History:
It is the body style and agouti coat pattern that distinguishes the Abyssinian as being the breed most resembling the cats worshipped by the ancient Egyptians. Some mention is inferred that it descends from a
naturally occurring breed of cat found in the area of Ancient Abysinia (Ethiopia and Northern Africa today). This theory then asserts the Abyssinian was the cat that Pharaohs and Egyptian Royalty honored, revered, worshipped and exclusively owned, making the Abyssinian a companion of Egyptian gods some 4000 years ago. Hieroglyphs and mummified remains of similar bone structure and coat color support this idea.

Genetic Research indicates they descended from a breed found in Southeast Asia and the coast of the Indian Ocean. Therefore, they are not a created breed, but a natural breed. They resemble the African Wildcat (Felis silvestris lybica), originally widespread in Africa, Europe and Western Asia and thought to be the progenitor of all domestic cats. The African Wildcat has been identified as one of the species mummified by the Egyptians during the time of the cat cult in that country. However, their true origins are lost in the obscurity of unrecorded history.

The skin of a small, ticked cat, considered to be the earliest identifiable Abyssinain is displayed in Holland's Leiden Zoological Museum. Around 1834, the museum purchased the skin, which looks very much like the modern ruddy Abyssinain, from a supplier of wildcat exhibits. The museum founder labeled the exhibit, "Patrie" a domestic cat of India. It may have been transported to England by merchants who had stopped in Calcutta, a major Indian Ocean port. According to Abyssinain breeder, Tord Svenson, approximately 37 percent of the cats in Calcutta today are Abyssinian in type. No abyssinain types can be found in Egypt or Ethiopia today.

The year 1868 is distinguished as being the time of the first reliable introduction to the world of the Abyssinian, when a military expedition led by Lord Robert Napier returned to Great Britain from Abyssinia with the first cat of the breed. She was named Zula, after the port where the advance party had landed. Owned by Mrs. Captain Barrett-Lennard, she was fed on the way home on raw beef and was very wild for a long time. She eventually became very fond of her mistress, but had many eccentricities.

Further suggesting the authenticity of the Abyssinian's historic background connected to Egypt is documentation presented in the book, "Journey From the Blue Nile". It is an authoritative history of the Abyssinian which mentions in about 1960 a native Ethiopian cat, matching the Abyssinain Standard to a
                considerable degree, was brought from Addis Ababa by an American family.

Description:
Some kittens are born with very dark coats, with dark marks on their stomachs and bars on their front legs. Some have a neck lace slightly darker in color than the rest of the coat. All this coloring and markings disappear in adulthood when ticking changes to the rich ruddy color. The ticking starts to show when the kitten is about one month of age.

The original color in the breed was "Ruddy". However, the "Red" Abyssinain is suggested to have appeared in a litter of Abyssinains in 1880, although nothing else is known of the breeding. The "Red" gene is recessive, meaning that it must be present in both the Sire and queen in order for a "Red" kitten to be produced. A ruddy queen may carry the red gene, but may never produce a red kitten because she was not mated to a male carrying red. If a ruddy male carries the red gene, the female will produce both red and ruddy kittens in the litter. Only by mating red to red can a litter of entirely red kittens be produced.

Comparisons have been made between the coat of the Abyssinian and the Mountain Lion or Cougar, who's, coloration allows it to blend into its surroundings virtually unseen. At times the Abyssinian has been described as a "miniature cougar."

Health:
Health wise Abyssinains have few genetic defects, but are known to be susceptable to gingivitis and tooth decay. Having their teeth checked and cleaned periodically, applying flouride, if necessary, can control much of the problem.

HOME BACK
This page was designed
by Kisser

Site Design and Content © 2001 by
Christina L. Remien/Kisser
All rights reserved.