Abyssinian

Abyssinians are colorful cats with a distinctly ticked coat that is soft, silky and of medium length. Their coat can be ruddy, red, blue and fawn colored and these cats have green or gold eyes. They are medium in size and regal in appearance. The Abyssinian's body is long and lithe, but also strong and muscular.

Abyssinians are loyal, love to be around people and are very intelligent. They are eager to play and very curious in all surroundings. It is also said that these cats are very good at "training" their owners!

Although the Abyssinian is one of the oldest known cat breeds, there continues to be speculation and controversy concerning its history. In appearance, Abyssinians resemble the paintings and sculptures of ancient Egyptian cats that portray an elegant feline with a muscular body, beautiful arched neck, large ears and almond shaped eyes. Abyssinians today still retain the jungle look of felis lybica, the African wildcat ancestor of all domestic cats.

The source of the name is not because Ethiopia (formerly Abyssinia) is thought to be the original home of these cats, but because the first "Abyssinians" exhibited in shows in England were reported to have been imported from that country. Recent studies by geneticists show that the most convincing origin of the Abyssinian breed is the coast of the Indian Ocean and parts of Southeast Asia. Although the Abyssinian as a breed was refined in England, its introduction to that country and others may have been the result of colonists and merchants stopping in Calcutta, the major port for the Indian Ocean.

The first Abyssinians to be imported to North America from England arrived in the early 1900s, but it was not until the late 1930s that several top quality Abys were exported from Britain to form the foundation of today's American breeding programs.