The Arabian Mau grew up outdoors on the Arabian Peninsula with no undercoat and very little body fat, and that inheritance shapes the year more than any breed-specific disease. Three things need scheduling: warmth from October to March, teeth from age two, and a heart listen every 12 months. Weight is the fourth, because indoor life adds it quietly.
What the year is built around
Three risks shape the year, and one of them is room temperature. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is reported sporadically. Dental disease arrives early because tartar builds fast on these teeth. And the coat has no undercoat at all, which means a 15 C room is genuinely uncomfortable rather than merely cool, and chilled cats pick up respiratory infections through the winter.
The year at a glance
| Period | Health tasks | Coat, warmth and home |
|---|---|---|
| January-February | Weigh; watch for sneezing and eye discharge | Heated bed on; room kept at 20-22 C; no drafts |
| March-April | Annual exam with a heart listen; dental check from age 2 | Weekly rubber brush; wash the fleece bedding |
| May-June | Parasite dose; vaccine dates; bloodwork if 8+ | Windows open — check screens before the cat does |
| July-August | Heat: fresh water twice a day, play at dawn and dusk | Shade at every window; cool tile or a stone slab |
| September-October | Autumn weight check; book the winter dental if due | Bring the heated bed out before the first cold night |
| November-December | Year-end weigh; respiratory check if the cat sneezes | Seal the cat flap draft; add a second warm spot |
Weight: indoor life adds 400 grams a year
The breed runs 3.5-7 kg, with males clearly larger. Indoors, on free-fed kibble, the same cat gains 300-500 g a year and nobody notices until the waist is gone. Weigh monthly on the same scale before the morning meal; at 5 kg, 250 g is 5 percent and already a body condition point.
Feed measured meals twice a day — roughly 55-60 kcal per kg of ideal weight, so about 280 kcal for a 5 kg cat, or 1/2 to 2/3 cup of dry. Keep one meal in a puzzle feeder to slow it down, and put treats on the scale rather than in the bowl: 10 percent of calories is about 28 kcal, three small pieces of chicken.
Winter: the missing undercoat
With no undercoat, the cat has one layer between itself and the air. Below about 15 C it will seek heat constantly, sleep curled, and eat more; a cat that is chilled for days running is the one that comes down with sneezing, runny eyes and a cough. Keep the room it lives in at 20-22 C, give it two warm sleeping places rather than one, and put a heated pad on a low setting under a blanket so it can move off when it wants.
Watch for the drafts you have stopped feeling: under doors, along the floor by a balcony, the gap beside a cat flap. If the cat starts sneezing with discharge that turns yellow or green, or stops eating, that is a vet visit inside 48 hours rather than a warmer blanket.
Teeth from age two
Tartar builds quickly in this breed, especially on the upper fourth premolar, and gingivitis shows as a red line at the gum margin before anything is visible on the crown. Start brushing at 4 months with enzymatic paste, 4-5 times a week if you can, and book a professional check every 12 months from age 2 — earlier if you see 2 mm of brown tartar at the gum line.
Home signs that mean book now: dropping hard food, chewing on one side, pawing the muzzle, drooling, or breath that changed within a month. Dental disease here is not cosmetic — the bacteria load that comes with it lands on the heart valves and kidneys, which matters in a breed with any cardiac risk at all.
Heart screening
HCM is reported sporadically rather than commonly, which is exactly why the annual listen matters: a murmur or a gallop sound in a breed with no screening culture is easy to miss. Ask for auscultation at every annual exam, and if a murmur of grade 2 or louder is heard, book an echocardiogram within 4-6 weeks rather than "next year".
Breeding cats should be echo-screened at 12 months and again at 18-24 months, because HCM in this breed can develop after the first clear scan. At home, count resting breathing while the cat sleeps: under 30 breaths per minute is normal, a consistent 30-40 needs a check, and over 40, or open-mouth breathing at rest, is an emergency.
Coat, skin and the weekly ten minutes
No undercoat means a weekly rub with a rubber brush or a damp hand is the whole job — it removes loose hair and spreads the coat oils that keep the coat weather-resistant. Bathe only when genuinely dirty, every 3 months at most: the skin has little fat to spare and frequent shampooing leaves it dry, flaky and itchy.
Check the ears weekly, the claws every 3 weeks, and run hands over the flanks in spring — this breed tans and its skin is thin over the ribs, so scabs from a scuffle are easy to find early and easy to miss later.
Five mistakes that cost this breed
- Treating it as a desert cat that tolerates cold; it has no undercoat and chills fast.
- Free-feeding an indoor cat that was lean outdoors.
- Waiting for a visible tooth problem before the first dental check.
- Skipping the annual listen because the cat is young and athletic.
- Carrying or wrapping it; this breed dislikes restraint and will struggle hard.
When to call the vet
Open-mouth breathing, or a sleeping respiratory rate over 40 for two days. A cough that persists past 5 days. Sneezing with colored discharge, or no food for 24 hours. Gums bleeding when brushed, or a tooth that has shifted. Weight down 5 percent in a month without a diet. A heart murmur heard at a routine visit is not an emergency, but it is a 4-6 week booking, not a 12-month one.
- Set the heated bed up in October, before the first cold night.
- Weigh monthly and write it next to the food portion.
- Book dental checks from age two and a heart listen every year.
- Count sleeping breaths once a month and keep the number.
Frequently asked
Can an Arabian Mau live in a cold climate?
It can live indoors in one, but only with help. The coat has no undercoat, so the cat has a single layer between skin and air and loses heat quickly. Keep its main room at 20 to 22 C, provide two warm sleeping places and a heated pad on low, and block drafts under doors and beside cat flaps. A cat chilled for several days is the one that develops sneezing and eye discharge.
How often does an Arabian Mau need dental care?
A professional check every twelve months from age two, because tartar accumulates quickly on this breed, and brushing four to five times a week from four months of age. If you can already see 2 mm of brown tartar at the gum line, or the cat drops hard food and chews on one side, book sooner rather than waiting for the annual visit.
What heart screening does an Arabian Mau need?
Auscultation at every annual exam, and an echocardiogram within four to six weeks if a murmur of grade 2 or louder is heard. Breeding cats should be scanned at twelve months and again at eighteen to twenty-four months, since hypertrophic cardiomyopathy can develop after a clear first scan. At home, a sleeping respiratory rate under 30 per minute is normal.