Mother watches on indifferently, as one playful infant launches herself headlong at her brother, engaging them both in a flailing melee of fur rolling haphazardly along the dusty gutter in Garden City.

These beautifully striped, gooseberry-eyed kittens appear vivacious and healthy, but many of Cairo’s street cats are not so lucky; scavenging to find food and water and suffering abuse from those whose paths they cross.

What happened? Ancient Egyptians were among the first people to recognize cats as domestic animals and treated them with great respect, but now the unique breed of cat indigenous to this country — the Egyptian Mau — is underappreciated and under threat from European invaders.

Have the little furballs really become so unlovable? Quite the contrary: As the only naturally occurring spotted kitty, demand is high in the pet-loving societies of America and Europe, with breeders and buyers paying through their little wet nose to get their hands on purebreds.

So what will the next 3,000 years hold for the Mau? While some are encouraging them to live out the American dream, there are others working to reconnect this special Egyptian breed with its proud heritage.

Stray cats and dogs have long been a contentious issue in Cairo, with animal welfare groups divided over the best way of battling the government’s eradication schemes of shooting and poisoning. Sifting through a burgeoning pride of street scavengers in search of a particular breed may seem to be a daunting task, but spotting a Mau is not so difficult once you know what you’re looking for.

“The simplest way to describe it is a cat that is found in Egypt and in the Middle East, like a tabby cat.” explains Gloria Lauris, head of the Egyptian Mau Rescue Organization (EMRO) “It’s the only small, spotted naturally occurring cat. Some of the more characteristic things are the gooseberry green eyes, a scarab or an M on the forehead, they are spotted on the back, and they have a very worried expression [their] tails are ringed, legs are ringed.”

Lauris first encountered the plight of the Egyptian Mau on a visit to her Egyptian husband’s relatives here, during which time she had hoped to find a companion for a silver Mau cat she had already acquired from a breeder back in her native Canada. Having made many inquiries, both in English and Arabic, she could not find a breeder or pet store that could provide her with one.

“I was quite stunned that one of the most ancient cats in the world was not known in its homeland and they were running feral in the streets,” she says. “So at that point, I vowed that if there was any way I could help these cats in the future [I would, and] there must be [other] people willing to re-home these cats”

In August 2005, she established EMRO, a shelter and veterinary center that takes in and treats stray Egyptian Mau cats with an aim of re-housing them with suitable families. Although some cats are sent to more lucrative markets abroad — the non-profit center is otherwise funded entirely by donations, the rest comes out of her own pocket — she also tries to house cats with families in Egypt.

At the time, she explains, there were only a handful of Mau breeders in North America, and the cat was considered rare and muchsought after. Although there was a demand for Maus, both in America and worldwide, there was no facility in Egypt to house the animals and prepare them for transportation abroad.

In America, pop fashion is king; from tottering bottle-blondes carrying only the poshest kitties to urban hip-hoppers brandishing bulldogs on diamond studded chains. Pet fashion is dictated by Beverly Hills royalty, not by conservationists looking out for a diminishing breed.

Fortunately, the Mau brand established itself in the upper echelons of feline fads with the 2004 film adaptation of the Marvel Comics classic Catwoman. Halle Berry took the scantily clad lead in an otherwise atrocious production, and was almost upstaged by her silver Mau co-star Midnight as he breathed life into her character.

In reality, the demand for Maus comes more from discerning suburban households looking for an exotic infatuation than from the leather-bound Hollywood A-listers in search of a secret identity. Nevertheless, the breed has garnered an exclusive reputation, and a price tag to match.

“There are large demands for them here in the US,” says Stephanie Strother, an American breeder who focuses entirely on Maus. “They [sell] from $550 (LE 3,080) up to $1,000 (LE 5,600) for spayed or neutered animals and considerably more for breeders.”

“Most breeding cat[s] are between $2,000 to $3,000, although it is very hard to find [someone] to sell you [one],” says Lisa Van Order, who owns another Mau cattery with her husband Roger. Their adoration is typical. “When my husband saw his first Egyptian Mau he knew that was the breed he wanted to work with,” says Lisa, “We had never seen such a beautiful, graceful and mystical cat. The spotting was that of a wild cat and the mascara lines were that of Cleopatra, we were truly mesmerized with the breed.”

These features so loved by affluent cultures in the west are, however, somewhat lost on those here at home — the difference in personal income accounts for no small part of the disparity. The Mau breed had been revered throughout Egyptian history long before designer cat-collars and feline fashion statements ever saw the light of day.

Dr. Salima Ikram, Professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo says, “[Ancient] Egyptians viewed cats both as practical and sacred creatures.” They were used to protect valuable grain supplies and were often depicted in mythological scenes. “Small cats were associated with big cats, and big cats were associated with the king. Lions were associated with royalty and also with the sun and the sun god.”

Ikram explains that such was their sacred status, many goddesses, such as Bastet, Sekhmet and Moot, were manifested as cats, and domestic felines can often be seen depicted in tomb paintings, symbolizing devotion to particular deities. The Pharaonic goddess Bastet had a particularly strong following; cats were afforded the same mummification rituals as humans and placed in shrines as offerings to her. Her cult was even adopted by the Romans, until such worshipping was outlawed by an imperial decree in 390 AD.

It is this rich feline history that Mau activists are hoping to affirm and — with the help of some new evidence — prove that the breed is the true heir to this pharaonic legacy. In doing so, they may be able to conjure up some of the mysticism that has captured the imagination of Mau lovers abroad.

Researchers from the University of California, Davis in America are currently studying the history of the Mau as part of a larger feline genealogy project. Ikram explains, “DNA work is being carried out to see if there is a direct link between the Mau and ancient Egyptian cats, which is quite feasible. Certainly, if you look at them, typically, the Maus look very much like the Egyptian cats that are pictured in tombs – the distinctive profile [] more elegant than a lot of the other cats seen around.”

Lauris hopes that proof of such a link may give EMRO some much-needed extra publicity, and, more importantly, further highlight the plight of the Mau cats at home.

Ikram agrees, “I think that there might be more people who would be willing to preserve the Mau and do more in the way of adoption of cats and things like that because there are people who are very keen on Ancient Egypt and also simultaneously keen on cats.”

Egyptian Maus can claim to be true descendants of the Ancient Egyptians, and as such it would be a shame to see them, like so many other riches, exported abroad. Here, they will never again be considered sacred, but with a little bit of luck, they could once again be considered cool. et

EMRO is entirely funded by donations and personal investment, supplemented by contributions of food and medicine. They are always on the look out for potential adopters and volunteers. For more information, visit www.emaurescue.org