Abyssinian Cat Breed

The Abyssinian is a natural breed of domesticated cat believed to originate from one Egyptian female kitten called Zula that was taken from a port in Alexandria, Egypt, by a British soldier and brought to England

What is the Abyssinian breed origin?
The Abyssinian cat is said to be descended from a cat called Zula, brought to England by Captain Barrett Leonard when he returned from service in the Abyssinian wars in the 1860's. Apparently, he brought two cats, but Zula was the sole survivor. Needless to say, there is no verifiable record of Abyssinian cats directly descended from Zula, but Abyssinians were certainly exhibited at Crystal Palace in 1871, so that this breed may claim to be one of the original pedigree cats. Certainly every Abyssinian in the world is descended from cats bred in the United Kingdom. There are no records of the names or owners of the Abyssinians exhibited at Crystal Palace in 1871, to the best of my knowledge, and certainly no indication of their pedigrees. Nor is the Abyssinian the only ticked cat European history records. The so-called British ticked tabby, or "bunny cat", a cobby creature with ticked coat, short legs and thickish tail, might well be behind Abyssinians such as Ras Imru, judging by photographs. The agouti coat pattern is dominant, which explains its survival. Indeed many tabby cats have distinct ticking in addition to their stripes, spots and bars.

The origins of the domestic cat, whether pedigree or not, are shrouded in mystery, but it is beyond dispute that the Egyptians venerated the cat, forbade its export from Egypt and established temples to its worship, notably at Bubastis. Egyptian cats were mummified in their thousands. Grotesquely, many were shipped to Liverpool in the 19th century by plunderers of Egyptian sites - to be used as fertiliser! The Abyssinian Cat Club has one of these mummified cats as its mascot. The cat's status in Egypt derived from its ability to protect the stores of grain harvested in the Nile Valley. The Egytians also used cats in hunting, as various murals attest. Analysis of cat remains at Egyptian sacred sites indicated two main types: the African Golden Cat and Felis Chaus. So if you think the Usual Abyssinian bears more than a passing resemblance to Egyptian statues or murals, you may well be right. The late Alannah Coleman, internationally known art critic and judge of Abyssinians, certainly was convinced that Abyssinians had an Egyptian provenance.

How is the Abyssinian appearance and size?
Abyssinians are a special type of tabby cat; they are distinguished from all other tabbies by their beautiful ticked, resilient coats. All tabbies, in fact, have this ticked or agouti background in their coats (whereby each individual hair shaft is banded with different colors); however, superimposed on this ticked background is a particular dark pattern such as mackerel, spotted, or blotched. Through more than 85 years of selective breeding, these dark patterns have been nearly eliminated from the Abyssinian breed, and this is what makes them so unique. Although other tabbies are bred in different colors, Abyssinians are bred and recognized for championship by CFA only in the ruddy and red varieties, and more recently the color blue was recognized in 1984 and fawn in 1989).
Adult Abyssinians don't reach their full potential in coloring or ticking until they around a year and a half old. A kitten who looks pale and washed out when its first baby coat comes in after birth could become a vibrantly colored beauty when its color reaches its maturity.

Ruddy, Tawny or Usual
There are four most common colors of Abyssinians are: Ruddy, Red, Blue and Cream.

The Ruddy Abyssinians, (our little guys and gals), are a soft, rich coat of ruddy brown. Each hair is ticked with shades of brown or black with a vibrant burnt orange color closest to the skin. The insides of the legs and the underbelly are of the same burnt orange color, unmarked; the more vibrant the color, the better. They may have no stripes, lines or barring, and no white marks anywhere on the body. The legs should be of a clear color without barring. Eyes are generally rich golden, but hazel or green are also acceptable. Like all cats, kittens eyes are blue at birth and start changing at a few months of age. It is theorized that the longer it take the eyes to chage to their full color, the richer in color they will be. The nose is tile red, and the paw pads are brown or black. It is not unusual for an aby to have a black line down the centre of the back which extends up to the tip of the tail. The tail itself is long, wide at the base, and then tapered to the tip. Large, expressive ears are tipped with black. Abys are very alert, active and nothing in their domain gets past their notice or curiosity.
The impression an aby gives is that of a small cougar, lithe yet muscular and strong with exceptional balance.

Coat
Warm brown ticked with black. Base colour deep orange. Stomach and inside of legs deep orange to deep apricot to harmonise with the base colour. Any shading along the spine should be of a matching shade. Tip of tail and soles of hind feet are black.

Nose Leather
Brick red, outlined with black.

Paw Pads
Black.

Eyes
Amber, green or yellow; pure, intense colour.

Comments
Withhold challenge for white locket, white extending onto the neck or above the nostrils, unbroken necklace, grey or light undercoat, lack of ticking, bars on the fore legs, marks on the stomach, Siamese type, round head, whip tail.
FaultsGhost marking on legs, stomach and chest; too much marking on face; absence of outline around eyes; small or pointed ears; round eyes; unclear eye colour; cobby appearance; too deep a nose break.

