Alice White
Egyptian Mau – Cleopatra in the feline world. Charm is felt in every movement of the beauty. Caution: her spotted fur coat and piercing eyes can drive you crazy!
#1 The origin of the beauties goes back to the 6th-5th millennia BC. e. – the harsh era of the pharaohs, servile worship of gods, trade in “living goods” and unsanitary conditions that amaze the imagination.
Egypt managed to become a wealthy and majestic country, despite the proximity of the desert and the regular floods of the Nile River. The ruling dynasties bathed in luxury and honor. Commoners were forced to get along with unfriendly fauna - rats, poisonous snakes, and insects - which made an already difficult life even more burdensome.
#2 Fortunately for the Egyptians, not all animals were hostile.
African cats - the future progenitors of the Mau - often came to modest settlements, destroyed parasites, and left just as silently. Over time, the unexpected alliance strengthened. In gratitude for their help, the Egyptians encouraged cats with treats from their own food supplies and perpetuated their noble appearance in art. Animals were allowed to enter the house, and soon they completely got used to the role of owners. This marked the beginning of the full-fledged domestication of African cats, which were used in hunting.
#3 The first image of a domesticated cat found in the temple dates back to the 2nd millennium BC. e.
At that time, animals played an almost central role in religion. The Egyptians believed that the main deity - the sun god Ra - turns into a cat, rising to heaven in the morning and descending underground in the evening, where Apophis, the god of chaos, eager to enter into battle with a rival, awaits him every day. In ancient drawings, Ra was often depicted in the guise of a huge spotted cat, tearing apart the enemy with sharp claws.
