Egyptian Mau Cats - Protectors and CharmersI love cats, especially Egyptian Mau cats. They are my favorite pets. They're not as loyal and warm as dogs, they're not as regal as Persian cats, or as elegant as Siamese cats - but there's something about then that is just so......Egyptian. Just like the many street kids we have that survive by their wiles and charm, Mau cats are the most instinctually intelligent animals I've ever seen. They are extremely adaptable. I see the street cats that are thriving as though they owned the city; dirty and scruffy as they are, they still rummage the garbage with confidence and lay out on the grass in the sun with total abandon. Such graceful creatures. And of course, in the home, they rule. You don't own a Mau cat; it honors you with its presence by choosing to stay with you. They might be moody, but their charm and curiosity are so infectious that you automatically fall under their spell. In ancient Egypt, it was the same. First it started with the ancient Egyptians noticing how these cats actually protected their crops from vermin. This translated into taking in these cats to protect their homes also. This makes them one of the oldest domesticated breeds. And they not only got rid of mice and rats, they were also quite apt with fending off snakes! They thus earned the title of "protectors". The other thing I love about Egyptian Maus is that unlike many other breeds of cat, they are very warm and affectionate. They actually look you in the eyes with their penetrating gaze. In fact, their eyes are lined as if they were wearing eyeliner, making them truly magical... ...another thing the ancient Egyptians must have liked! The similarity between these cats' eyes and ancient Egyptian make-up is uncanny.
Eye of Horus anyone? In actuality, the Mau breed is very unique. They are spotted, even though they come in many different colors; they have short hair, and of course the Egyptian cat-eyes. They are also known to be one of the more active and affectionate breeds! In ancient Egyptian religion, cats represented the Goddess Bastet - goddess of pleasure, and protector against evil spirits. 
Cats were so loved by ancient Egyptians that they not only depicted them in paintings and made statues for them, but the actual pet-cats they had were mummified and given proper burials – see the picture on the right of a mummified Egyptian Mau cat kept at the Louvre. In fact, they had recently found a tomb with hundred of mummified cats, mummified in different positions - lying down, playing, running, sitting, etc... A mark of great respect and honor in ancient Egypt :-) Sadly, thousands more mummified cats were destroyed by people during the earlier excavations of ancient Egyptian tombs. They actually used them as fertilizers! Either way, if you are a cat-lover, I definitely recommend you check out an Egyptian Mau, I guarantee you'll fall in love.
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