Sorrel, Cinnamon or Red
A dilution of the ruddy, being a warm sorrel red ticked with chocolate brown. Tail tipped with chocolate brown. Preference given to deeper shades of sorrel and good even ticking. Paw pads: Pink with chocolate brown between toes, extending slightly beyond paws. Eye color: Gold, copper, green or hazel, the more richness and depth of color the better. Nose leather: Rosy pink.
Coat
Copper red with chocolate red-brown ticking. Base colour deep apricot. Stomach and inside of legs deep apricot to harmonise with the base colour. Any shading along the spine should be of a matching shade. Tip of tail and soles of hind feet are red-brown.

Nose Leather
Pink, outlined with brick red.

Paw Pads
Pink.

Eyes
Same as Ruddy

Comments
Same as Ruddy

Blue
A warm soft blue-gray ticked with deeper blue. Base hair and undersides of the body, chest, and inside of the legs to be a pale cream color. Spine shading to be a darker shade of body color. Tail tipped with a deep shade of blue. Preference to be given to good even ticking. Paw pads: Blue-mauve with a deep shade of blue between the toes extending slightly beyond paws. Eye color: Gold, copper, green or hazel, the more richness and depth of color the better. Nose leather: Dark pink.
Coat
Description as for Ruddy Abyssinian but body colour is a warm blue-grey ticked with dark steel blue-grey. Base colour pale cream or beige.

Nose Leather
Blue-grey or brick red outlined with blue-grey.

Paw Pads
Blue-grey.

Eyes
Same as Ruddy

Comments
Same as Ruddy

Fawn
A warm pinkish buff with powdered effect ticked with a deeper shade of pinkish buff. Base hair, undersides of the body, chest and inside legs to be a pale oatmeal. Spine shading to be a darker shade of body color. Tail tipped with a deep shade of pinkish buff. Preference to be given to good even ticking. Paw pads: Pink-mauve with a deep pinkish buff between the toes extending slightly beyond paws. Eye color: Gold, copper, green or hazel, the more richness and depth of color the better. Nose leather: Pink-mauve.

Coat
Description as for Ruddy Abyssinian but body colour is dull beige ticked with deep warm cream. Base colour pale cream.

Nose
Leather Pink, or pink outlined with old rose.

Paw Pads
Pink.

Eyes
Same as Ruddy

Comments
Same as Ruddy

Personality
Abyssinians are very active, friendly, curious and playful, but are usually not "lap cats", being too preoccupied with exploring and playing. They are "busy" cats, and can get bored and depressed without daily activity and attention. Many Abyssinians enjoy heights, and will explore their surroundings in three dimensions, from the floor to their owner's shoulders to the top of the highest furniture. They are highly intelligent, and probably the most independent of any domestic breed. There is a long haired version of the Abyssinian, called the Somali

What are the Abyssinian common disorders?
Abyssinians are generally healthy but are prone to gingivitis. If not treated, the more serious periodontitis can develop, causing tissue, bone and tooth loss. Untreated, dental disease can undermine the cat's overall health. With routine tooth brushing, regular checkups, and periodic professional teeth cleaning, the problem can be minimized. Amyloidosis, a disease thought to be hereditary that affects the kidneys, and PK deficiency, which causes anemia, have been found in some Aby lines

Other
A study of early photographs reveals the persistence of the characteristic gently rounded Abyssinian head, with wide-set, large, tufted and listening ears. The ears extend the lines of the moderate wedge. Eyes are a rounded almond shape, in an oriental setting. The hair around the eyes is pale and the eyelid edge darker. The Aby has slight nose-break, rounded muzzle with a slight indentation and a firm chin. Most characteristic of all are the markings, in the ticking colour, which extend from the inner edge of the eye to the top of the head and from the outer edge of the eye to the ears. The "Aby look", wild but not savage, centres on the large expressive eyes, whose glance is intelligent, mischievous, demanding and yet affectionate and sensitive. Body shape and coat, however, have varied widely. Some early cats such as Ras Imru, mentioned above, were heavy and cobby with a long, course coat, not at all like the lithe, medium sized, muscular cats of foreign type specified today. Others, particularly in the 1950's tend to the oriental in shape and quite a few have completely straight profiles. Certainly two Siamese appear in the back lines of every modern Abyssinian: Miss Melodious Venture and Dreamland Peter, and these are unlikely to have been the only outcrosses used to improve the vigour of a numerically small breed. Then there are the "white Abyssinians", almost certainly Siamese variants! The Aby coat is distinctly ticked, with three or four bands of colour, ending in the ticking colour. A clear undercoat is desirable, but grey roots (in Usual Abyssinians only), a common feature of agouti coats, persist. They are a serious fault if found all over. Today's cats usually have the find short coats specified by the current Standard. However, some modern Aby coats are arguably too short and soft, which probably reflects outcrosses to Siamese and Burmese at various times. The older-style coat is preferred by some, including myself; fine and nearly double, resilient and close lying and with just a hint of crispness, like polished rice, on the surface.

Abyssinian Photo Gallery