Abyssinian When people see Abyssinian AB uh SIN ee uhn cats for the first time they often say how much the cats look like small wildcats Abyssinians soft sleek fur has an agouti pattern This coat pattern has bands of light and dark color on each hair Agouti coats are sometimes called ticked coats They are also seen in wildcats such as cougars and lions Abyssinians are active intelligent and friendly People often call them Abys for short These cats seem to enjoy being around people They usually stay close to their owners trying to be involved in whatever the owner is doing In 2016 the CFA ranked the Abyssinian as the ninth most popular breed
FUN FACT Abys agouti coats set them apart from other cat breeds Abyssinian History The Abyssinian is one of the oldest cat breeds No one knows exactly where or when the Abyssinian breed began Some people think that these cats lived in the palaces of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs These kings ruled Egypt thousands of years ago Mummified cats have been discovered in ancient Egyptian tombs Statues and drawings of cats found in Egyptian tombs look much like today's Abyssinians The cats in this artwork also have slender bodies heads shaped like wedges and large eyes But these features are also found in the Siamese and Oriental breeds No one can prove exactly what kind of cat lived in ancient Egypt 800022 Ancient Egyptian cat statues look much like Abyssinians today's
FUN FACT Two silver Abys named Aluminum and Salt were the first of their breed to come to the United States Zula The Abyssinian gets its name from the African region of Abyssinia Today this area is part of the country of Ethiopia During the 1860s Great Britain fought a war in Abyssinia In 1868 a British Army officer brought a cat named Zula from Abyssinia to Britain Zula had an agouti coat but otherwise she didn't look like today's Abys Still some people believe Zula may have been the founder of the Abyssinian breed Others think the breed began in Great Britain British breeders crossed striped silver and brown tabby cats with bunny cats native to Great Britain The bunny cats fur color was similar to that of rabbit fur Traders may also have brought Abyssinians from Southeast Asia when they traveled to Britain Great Britain's National Cat Club registered its first Abyssinians in 1896 British breeders exhibited a few Abyssinians in cat shows during the late 1800s FUN FACT Abyssinians were known as British Ticks in the early 1900s Modern Abys The early 1900s were difficult for the Abyssinian breed Great Britain and other European nations were involved in World War I 1914 1918 and World War II 1939 1945 Most people did not have the time or money to breed cats during the war years The Abyssinian breed almost disappeared in Europe They didn't reach large numbers again until the 1960s During the early 1900s some breeders brought Abyssinian cats to North America from Europe But the breed developed slowly and did not become popular in North America until the 1930s At that time breeders brought several Abyssinians from Great Britain to the United States By the 1950s many North American breeders were raising Abyssinians Today the Abyssinian is more popular in North America than it is in Europe
Modern Abys ticked markings may have come from cats native to Great Britain Abyssinian Traits Abyssinians are average in size compared to other cats Adult Abys weigh 7 to 12 pounds 3 2 to 5 4 kilograms Females are usually slightly smaller than males Body Abys are long slim and muscular Their slender legs are ideal for running and jumping Their tails are long and thin Their short thick fur is soft and shiny An Aby's head is wedge shaped Its ears are large pointed and alert An Aby's large eyes can be green gold copper or hazel The eyes have a thin dark ring around the eyelids
