Abyssinian Cat

Introduction

The Abyssinian cat is a natural breed meaning that there was no intervention by humans in the evolution of this breed of cat until "discovered", possibly in the late 1800s. Thereafter through selective breeding the breed has been "refined". This domestic cat breed is the top 3 most popular at the time of writing this (2008).

The breed's origins are unclear but this cat possibly originates from areas that may include Egypt, Ethiopia, west coast of India, islands off the east coast of Kenya or Asia.

Most of these places are on the margins of an area approximately centered by the Indian Ocean (see map).

However, there is an argument that says that the Abyssinian has been created by selective breeding initially in England from English tabby cats and then internationally over a period of 90 years or so. Tabbies are found globally and they have a ticked coat.

History

As can be seen the history of this breed is somewhat vague. The dates and events listed should be noted with caution as they are contradictory. All the theories are listed in brief to allow a full appraisal.

Perhaps the truth is somewhere inbetween the "importation/discovery" argument and the "selective breeding from tabby" argument and a cat or cats were imported from Abysinnia which contributed to the development of the breed but did not found it.

Date	Event
BC - 31 AD	Egypt under the Pharaohs - possible origins of Abyssinian
unknown	Possibly originate from ancient settlements on islands off the coast of Kenya (east coast) - Lamu (see map above). However, the colony of cats from these islands apparently resemble the Oriental Shorthair, a cat of very different appearance.
unknown	On the basis of genetic make up this breed possibly originates from the west coast of the India and Southeast Asia.
1830s	Stuffed cat with ticked coat and ruddy (reddish) color in Dutch Museum purchased indicating that the cat was a domestic cat from India
Dec. 1871	Shown at Crystal Palace (South London) cat show and achieved 3rd prize. The report said that the cat had been captured in the Abyssinian War.This must have referred to the Abyssinian Civil War of 1868-1872. The English forces where in Abyssinia 1867-1868.
before 1874	Abyssinia as possible origin of this breed. Abyssinia is now Ethiopia, which is about 1000km south of Egypt on the African continent
1874	Allegedly imported into England from Abyssinia at the conclusion of the war (Abyssinian War). The war concluded 1872.
mid 1800s?	Allegedly a kitten was imported from Egypt by a British soldier to England. This cat was bred with a English tabby and a kitten from the resultant litter bred back to his/her mother forming the foundation of the breed
1896	The National Cat Club, England, register first Abyssinians
Abyssinian Cat - Jefferson © Helmi Flick
1900-05	12 more Abys registered in England
1907	First few imports from England to US
1909	Silver Aby wins Westminster Show (London)
1930	Further importations from England to USA. These were show quality Abyssinians, which formed the basis of the breeding programme
c.1934	Two Abyssinian cats are CFA registered
1945	Approximately 12 Abyssinian Cats in England (post war years)
1950	The breed began to gain in popularity
1965	Abyssinian wins 2nd place Best All American Cat
1920 -present	Selective breeding to improve appearance of this cat
1984	CFA recognize blue color
1989	CFA recognize fawn color
present	Allegedly still some wild Abyssinians in North Africa

Photo © Helmi Flick

Photo © Helmi Flick

Appearance/Character and Health

I cover the appearance in more detail on a separate page. The Abyssinian is people orientated and loyal. She is also active and can be dog-like (a characteristic common to a number of cats). She also likes water.

If she likes to drink from a tap, you might consider getting a water fountain (e.g. Drinkwell) as I have read a story about a Bengal that drowned doing this because her lungs filled up with water.

This breed's liking of water is in common with domestic cats which have a wild heritage, such as the Bengal. This is inherited from the wild cat who likes to be near water as it is a source of food in the wild.

The outstanding feature of her appearance is her ticked coat. This term means that individual hair strands are multicolored (banded) which gives a "salt and pepper" look. 

Although the "ruddy" base color (my terminology) is the most commonly encountered, her coat can be red, blue and fawn.

She is a healthy cat (but see below). The author of the Cat Fanciers website says that this breed has on occasion been labelled as suffering from a genetically based disease, Renal Amyloidosis. However it not restricted to Abyssinians apparently so the comment seems a little unfair. Also it is hoped that the best breeders will be dealing with health issues in a proper manner and you can ask pertinent questions when adopting. Update: It has come to my notice that the Abyssinian cat breed can (I don't know the level of incidence) suffer from an inherited disorder called Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA). In this cat is is "late onset". It also affects the Bengals (mid onset) and Persians (early onset). PRA also affects people.


If you would like to see a very large format slide show of lots more best photographs of Abyssinian cats by mainly Helmi Flick and other fine photographers then go to this page. You'll be impressed. I also go over, in outline, the CFA breed standard with reference to fine looking cats.

Breeders

These are the Abyssinian Cat breeders that are listed in the first 3 pages of a Google search (excluding directories)

Ameeka
UK based (Lincoln) Ocicat and Aby breeder. This is the first independent breeder website (as opposed to a listing in a directory) on a Google search

Abicatz
Located Danville, WA, USA.

Abyssinian Cats
Another cattery located in the UK, this time Sybil, Whitworth, Leicester.

Alexy Abyssinians (link)
USA located - North Carolina. Breeding Abys since 1986.

The fact that for the first time UK catteries top the search charts is perhaps supportive of the fact that this breed started in the UK.