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.
Map courtesy
Google Maps
Thereafter, the
argument goes, the markings
were bred out and the color of the cat warmed up. This
contradicts the other accounts. The Abyssinian is renown for
her
ticked coat and balanced conformation.
Photo of
Abyssinian - Viper
- turning to the left © Helmi
Flick
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.

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.
Abyssinian cat - Natalie - photograph
© Helmi Flick
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.
reproduced
under creative commons © Kit