Egyptian Maus questions

Hello,

I am in negotiations to buy a Mau kitten in November. I'm starting with a show female and will see how I like the show world of kitties. The girl I am buying is from Brockhaven lines which I have read are fairly popular. She is silver and comes from a silver and a bronze king and queen.

I already show German Shepherds and have a horse that I will be beginning in the show ring next year. I think I'll be putting a hold on dog showing for a while, as my new pup needs to fill out a lot before going in the ring, and luckily there is only one local breed specific show a year for andalusian horses so that won't be a strenous hobby.

I have researched the Mau breed and can see that they are active and athletic, but I'm wondering if anyone here has one to give me some tips.

First are you showing her in the Alter class after 8 months old? Or will she be used in a breeding program? Its easier to get into the show scene with a kitten, then the alter class instead of the championship class.

I would be sure you keep up with exercise to develop the muscles. Get her used to being handled by many people/friends, etc. Get her used to noises. One of the biggest problems is to have a cat at home that is in a quiet home, then take them out to a show hall with lots of noises, loud speaker, banging cages/carts, etc. and expect them to be ok. I would go to a show and watch how the judge handle the cats and then go home and practice with your kitten.

As far as show grooming, you have to get them used to bathing 1-2 days before each show, so start now and bath at least once every 2 weeks till she is shown. Maus have short coats, so you will probably only need a flea or fine-toothed comb for grooming.

I recommend Kenic Sno-Flake Pet Shampoo (you can order it thru Jeffers.com). Its for white or light color coats.

I do use it on Charlie even tho he's chocolate - the shampoo was recommend by Charlie's breeder who is on of the top Ocicat breeders in the USA. Its very good and puts a nice shine and silky texture on the coat. I'm also doing a vinegar rinse after which I really like - brings out more shine in the coat.

What associations are you showing in? CFA, ACFA, TICA? You do know that the cat cannot be declawed and shown, I hope. Let me know if you have any other questions and I'll be glad to help you out.

BTW post pictures when you can - I like the silver Maus the best Does the breeder have a website - I can't find it

Just a quick response for now as I'm running out. Would never declaw a cat.

I'm testing out my signature here as well as responding

I have put a deposit on a show/breeding female from Kansas. She is silver and is from Brockhaven lines says the breeder.

Thanks for the grooming suggestions. I rarely have to bath my current cats, but they love to hang out by the tub when I bath. I will try and keep it light and fun for the new girl, and not traumatize her into hating baths.

I have no imput on the Maus... but it's good to see another GSD person on here..


if you don't already post there, you should check out the forums on www.germanshepherds.com everyone on there is really great

My GSD's can be viewed on my page:

www.glenarrow.com

I have no breedings planned. I have one can. champion already and one pup I may start next year. She is very angular though, and I'm told she may only do well in specialty shows.

I do post to that site, my name is junomidge there..

mine's Blitz_mom nice to meet you


Beautiful pup btw... I'm a sucker for gsd pups!!!

Thanks, I like her. (=

You're about to depart on a road I know well! I started out showing a Silver Mau boy in premiership. Now I've got two more to show in kittenship; a silver boy and a smoke spay.The boy will be kept intact and used in his breeder's program. The smoke is there to keep the boy entertained Mau kittens come with batteries!

Brockhaven lines are really great; afterall, they had the first male Mau DM (a cat that produced 15 grands!). However, just because the lines are good does not mean that the cat you are getting is what you expect. What is the name of the cattery you are working with? Make sure to see how many of their cats have received regional, national, and breed awards. This is indicated by a RW, NW, or BW in their title. It is easy to get a cat its championship, much tougher to get a grand championship, but the most serious breeders are in it for the long haul for those coveted RW, NW, and BW titles.

Now I will be blunt with you on this because if you are serious about showing cats, I want to see you have a cat you'll be proud to show. A breeder that is serious about the color of their cats will never breed a silver to a bronze. This weakens both the silver and the bronze colors. It creates a "tarnished" silver and a "cool" bronze that sometimes can even look like a dirty silver. Silvers are bred to silvers or smokes and bronzes are ONLY bred to bronzes.

I have also sent you a PM regarding this

Hopefully she will post pictures of the kitten soon. Silvers have to be outstanding contrast. The better the contrast, the better the cat I've seen some silver tabby ASH out of brown tabbys and they are not as good of color.

I had posted this in a different thread. Here is his baby picture:

Doesn't appear to have any tarnish in the picture. Hopefully you can get some new pictures soon He looks good to me

Guess I didn't update this thread. I missed out on the smoke female I had my eye on, and declined a breeding pair of kittens from Kansas, and another pair from Oregon. This boy is from the US, and I am not sure of his lines yet. I am buying him on the expert advice of a breeder friend in Ontario. She is picking him up alongside of a pair of Queens she is purchasing from the East Coast. I'll post more pics and pedigree info once I have it.

sounds like you are on the right track!

I think you'll be happier with the silver. IMO the smoke is not as flashy and harder to see the spots compared to the silver and bronze maus. If you are showing him, you want to catch the judges eyes !

Goldenkitty is right about smokes. I mentioned this in the PM, but smokes are really hard to show. Most judges will pick a decent silver over a really great smoke. You're much better off with a silver to start. I like the look of this boy, be sure to post images of him once he develops!