Egyptian Mau Breeders and Registries: A Rare Breed With One Open Door
A closed breed with one guarded door still open to Egypt's own street cats, a registry that admits there are not enough breeders, and where the real ones are.
Published August 21, 2026 3 min read
Contents
says it about few breeds, and it says it about this one: "there are not currently enough breeders to meet the demand, so you may have to wait for a kitten." That sentence, from the registry itself, is the honest headline of this page. Here is how the breed's paperwork works in all four of our markets. Plus the genuinely remarkable mechanism most Mau pages never mention.
The rule, and the exception written into it
On paper this is a closed breed. (recognition 1979, Category I) permits no outcross, and (registration 1970, championship 1977) lists "Allowable Outcross Breeds: None." But CFA maintains a named, dated, still-active Egyptian Mau IMPORT POLICY that keeps one door open. A genuinely new cat imported from one of 27 named countries, Egypt and India among them, can enter the registry after DNA testing and a physical examination arranged with the Breed Council.
A street cat from Cairo can still, today, become a fully championship-eligible Egyptian Mau. That is the fancy's version of citizenship by examination, and a deliberate genetic-diversity valve most "closed breed" language hides. (Canada's runs its own version, an import path actually MORE permissive than its general baseline.)
United States
's Find-a-Breeder and 's directory are the starting points, with dual registration common. Rarity is documentable, not marketed. The breed is absent from CFA's own Most Popular Breeds top ten two years running, and CFA's own wait-for-a-kitten line above says the rest. The named catteries and their published prices live on the price page.
United Kingdom
A precise, dated story: the first UK imports arrived in 1998 with Melissa Bateson, and granted full recognition in 2006. Two breed clubs are live and reachable. GCCF's own health notes carry a PK-deficiency framing the registry itself presents as unresolved, which matches the honest state of the science. UK buyers have a real, small, registered pipeline: expect waiting lists rather than listings.
Canada and Australia
recognizes the breed with its notably permissive country-of-origin import rule ("ALLOWED MATINGS: Egyptian Mau" otherwise). The Canadian market in practice is tiny: one named purebred cattery in our research. Australia's publishes a current standard (sourced from 's 2006 text, effective 2018), and profiles the breed on its own homepage with a 1956-versus-1957 date wobble our research left flagged. No breed-specific import mechanism is published there.
One resource warning
"EMRO," a Cairo rescue name that circulates in older articles as an Egyptian Mau resource, currently resolves to a parked domain. We do not cite it as live, and neither should any page you trust.
The registry map on one card
| Registry | Status | The detail worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| (US) | Registered 1970, championship 1977 | Import Policy: street cats from 27 countries can still register |
| (US) | Recognized 1979, Category I | No outcross permitted |
| (UK) | First imports 1998, full recognition 2006 | Two live breed clubs; PK framing stated as unresolved |
| (Canada) | Recognized | Origin-import path MORE permissive than its own baseline |
| (Australia) | Standard from 's 2006 text | profiles the breed; no import mechanism published |
The vet's take
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Frequently asked questions
How do I find an Egyptian Mau breeder?
CFA's Find-a-Breeder and TICA's directory, with the registry's own warning attached: not enough breeders exist to meet demand, so expect a wait. Verify litter registration and both parents' names as always.
Are Egyptian Maus rare?
Documentably: absent from CFA's own top-ten popularity lists two years running, with CFA itself stating demand outstrips breeders. Rarity here is a registry fact, not a sales pitch.
Can street cats from Egypt still become registered Egyptian Maus?
Yes: CFA's still-active Import Policy admits cats from 27 named countries (Egypt and India included) after DNA testing and a Breed Council examination: a deliberate diversity valve in an otherwise closed breed.
Is the Egyptian Mau recognized in the UK?
Fully, since 2006, after the first 1998 imports; two UK breed clubs operate. The UK pipeline is small and runs on waiting lists.
Community questions
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This is information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot tell you what is wrong with your cat. Our rule is a simple one: if something is wrong with your cat, call your vet, and call an emergency clinic if it is out of hours. Nothing you read here is a reason to wait.
Medical information applies to every reader. Prices, legal duties and common practice do not: unless stated otherwise, they are given for the United States, and they differ in the UK, Canada and Australia, and often between states or provinces. Check with your own vet and your own local authority.
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