About Abyssinians
Wonderful, intelligent, playful, inquisitive, alert, cheeky, loyal and loving, to name but a few adjectives. One which definitely doesn't apply is boring, if you are after a nice quiet cat for the rug in front of your fire then I suggest looking at other breeds. On the other hand, if you are looking for a ‘different' cat, a housemate who will ALWAYS be interested in what you are doing. A cat who will remain a kitten for most of it's life and who just LOVES ‘interactive' games with anyone who is willing to participate? If the answer is yes, then look no further.
Aby's are an intelligent breed and extremely playful. They crave human attention and love to ‘join in' with whatever you are doing. They hate being left out and many an owner will tell stories of the cat who even waits for them outside the bathroom door. Many Abyssinians also have a fascination with water, running taps are considered a great toy and they can often be found walking along the edge of a sink or bathtub. Pity the poor owner who is occupying the tub when the overzealous Aby slips and discovers that being submerged in water is not fun AT ALL!
They consider playtime to be ALL THE TIME and can make a game out of just about anything, however the BEST toys have a human attached to the other end!! If you initiate playtime with your Aby, be prepared for a LONG session, I can guarantee that you will get tired before they will. A favourite game is often ‘fetch', whether it is a toy mouse or just a screwed up piece of foil, the Abyssinian (being a clever sort of cat) knows that bringing it back means it will get thrown again. If you get an Aby who excels at this game it can take HOURS for them to finally get tired of it!
Abyssinians are also very social cats and have been known to get along with many other breeds and species, and being quite ‘canine' in nature they tend to get on very well with dogs. Our kittens are well socialised before they leave for their new homes and this confidence helps them to adjust to just about anything in their new environment.
So a playful nature and a good temperament is always a good start but if you add to this the stunning looks of an Abyssinian then you get something rather special. They are medium built, muscular cats, not chunky like the British Shorthair, nor slender like Oriental breeds such as Siamese. They have a very distinct coat pattern called ‘agouti' which is very similar to that of a wild rabbit's fur. Each hair has three to four bands of alternating colour, creating a ‘ticked' effect. The Abyssinian is an athletic breed and very agile, they are great climbers and absolutely LOVE heights. The ticked coat and tabby markings on their faces give them a slightly ‘wild look' which is very attractive.
The four main coat colours of Abyssinian are shown in the photo below. Bottom Right - Usual Abyssinian, Top Left - Sorrel Abyssinian, Bottom Left - Blue Abyssinian and Top Right - Fawn Abyssinian.
