Abyssinian

Cat Breeds

The Abyssinian

Personality

Abyssinians aren?t for those who want decorative cats to match the rust-colored carpet, or for those who want cats that enjoy being picked up and cuddled. Courageous, curious, and high-spirited, when restrained Abys tend to become struggling bundles of fur with more than the usual number of elbows; however, that?s not to say that Abyssinians are aloof or standoffish. While Abyssinians will cheerfully entertain themselves, they are most happy when involved in every aspect of your life. They are particularly involved at dinnertime. In fact, you?ll know it?s dinnertime when small, furry, food-seeking missiles attach themselves to your legs!

Abyssinians regularly perform antics for your amusement, earning them the reputation of being the clowns of the cat kingdom. They will often perch on shoulders, crawl under covers, and sit on laps purring madly before racing off to bat imaginary butterflies and make flying leaps at the tallest bookcases. Natural athletes, no closed room or cupboard is safe from their agile paws and inquiring minds.

Health

Abyssinians have few genetic defects but, like their longhaired counterpart the Somali, are prone to gingivitis and tooth decay. If the Abyssinian can be trained to cooperate with regular tooth- brushing and applications of fluoride, and if periodic professional teeth cleaning and checkups are provided, the problem can be minimized. Abyssinians and Somalis are also susceptible to amyloidosis, a renal disease thought to be hereditary.

Care

They are generally hearty, easy to care for. Regualr Vet checkups / vaccinations. Brushing once in awhile helps with shedding and prevents hairballs. Keep a check in the ears for mites.

Buy high-quality food. Good cat food is high in protein and has balanced fatty acids. It will help your Abyssinian stay healthy and energetic. Provide dry food three to five times a week to help your Abyssinian avoid gum disease and expensive dental care.

General:

A colorful cat with a distinctly ticked coat. Its distinctive ticked look comes from the combination of colors on each hair shaft.

Body:

Well-balanced temperamentally and physically. Breeders report that the show trend has been toward a more tapered, elegant muzzle, and a slimmer, semiforeign body. Medium long, lithe, and graceful, showing well-developed muscular strength; conformation strikes a medium between the cobby and svelte types.

Head

Modified, slightly rounded wedge without flat planes; slight rise from bridge of nose to forehead; no break; muzzle not sharply pointed or square; chin neither receding nor protruding.

Ears

Alert, large, moderately pointed; broad and cupped at base.

Eyes

Almond-shaped, large, brilliant, expressive; neither round nor Oriental; accentuated by a fine dark line. Eye color gold or green.

Tail

Thick at base, fairly long and tapering.

Coat

Soft, silky, fine in texture; dense and resilient to the touch; lustrous sheen; medium in length with two or three dark bands of ticking.

Color

Ruddy, red (also called sorrel), blue, and fawn. In England, Australia, and New Zealand, a fifth color, silver, has been accepted.

Disqualify

White anywhere other than nostril, chin, and upper throat; abnormal tail; dark unbroken necklace; gray undercoat.

History

Although no one knows positively when or where the Abyssinian first appeared, the best known tale is that today?s breed is a direct descendant of the sacred cats worshiped as the physical manifestations of the gods in the temples and palaces of the ancient Egyptians some 4,000 years ago. Abyssinians do look remarkably like the cats depicted in Egyptian murals and sculptures.

Two Abyssinians arrived in America in the early 1900s and were first exhibited in 1909. Active breeding of Abyssinians didn?t begin until the 1930s, but then breeders made up for lost time. Today, the Abyssinian is second only to the Siamese in popularity among the shorthaired breeds, according to the CFA?s registration totals.