Egyptian Mau : Cats of the World

The cat who once graced the royal courts of Pharaohs, sat in the laps of Queens and silently stalked brutish rodents in palace corridors is one of the most lovely and charming of cat companions.

Their elegant beauty is seen in Ancient Egyptian art and they were held in such high regard that if anyone were to be caught killing a cat, they would be immediately stoned to death for their crime. It's about time that these laws were returned.

If a cat can't be a rich lustrous black, then the next best way to be is spotty!

But not just any spots. The Egyptian Mau's spots don't make a pattern. They are sometimes small and round, sometimes large and oblong and sometimes a combination in between. Their spots never make a tabby or mackerel pattern nor are they connected.

These spots also include vest buttons on the belly. The front and back legs are a transition from bars {bracelets} to spots and the Mau neck has a minimum of one broken necklace.

The Mau also has a scarab, like a tabby cat's "M", on the forehead. The scarab turns into dorsal stripes at the back of the head and flows down to the tip of the tail in a dark, unbroken line. Elegance is the operative word.

An Egyptian Mau hit the big screen in the film Catwoman in 2004.

Although Halle Berry played her part well, she was dramatically upstaged by Midnight, a Silver Egyptian Mau with life-giving green breath, who gave the best performance of all the cast. Midnight even did her own stunts! (Which is more than you can say for Halle Berry)

Midnight's role is the pivot of the movie. If you look at an earlier scene in which Midnight lured Patience onto a precarious window ledge, it now becomes clear that this adorable feline was, in fact, attempting to murder Patience so she could become Catwoman just so much sooner.

When Tom foiled that plan by saving Patience's life, Midnight resorted to a backup plan; murdering every courier in town, unlocking restricted entrances at Hedare Laboratories, sabotaging the Beau-line long-term studies all so Patience could overhear the results, which resulted in her death and subsequent rebirth as Catwoman.

What a cat! What a star!