for this breed than for most. Keep indoor air clean: avoid smoking around the cat, skip heavy sprays and scented candles, and switch to a low-dust, unscented litter to reduce airway triggers.

Food sensitivities can also cause trouble, with beef and chicken the usual suspects and dust mites a common environmental trigger. These show up as itching, overgrooming, or recurrent ear issues. A vet-supervised elimination diet is the dependable way to pin down a food cause.

Reduce the household allergen load with regular vacuuming, weekly hot washes of bedding, and good ventilation. If your Mau is coughing or wheezing on top of skin signs, treat it as a possible asthma flare and get veterinary advice rather than waiting to see if it passes.

Flea, tick & worm prevention

Only ever use cat-specific parasite products on a Mau. Dog flea and tick treatments frequently contain permethrin, which is highly toxic to cats and can cause tremors, seizures, and death. When in doubt, do not apply anything not clearly labeled for cats, and confirm with your vet.

A monthly vet-approved flea preventive keeps infestations and flea allergy dermatitis away, which is especially valuable for a breed already prone to skin and airway sensitivity. Maus that go outdoors or walk on a leash also need tick coverage, so pick a product that matches your cat's actual exposure.

Follow a regular worming schedule, generally every 3 months for adults and more frequently for kittens or active hunters. Combination products that cover fleas plus intestinal worms in a single monthly dose make the routine easy to stick to and reduce the chance of missed treatments.

Medications & dosing

Every feline medication is dosed by body weight, so weigh your Mau accurately before giving anything and update that number as it changes. The gap between a correct dose and a toxic one can be small in a 3 to 6 kg cat, and estimating by eye is not safe.

Do not reach for human medicine. Paracetamol (acetaminophen) is deadly to cats in even small doses, and ibuprofen and aspirin are dangerous without veterinary guidance. Clear every drug, strength, and interval with your vet, and complete the full course even once symptoms ease.

Maus with asthma often need inhaled or oral medication, sometimes long term, and a cat managing HCM may need daily heart medication as well. Keep a written log of doses, learn to use a feline inhaler chamber if one is prescribed, and report side effects or flare-ups rather than adjusting the plan yourself.

Grooming & coat care

The Mau's short, spotted coat is low-maintenance. A weekly brush or a pass with a rubber grooming mitt lifts loose hair, keeps shedding modest, and shows off the natural spotting pattern. Shedding runs light to medium and picks up a little with seasonal coat changes.

Grooming time doubles as a health check. Run your hands over the body to feel for lumps or thin spots, look at the eyes and ears, and trim nails every couple of weeks. Start toothbrushing young to head off dental disease, and get the cat used to gentle handling so vet visits go smoothly.

Baths are rarely necessary. Given the asthma risk, keep the grooming area and bedding clean and dust-free, since the same routine that keeps the coat sharp also cuts down the airborne irritants that can set off the breed's sensitive airways.

How the Egyptian Mau compares

Deciding between similar breeds? Here is the Egyptian Mau next to Pixie-Bob and Japanese Bobtail.

Frequently asked questions