The Abyssinian

The name Abyssinian comes from the country now known as Ethiopia, which is just south east of Egypt. This cat breed looks very much like the sacred cats that were depicted on the walls of ancient Egypt.

Today's Abyssinian cat breed is basically what is known as a ticked tabby cat, but the tabby markings have almost disappeared due to selective breeding over the years. Most of the tabby markings can be seen around the eyes and on the top of the head, as well as along the spine and down the tail.

This is a medium sized cat and can appear quite muscular. They have a elegant neck and have large cupped ears which are wide apart.

The colour variations of this cat breed are known as:

• Usual - Also known as Ruddy. The coat is brown ticked with black.

• Sorrel - Also known as Red. A warm ginger colour coat ticked with dark brown.

• Fawn - A pale oatmeal colour with warm brown ticking.

• Blue - A pinkish beige undercoat ticked with slate grey.

• Lilac - A pinkish cream undercoat with a slightly deeper hue of soft pinkish grey.

• Silver - A silver base coat that can be ticked with one of the other colour variations of the breed.

Coat

The Abyssinian has a short, close lying fine coat. You can still see distinct tabby ticks on the fur resulting in at least four bands of colour on each hair. The roots of the fur are the same colour as the base colour but with the final top layer displaying the ticking colour.

Eyes

The cat has wide set large eyes that are very expressive. The eyes are slanting and almond in shape are normally amber, hazel or green in colour.

Grooming

The coat is very easy to groom by the cat and does not need much assistance from the owner.

Temperament

This cat breed is very intelligent and inquisitive by nature. They are also very energetic and playful and will require a lot of space and stimulus to keep them entertained and happy.

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