Abyssinian Cat

The mummified remains of some ancient egyptian cats are almost perfect copies of cats found in Abyssinia which is now Ethiopia at the end of the nineteeth century. The Egyptian cats had 'ticked' tawny hair which was golden at the roots and a similar shaped head. There were also black and blue cats in Ancient Egypt which led experts to believe the Abyssinian (Aby) and the Egyptian cat may have derived from the same common ancestor, the African Kiffir cat whie others assert that the bred was established from tabby matings; a possibility because every now and then Aby-type kittens are born to ordinary tabby parents. Even pedigree Abyssinian cats are sometimes known to have kittens with common tabby markings.

The male cat called Zulu that was taken to Great Britain by soldiers from the abyssinian war in 1868 became the basis for the British breeding programme and was officially recognised in 1882 and 1905 in America.

These cats were known by other names besides abyssinian including Hare Cat, Rabbit Cat and Bunny Cat because their fur was similar to that of a rabbit or wild hare. The fur is short but has several bands of ticking.

Colouring of the Abyssinian Cat 

Abyssinian cats come in a variety of colours such as agouti and red, but also you may find blue, beige or cream varieties and their eyes range from gold to green to hazel. In both England the the US the ideal abyssinian cat is of a medium size of modified oriental type with a firm, muscular body but the American standard calls for a slightly rounder head. Common flaws include signs of cobbiness, white marks on the neck and random spots on the legs, neck and tail.

Near extinction of the Abyssinian Cat

The 'Aby' came close to extinction during both world wars when food shortages struck everywhere in Europe with meat which is very important to abyssinians being in extremely short supply. It had recovered through by the 1960's and 1970's however it suffered a severe setback with the outbreak of feline leukemia virus.

Although now a rather rare cat mainly due to small litters the abyssinian is a very popular cat and is now enjoying a strong period of recovery.

The most striking feature of an aby cat are their tapered ears which are very long and pointed abruptly.