It is medium in size, the body structure is rather large and firm. In general the cat appears not to be too slender. The muscles are very well developed. The legs are comparably long (high on legs) with oval paws.

The head appears round, but is slightly longer than broad. The nose is slightly concave curved, when viewed i profile. The whisker pads are clearly pronounced, with a slight pinch. 'The chin is very firm.
The eyes are slightly oval, large and slightly slanted. The cat may have any eye colour, there is no relation between the eye colour and coat colour.
The ears are large, slightly forward and sideward placed and high set on the skull.

The tail has medium length and tapers slightly towards the tip.

The coat is short and lying close to the body. It has no undercoat and is firm to touch. It may not be silky, but is noticeably very glossy.

History

The Arabian Mau is a natural cat breed, originating from Felis silvestris, which lives since thousands of years on the Arabian peninsula. The cat lives in desert regions near human settlements. As the cities spread more and more into the desert, the habitat of the Arabian Mau came closer and closer to humans, because there was more food and more protected housing available.

Felis silvestris

This native street cat was ignored by people for a long time, because it was modern to import pedigreed cats from abroad.
It was Mrs Petra Müller, president of MECATS, United Arab Emirates, who started a well planned breeding program in 2004, to cultivate this breed. In 2008 already 4 generations were bred, and the breed was recognized by the WCF as provisional breed.
It is the purpose to conserve the traits, which are still intact and remained unchanged for thousands of years.

Temperament

The Arabian Mau is an active and very agile cat. It loves to play, and has lots of fantasy. It is an extremely nice cat and very loyal to its owner. It goes very well with other companions living in the same household.

Grooming

Grooming is very easy, the cat does not shed so much. To brush the coat from time to time will remove dead hairs and intensify the beautiful gloss of the coat.