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History
The Abyssinian cat is believed to have originated from one Egyptian
female kitten called Zula that was taken from a port in Alexandria
,Egypt by a British soldier and brought to England. The breed was
developed when Zula was bred with an English tabby, and the most
'Abyssinian' looking kitten of her litter bred with its mother to
preserve the Abby phenotype (color, body structure, etc.).
It is believed all Abyssinians in Europe, the
Americas, and Australia are descended from Zula, but there has been
at least one and possibly as many as three Abyssinians introduced
from Libya (or less likely Egypt) into the existing Abyssinian gene
pool in the USA.
Many sources spread the story that Abyssinian
breed is a few thousands years old and that it directly comes from
ancient Egypt. There are also stories that wild 'Abyssinians' live
in parts of North Africa today. The Abyssinian has become one of the
most popular shorthair breed of cats in the USA.
Our first Aby Raskali Shani and her kittens
Characteristics The Abyssinian's body is of medium
length with well-developed muscles. 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, with almond-shaped
eyes that can be gold, green, hazel or copper. The nose and chin
usually form a straight vertical line when viewed in profile. Their
alert, relatively large ears are broad and cupped at the base, and
moderately pointed at the tips, where there are occasionally tuffs
of hair. An M-shaped marking is found in the fur on the forehead.
The coat is short, fine and close-lying. Each hair has a base-colour
with three or four darker-coloured bands; the hair is the lighter colour at the root, and the darker "ticking" colour at the tip. The
original Abyssinian coat colour is known as Usual in the United
Kingdom and as Ruddy elsewhere. Over the years various other colours
have been developed from this, but the markings on the coat have
remained the same. The back of the hind legs and the pads of the
paws are always darker than the rest of the coat.
Usual or Ruddy is the best-known and most common coat colour. The
coat has a warm reddish-brown base, with black ticking. In the Usual
Abyssinian, the feet and the backs of the hinds legs are always
black. Another popular colour is Sorrel, which has a cinnamon
(yellowish-brown) base, with chocolate brown ticking, paw pads and
backs of the legs. Blue Abyssinians, which have become increasingly
popular in recent years, have a light-beige base colour with blue
ticking, paw pads and backs of the legs. The relatively rare Fawn
Abyssinians have a light-cream base colour, with darker cream
ticking and warm dark cream pads and backs of the legs.
Silver Abyssinians are a separate group among the breed. In
Silvers the undercoat is always a pure silvery white. The markings
include black, blue, warm dark cream and cinnamon.
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.
Abyssinians are extrovert, willful and intelligent,
being preoccupied with exploring and playing as they
would in their natural habitat. Abys, as they are
affectionately referred to by their fans, love a
great deal of contact with the family to keep them
happy. They generally get on well with other cats,
although they need their space.
Abyssinians are known for their curiosity and
enjoy exploring their surroundings, including
heights, although they are sensible cats that do not
take unnecessary risks.
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