Could my cat be an Egyptian Mau?

orientalslave

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If he had papers then either they were fake or he isn't a Mau, as Maus never, ever have white markings.  Papers for a cross-bred would be highly unusual, at least in the UK, unless it was a deliberate out-cross for a breeding program.
 

novascot60

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All the cats pictured here look and act so much like my Seamus.  They all have delicate features (for male cats), beautiful green eyes and an attitude that comes across in the pictures.  Your cat is beautiful!
 

chibinekochan

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Hi there!

I'm so glad I found this thread because I always though my boy had Egyptian Maun characteristics. This pic is ever since he was 4 months old.

He was a stray and I adopted him from a shelter, I don't actualy care for breeds and such, I just know he's gorgeous!  

 

maewkaew

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That's an extremely adorable picture but not really the best one to see much of the cat.   We can see he has cute spots on his belly (which is common in many tabby cats.)  

 I can't totally see the arrangement of spots on his sides.   .. but looks like it MIGHT be more arranged in broken vertical stripes rather than the more random pattern that is more common in the Egyptian Mau.   

 He truly is probably not an Egyptian Mau ,  but a very handsome Brown Spotted Tabby Domestic Shorthair ---  which would not make him any  less special.   and I'm sure you agree! 

It would be extremely unlikely to find an Egyptian Mau kitten at a shelter.     Even finding an adult Mau in a shelter would be quite uncommon... But the odds are even more against a 3 or 4 month old kitten ending up at a shelter  

  A breeder is certainly not likely to dump a young kitten (And even if it's a breeder who is just in it  for money, why would they dump a kitten instead of selling him?),  and someone who just spent at least $600 for the kitten is not likely to turn around in a month or so and leave him at a shelter or dump him on the street.    Most 4 month old EMs are not going to be outside unless on leash or in a very secure outdoor cat enclosure. So  to have been  a stray,  he'd have to have somehow have escaped and got lost soon after going to a new home ( or got lost from the breeder's home)  and then was never found.   & usually  one of the first steps would be to check shelters.  And apparently he had no microchip.    

 I often use the comparison that an Egyptian Mau is much more rare than a  hairless Sphynx .   And how many Sphynx kittens  are there running around as strays or in shelters?     At least I sure don't see many!  In fact I have never seen one.   I've seen a few adult Sphynx pictured on shelter websites.  but not kittens.   And surely the numbers of lost  / abandoned Egyptian Mau kitttens must be much much lower.     

But sometimes cats can resemble a breed without actually being related.  especially when it's not a super extreme looking breed .   

Like the vast majority of cats, he's probably mostly from ancestors who came from the same part of the world where he was found. .   ( Of course, if you got him in Egypt,  then he could be considered like a "native Mau".    ) 
 

laneybug743

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I got my little boy off the streets when he was only three weeks old. Just recently I started researching what kind of cat he could be. He has the weirdest personality that matches that of the Egyptian mau and looks just like it. Help me clarify!
 
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katocats

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Hi Laneybug welcome to TCS what a handsome boy
   I don't think he is a E Mau, but he is a beautiful silver and black DSH Tabby.
.
 

alicatrescue

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Hi, this is my first post and I hope I am writing this in the correct forum!


Just over a year ago I got a 12 week old kitten from a friend-of-a-friend whose cat had a litter.

He is very playful and intelligent, and he just worships me (his owner) he would do anything for me. My vet thought he looked like a Bengal but after doing some research myself I came across this breed the Egyptian Mau and I cannot help but think my boy has the same qualities. However I am under the understanding that he is a regular moggy but I have never seen a moggy look so distinctive and unusual before.


Anyway, here are some photos for you to look at. Now he is 18 months old.










too much white on him, but he is lovely
 

jennyr

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my bronze Egyptian mau, I identified him by googling websites
I am afraid you cannot identify a cat by comparing looks from a website. Unless you have papers or some proof of parentage he cannot be called any particular breed. But it does not matter - he is a handsome little Domestic Shorthair Tabby with his own unique personality.
 

shupe85

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Hello,

I saw this site and figured I'd ask a few experts. I understand without papers you cannot be certain he is a mau, but I'd figure I would throw up a few pictures of my 10 month old boy Thor for an opinion. He has the hind leg flap, his spots and color in general are only on the tips of his fur, and I feel he has a comparable pattern to the bronze mau. What do you guys think?

 
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StefanZ

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Its really just the second photo, which is critical to decide, if he is possibly spotted, or mackerel tabby.   Spots on tummy are quite common, so they dont count in this aspect!

I suspect he is a broken mackerel tabby, although it looks on this second photo there are enough with spots he could be called for a spotted.
 
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