ONCE YOU GO ABY, YOU NEVER GO BACK.
The Abyssinian /æbɪˈsɪniən/ is a breed of domestic short-haired cat with a distinctive “ticked” tabby coat, in which individual hairs are banded with different colors. It is a very popular breed, in large part to their unusual intelligence, generally extroverted and very playful personalities.
HISTORY
The Abyssinian is one of the oldest known breeds of cats. It was initially believed that the Abyssinian originated from Ethiopia (formerly Abyssinia). However, the most recent studies by geneticists show that the Abyssinian more likely originated from the coast of the Indian Ocean and parts of Southeast Asia. The earliest identifiable Abyssinian is located in the Leiden Zoological Museum in Holland. This taxidermal exhibit shows a ruddy ticked cat which was purchased around 1834-1836 from a supplier of small wild cat exhibits. This specimen had been labeled by the museum as “Patrie, domestica India”
The Abyssinian Cat breed was refined in England. It is believed that its introduction to England was through the travels of colonists and merchants stopping in Calcutta. Abyssinian Cats where imported to North America in the 1930’s and were the foundation of today’s North American breeding programs.
“Abys are very good at training people to do just what they want them to do.”
PERSONALITY
Very social and people-oriented, possessed refined human watching skills
Very outgoing nature, and has quite a bit to say, but with soft voices
They adore attention and are extremely affectionate and friendly towards their people
A very active cat, the Abyssinian lives life to the fullest which makes living with an Aby highly entertaining and at times challenging
They are highly trainable either for a leash or for playing fetch
Aby’s love to carry things around in their mouths (we lost a set of keys and a set of earbuds at different times for several days … they did eventually bring them back…)
Ideally suited with a companion – ideally another Aby who can match activity levels
They get along very well with dogs, however, it should be noted that they will be the ones in charge, not the dog
“At PureAbby Cattery, we are dedicated to the preservation of this very old and natural breed, and therefore we do not carry any dilute in the Cattery.”
NON-DILUTE VS. DILUTE
The non-dilute Abyssinians original color standard is a deep reddish brown base with black ticking. This color is called Ruddy. Red (also known as Cinnamon or Sorrel) is a mutation of the original Ruddy color.
As with a lot of breeds of cats, breeders started experimenting to produce new colors. These variants have been accomplished by outcrossing to the Burmese, and other short-hair breeds resulted in “blue” and “fawn” colors. As more outcrossing occurs, additional colors are being produced, such as silver and lilac.
At PureAbby Cattery, we are dedicated to the preservation of this pure and natural breed, and therefore we do not carry any dilute in the Cattery.
