‘Egyptian Mau’ cats are not only unique but one of the oldest known cat breeds still in existence. The word "Mau' means cat and, Spirit, an Eyptian Mau and one of the Cat Authors, is all cat. The following lists some of the Personality Traits of the Egyptian Mau:

• Very athletic – these are strong, physical cats.  I call Spirit a ‘hard-body’ because when I pick him up, he is all muscle.
• Very intelligent, curious to the extreme, loves to play games and is a quick learner.  He plays fetch, runs on his large exercise wheel (see video/posting on June 5, 2015), races through the house, up and down the stairs, comes when called and walks on a leash inside the house.  There are wild animals and domesticated dogs running loose in our neighborhood which pose a danger not just to a cat on a leash but also to the person walking the cat on a leash so we walk indoors.
• Most articles say that Maus are shy around strangers.  Someone forgot to tell Spirit, the Egyptian Mau at our house.  He is VERY social, eager to meet people, rolling on his back at their feet (to get his tummy scratched) before folks get two feet inside the front door. While rolling on his back and from side-to-side, his front feet are ‘kneading’ or ‘treading’ in the air. One repairman was so enamored with Spirit, that he vowed to get 'one' just like him, he talked to his wife about Spirit and they referred to him as a 'dog-cat.'  In fact, some Egyptian Mau behaviors are more dog-like than cat-like. But, bottom-line, Egyptian Maus are still cats.
• Dislikes loud noises and is easily startled by loud noises. Spirit is very ‘intense’ and does react to every loud noise.  However, his curiosity and need to see ‘what’s going on’ supersedes all else.  For example, he runs to the screen door or windows when the garbage truck and/or other heavy equipment rumble and roar past the house.  The other cats run away from loud sounds; he runs towards them seemingly because he “has to know” what's going on.
• Forms a strong bond with the family member of their choice.  I am the only family member and we do have a strong bond.  He also has a strong bond with the other cats in the household although he can, at times, play too aggressively with the smaller female cats.  That elicits a human vocal rebuke which he immediately responds to.
• Greets you at the door when you come home.  Frequently, Spirit is up on the catwalk, watching me through the window as I unlock the front door.  Then he bounds down and off the catwalk and races across the living room to meet me as I open the door.  He skids to a stop in front of me and begins ‘treading’ or ‘kneading’ with his front paws whether he is standing on all fours or on his back.  It should be noted that the other Cat Authors also greet me at the door.
• Loves warmth.  This appears to be true of all cats.
• Active before and after eating.  Spirit’s activity starts as soon as I start to fix their cat food.  The other cats sit, wait and watch.  But Spirit runs in and out of the kitchen, tries to engage the other cats in play-fighting, bumps against my legs and vocalizes or complains rather loudly.  He acts the same way with their cat caretakers.  As my friend Rika said:  "I feel like Spirit is telling me: 'Hurry up!!  What's taking so long?!'”  In other words, when it comes to something that Spirit wants or likes, he can hardly contain himself and he is very persistent in making his wishes/desires clearly known.
• Communicative.  He 'talks' to me and seemingly questions me with short, quiet vocalizations.  Complaints are registered louder and sometimes longer.  If I have to tell him ‘No,” he ‘talks back’ with a short, abrupt vocalization.  When he is happy or pleased, he emits a ‘chortling’ sound. When he purrs, it is always accompanied by the ‘kneading’ or ‘treading’ with his front paws whether he is standing, sitting or on his back.

Information and ideas for this article were obtained specifically from the website/blog:  “Maus in the House.” We thank them.  The underlined portions of the above list are from that web/blog.  The remaining are my own observations of Spirit, my Egyptian Mau, as compared with the other Cat Authors as well as with other cats that have lived in my home.