General

ABYSSINIAN

Country of origin: Ethiopia

According to many the Abyssinian was already at the court of the pharao at the time of the Egyptians. The resemblance in appearance and body between the Abyssinian of today and the mummified cats who were found during excavations in Egypt are striking. Hard evidence the history writers cannot give us. What is certain is that the first Abyssinian came to Great Brittain in 1868 and was taken by field marshal Sir Robert Napier from Ethiopia. This cat had the typical ticking in the coat, but had not much resemblance with our modern Abyssinian.
From 1882 the Abyssinian were recognized in Great Brittain and they appeared regularly at cat shows. Both world wars and a catastrofical outbreak of cat leukaemia caused that there were only a few cats of this breed. Not until the end of the sixties the population of Abessinians grew again and now the breed is one of the most popular and most beloved shorthaired cat breeds.

Head: Modified wedge with rounded contours as viewed from the front. A rise from the bridge of the nose to the forehead without evidence of a sharp break. The head should be of ample length in general balance with te rest of the cat and gently curved from the forehead over the skull flowing into an arched neck.

Eyes: almond shaped, large brilliant and expressive. Skull aperture follows almond hape of eyes being netiher round nor oriental. Eyes accentuated by drker lid skin, encircled by a light colored area. Above each eye apears a short vertical darker pencil strok amidst the light area. At the sides of each eye appears a curved  darker pencil line as if a continuation of the upper eyelid.

Ears: large, alert and moderately pointed, broad and cupped at base and arched forward, set as though listening. Hair on ears short and close-lying, preferably tipped in conformity with the colour requirements. A "thumb print" marking is desirable on the back of the ear.

Body: Medium long, lithe and graceful, showing well developed muscular strength without coarseness and issolid to the feel. The rib cage is rounded with no evidence of flat sides. The back is slightly arched giving the appearance of a cat about to spring. The flank shall be reasonable level without tuck-up. Proportion and general balance to be desired more than mere size.

Tail: long and tapering

Coat: Coat resilient to the touch, with a lustrous sheen, fine in texture. Medium length, long enough to acocomodate four to six alternating light and dark colored bands. The coats lies fairly close to the body; however; the undercoat should be adequate enough to avoid any evidence of slickness. Woolliness undesirable. Coat is longest at the spine, gradually shortening over the saddle, flank, legs and head.

Colour: original colour of the Abyssinian is ruddy. After a while there were more colours, but the marks stayed the same. The back of the hindelegs and the soles are always darker than the rest of the coat. All Abyssinians have distinguished ticking  in the coat. Most common colours are: ruddy, sorrel, blue, fawn, silver, turtle red and cream.

Temperament must be unchallenging; any sign of definite challenge shall disquality. The cat may exhibit fear, seek to flee, or generally complain aloud but may not threaten to harm.

Abyssinians are extrovert, stubborn and intelligent cats. They are not pushing but have an elegant way to make their intentions clear. They are real personalities with a strong and own temperament. They need a lot of contact with their familymembers to feel comfortable and they will protest if left alone all day. They can have friendships with dogs for life. Abyssinians are known for their intelligence and curiousity, everything that is new in the house will be examined thoroughly whether it is a bag of groceries or new furniture. They are playful, ly at your lap for hours to be petted.

You can comb the coat now and then with a brush, afterwards a moist shammy over the coat to emphasize the shine.