The Abyssinian Cat is one of the oldest known breeds.
There is however speculation concerning its history.
The Abyssinian is a natural breed of domesticated cat.
It is thought to have originate from one Egyptian female kitten called Zula.
This cat was taken from a port in Alexandria, Egypt, by a British soldier and brought to England.
Here, the breed was developed by Zula being bred with an English tabby, and the most 'Abyssinian' looking kitten of her litter being bred with its mother to splice the Abby gene.
Abyssinians resemble the paintings
and sculptures of ancient Egyptian cats which portray an
elegant feline with a muscular body, beautiful arched neck,
large ears and almond shaped eyes.
Ethiopia which was formerly named Abyssinia is thought by some to be the original home of these cats.
The Abyssinian Cat likes plenty of space,
indoors or out, as play and exercise are of vital part of their
daily routine.
The Abyssinian is one of the world's oldest known breeds, although there continues to be speculation and controversy concerning its history.
Also fondly called the "Aby", in appearance, Abyssinians resemble the paintings and sculptures of ancient Egyptian cats which portray an elegant feline with a muscular body, beautiful arched neck, large ears and almond shaped eyes.
Abyssinians today still retain the jungle look of Felis lybica, the African wildcat ancestor of all domestic cats.
History of the Abyssinian Cat:
Although recent studies indicate the origin to be the coast of the Indian Ocean and parts of Southeast Asia, its name springs up from when the Abyssinians were introduced into England around the same time British soldiers were returning from the war in Abyssinia (now known as Ethiopia). The first mention of this is in the Harper's Weekly (January 27, 1872 issue) where the 3rd prize in the December, 1871 Crystal Palace show was taken by the Abyssinian Cat ("captured in the late Abyssinian War"). This article is accompanied by an illustration of the Abyssinian Cat.
In the British book, by Gordon Stables, Cats, Their Points, and Characteristics published in 1874, there is also mention of an Abyssinian. The book shows a colored lithograph of a cat with a ticked coat and absence of tabby markings on the paws, face and neck. The description reads: "Zula, the property of Mrs. Captain Barrett-Lennard. This cat was brought from Abyssinia at the conclusion of the war..." British troops left Abyssinia in May 1868, so that may have been the time when cats with ticked coats first entered England.
Unfortunately, there are no written records tracing the early Abyssinians to those imported cats, and many British breeders are of the opinion that the breed was actually created through the crossing of the various existing silver and brown tabbies with native British "Bunny" ticked cats.
Recent studies by geneticists show that the most convincing origin of the Abyssinian breed is the coast of the Indian Ocean and parts of Southeast Asia. The earliest identifiable Aby is a taxidermal exhibit still residing in the Leiden Zoological Museum in Holland.
This ruddy ticked cat was purchased around 1834-1836 from a supplier of small wild cat exhibits and labeled by the museum founder as "Patrie, domestica India." Although the Abyssinian as a breed was refined in England, its introduction to that country and others may have been the result of colonists and merchants stopping in Calcutta, the major port for the Indian Ocean.
The first Abyssinians to be imported to North America from England arrived in the early 1900s, but it was not until the late 1930s that several top quality Abys were exported from Britain to form the foundation of today's American breeding programs.
Physical characteristics of the Abyssinian Cat:
The Abyssinian's muscular body is of medium length and a moderately oriental type. The legs are slender in proportion to the body, with a fine bone structure. The paws are small and oval. The Abyssinian has a fairly long tail, broad at the base and tapering to a point.
The head is broad and moderately wedge-shaped, and the chin is very definite. The nose and chin usually form a straight vertical line when viewed in profile. The almond-shaped ears are slanting and have a lively expression. The relatively large ears are low; they are broad at the base, tapering to a point.
The coat is short, fine and close-lying. The original Abyssinian coat colour is known as Usual in the United Kingdom and as Ruddy elsewhere. Over the years various other attractive colours have been developed from this original colour, but the markings on the coat remain the same. The back of the hind legs and the pads of the paws, for example, are always darker than the rest of the coat irrespective of the colour.
Usual or Ruddy is the best-known and most common coat colour. The coat has a warm reddish-brown base, with black patches. In the Usual Abyssinian, the feet and the backs of the hinds legs are always black. Another popular colour is Sorrel. As in the Usual, the Sorrel coat has a warm reddish-brown base, but the patches, the soles of the feet and the backs of the legs are cinnamon (yellowish-brown) rather than black. Blue Abyssinians, which have become increasingly popular in recent years, have a light-biege base colour with steel-blue patches, pads and backs of the legs.
The relatively rare Fawn Abyssinians have a light-cream base colour, with darker cream patches and warm dark cream pads and backs of the legs.
Silver Abyssinians are a seperate group among the breed. Although this colour has been in existence for decades and is very attractive, it is not recognised by the Cat Fanciers' Association, the world's largest registry of pedigreed cats. In Silvers the undercoat is always a pure silvery white. The markings include black, blue, warm dark cream and cinnamon. Good Silver Abyssinians are difficult to breed because they sometimes have undesirable tan patches in the coat.
In addition to this, and any spots in the coat show up more clearly on a silver coat.
Rare colours include the Tortoiseshell, Red, Cream, Chocolate and Lilac, which are all bred on a small scale in Holland and the UK.
Abyssinian kittens are born with dark coats that gradually lighten as they mature. It usually takes several months for the final coat colour to be established. Since Abyssinians carry the gene for long hair it is possible to find Somalis in a litter of Abyssinians.
Temperament of the Abyssinian Cat:
Abyssinians are extrovert, wilful and intelligent, but are usually not "lap cats", being too preoccupied with exploring and playing as they would in their natural habitat.
"Abys", as they are affectionately referred to by their fans, need a great deal of contact with the family to keep them happy and can get depressed without daily activity and attention. They generally get on well with other cats, although they need their space and the females can sometimes be irritable around other cats.
Abyssinians are known for their curiosity and enjoy exploring their surroundings, although they are sensible cats that do not take unneccesary risks.
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