Abyssinian

Medium-sized, this cat has no suggestion of heaviness. He has a lithe body, a medium-length tail, large eyes and alert ears.

This breed comes closest to the wild cat of any recognized domestic breed. In looks the Abyssinian resembles an ancient Egyptian cat as he was portrayed in their paintings and sculpture. The first listing of Abyssinian as a separate breed appeared in Great Britain in 1860, and the British stock formed the foundation for the breed in this country.

His eyes are luminous and almond-shaped. His large ears are broad at the base, matching the feet and legs in color, but tipped with a darker shade. His short coat is not striped or barred; instead, each hair is "ticked" with black or brown, two or three bands of color on each hair being preferable to a single ticking. His legs and chest must be free of barring and in keeping with the body color, there should be no white anywhere except on the upper throat area.

The coat is ruddy brown and ticked with various shades of dark brown or black with the extreme outer tip being the darkest. While the undercoat is orange-brown, a darker shading along the spine is allowed. The undersides and inside of the forelegs should also preferably be an unmarked orange-brown called burnt sienna. The nose leather should be tile red, the paw pads black or brown, with black between the toes and extending slightly beyond the paws, and the tip of the tail is black. The eye color is gold, green or hazel.

Abyssinian cat fanciers say their cats are intelligent and are endowed with a remarkable memory, a sense of humor, and a desire for human companionship if treated as equals. The Red Abyssinian is also recognized for championship competition and has a warm glowing color, with tipping of the hair and tail in chocolate-brown instead of black.


Standards for Abyssinian Cats

Head and Ears: head moderately wedge-shaped. Ears moderately pointed, large and broad at the base.

Eyes: large, bright, and expressive, green, yellow or hazel.

Tail: fairly long and tapering.

Feet: small black pads; this color also extending up the back of hind legs.

Coat: short, fine and close.

Size: never large or coarse.

Cat Fanciers' Association Point Score:
Head: 20
Body: 30
Coat: 10
Color: 35
Condition: 5


Although imperfect cats may be awarded prizes according to the merit of the entry, no Abyssinian that has distinct bars and rings on its legs and tail should be awarded a champion certificate. A white chin should be considered undesirable, and other white markings are not permissible.