"Mau" is the Egyptian word for 'cat'. The Egyptian fascination, love for and worship of the cat is legendary. The colourful history of the ancient Egyptians is littered with lavish artistic renditions of cats, in hieroglyphs, on papyrus, in stone, in granite and in gigantic monuments.

The image of the cat goddess "Bastet" as rendered in stone is probably the most identifiable and well known statuette of a cat in history. It clearly conveys the high degree of affection and respect in which cats were held by Egyptian society. From birth to death, the cat was glorified. They were the pets which bestowed luck and good fortune, were cherished by families, were protected under the law, and in death were mummified with reverence.

In modern times their history is traced to their importation into the United States in 1956 by the exiled Russian princess, Nathalie Troubetskoy. Most of the early Maus on the North American continent, trace their ancestry to two of the original imports from the Fatima Cattery. Since that time however, other importations have assisted to broaden and enliven the gene pool. The Cat Fanciers Association (USA), recognised the breed for championship competition in 1977.

The Egyptian Mau is unique in that it is the ONLY naturally spotted domestic breed of cat. The cat sports an elegant body that is randomly spotted, with banded legs and tail. The Maus are known for their slightly worried but sweet expression and their rounded almond-shaped, gooseberry green eyes. The eyes are delicately outlined in mascara, reminiscent of the kohl outlines used by Egyptian women to beautify and accentuate their eyes.

The Mau moves gracefully, with a cheetah-like stride, showing well-developed muscular strength. This elegant and distinctive breed is devoted to family, both human and feline. They are known for a sweet disposition and in expressing their joy by softly chortling.

A relative new-comer to New Zealand, the first examples were imported from the United Kingdom and the United States by Lana Pennington.