Abyssinian Cat Breed
The Abyssinian Cat is one of the most popular breeds of short-hair cats in the world, especially in the USA. With its distinctive ticked coat and a very strong resemblance to the ancient cats of Egypt, this is an extremely beautiful and regal cat to have. It is no wonder they manage to captivate and interest cat enthusiasts for over a century.
This breed of cats that is thought by many to be the direct descendant of the ancient sacred cat of Egypt. As these cats do bear a strong resemblance to cats from ancient Egyptian paintings, the theory that the Abyssinian cat breed is at least a few thousand years old may not be unfounded. They are possibly the most purebred of all pure breed cats in the modern world.
The exact origins of this cat breed is virtually unknown and difficult to verify although recent reports has suggested that the modern Abyssinian Cats may have descended from a female Egyptian cat called Zula. The female cat Zula was first brought to England by a British soldier Captain Barrett Leonard from a port in Alexandria in the 1860’s. However, there are no records linking between the first Abyssinian Cat registered and Zula and therefore this theory is not taken seriously at all by cat enthusiasts.
Abyssinian Cat Appearance
The typical Abyssinian Cat is smaller in stature as compared to other cat breeds with an average weight of between nine to sixteen pounds. The body is of medium length and lithe like with well-developed muscles. The legs are slender in proportion to the rest of the body and with a finer bone structure. As for the paws, they are small and oval. It has a graceful tail which is fairly long.
The head is gently rounded and wedge-shaped with wide-set tufted and moderately pointed listening ears. For show breeds, large ear tufts are a must. The eyes are large and expressive and their almond-shape eyes can comes in a variety of amber, gold, green or hazel colors. Sometimes distinctive frown lines in the shape of an “M” can be found on the fur on the forehead of some Abyssinian Cats and these markings are often referred to as “mascara lines”.
The coat of the Abyssinian Cat is dense and smooth to the touch. It is distinctively ticked, with three or four bands of color tone. The roots of the hair is lighter in color with the darkest color band often at the tips. This distinct color ticking of the hair is known to be found only in the Abyssinian, Singapura and Somali cat breeds. The original coat color is a warm reddish-brown base but over the years, various colors of coats have appeared due to mutation of genes and cross breeding with other cat breeds.
Abyssinian kittens are born with dark coats that gradually lighten as they grow older and mature. The final coat color will usually takes several months to be established.
Abyssinian Cat Personality & Temperament
The Abyssinians are possibly the most active cat breed around. They are known to be extremely active, playful, extroverted, intelligent and willful. They are by nature a very curious breed and will spare no effort in exploring their surroundings. They love toys and can play with hours with their favorite toys, so make sure you have lots of toys for them to indulge in.
They are also known to be very affectionate and need a lot of activities, attention and interaction to keep them happy. You need to get them involve in your family activities or otherwise they can get depress very easily. If you cannot afford the level of attention and care that they need, you should look for a quieter breed instead. If you aren’t home a lot, you may want to consider adding another Abyssinian to your household, as this breed does enjoy playing and interacting with other cats.
Abyssinians can also get along very well with dogs. As they are very intelligent, they can also be taught some basic dog commands such as fetch and retrieve small objects just like dogs. Although they are suitable family pets, they tend to bond better with adults or older children.
Abyssinian Cat General Health
Generally, the Abyssinians are a healthy cat breed. However, there are certain things that you need to take note of to ensure that they can live well into their teens. Firstly, remember not to overfeed them. Also, keep them indoors at all times to prevent them from catching easily transmitted contagious and fatal diseases from other stray cats. One common health problem this breed have is an inherited eye disease called retinal atrophy. This is very unusual in other cat breeds, although it is fairly common in many dog breeds.
The Abyssinian Cat needs very little grooming due to its short sleek coat, however you can still give them a little more attention as long as you are gentle with them. They are a very fun cat breed to have and if you enjoy playing with cats, this is definitely the cat breed to have.
No related posts.
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
