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Adopting Kittens: Abyssinian Appearance and Personality Description
- By Super Admin
- Published 05/5/2008
- Adopting Kittens
- Unrated
The Abyssinian is one of the oldest known breeds. In appearance, Abyssinians resemble the paintings and sculptures of ancient Egyptian cats. The Egyptian cats always portray an elegant feline with a muscular body, beautiful arched neck, large ears, and almond-shaped eyes.
The Abyssinians of today still retain the jungle look of Felis sylvestris lybica, the African wildcat ancestor of all domestic cats. The breed is named because the first Abyssinians exhibited in shows in England were reported to have been imported from the country of Abyssinia, known today as Ethiopia.
Physical Description
• Bears a remarkable resemblance to the noble cats depicted in statues of ancient Egypt
• Ticked, richly colored tabby coat free of markings on its legs, tail, and neck but with dramatic facial markings, each hair is ticked with four to six bands of color: dark at the tip, lighter at the roots, with bands alternating dark and light
• The ideal Abyssinian has a bright color at the hair root that matches the color on its underside and on the inside of its legs
• CFA permits four coat colors that are: The original or wild color known as ruddy. Its darker bands of color are sepia to black, and its lighter bands are bright orange, giving the impression of an iridescent cat of burnt sienna; Red with darker bands of color that are chocolate brown, creating the impression of a red, iridescent cat; The blue coat has slate blue or gray dark bands of color with alternating bands of warm beige, giving the impression of a warm, dark blue cat with a very subtle look; Fawn, which has darker bands of cocoa brown and lighter bands of rose-beige ticking, giving the impression of a warm, antique rose-colored cat
• The body type is compact, broad-chested (the cobby type) and svelte, lengthy types (foreign)
• Because of the long legs, they appear to stand on their toes
• The typical Abyssinian likes to arch its back when it becomes alert and stands
• The head shape is a modified wedge
• The eyes are curved like almonds
• Large, slightly pointed ears
• The head, eyes and ears all fit together in a complementary fashion, favoring neither extreme length nor extreme shortne
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Personality
• Busy
• Incredible intelligence
• Good problem solvers
• Insatiable curiosity
• They want to do everything on their own terms
• They can be a great challenge as pets unless you understand their unique personalities
• Constantly on the move unless they are eating or sleeping
• Continually patrol their territory unless something catches their interest. When interest is aroused, they become incredibly focused on whatever is happening, until the next event occurs or they simply lose interest and move on
• Incredibly playful right in to adulthood
• It is not easy to restrain an Abyssinian who does not want to be restrained, given the loose skin under their coats
• If you decide you want to hold them, they will wriggle out of your grasp, but almost never extend their claws.
• They are persistent at getting their way
• Females tend to be more graceful than males
• They have no fear of height
• Given their fondness for high places, they should be provided with the means to live vertically as well as horizontally
• They appreciate tall, vertical scratching posts or tall, carpeted cat tress and perches, the taller the better
• As a rule, they get along well with older, more considerate children
• Abyssinians introduced into a household to other pets will do well as long as you introduce slowly and properly
• They will get along with dogs, ferrets, large caged birds, just about any pet, including other cats; proper introduction is a must
• They get along better if there are other pets or people to keep them company throughout the day
Source: The Cat Fanciers’ Association Complete Cat Book, By CFA and Its Associates
Written by: Connie Limon. Visit “Adopting Kittens” at http://smalldogs2.com/AdoptingKittens to find a complete online reference for choosing and caring for the perfect kitten, which matches you and your lifestyle. For a variety of FREE reprint articles visit http://www.camelotarticles.com
This article is FREE to publish with the resource box.
Copyright © 2008 All Rights Reserved Connie Limon
The Abyssinians of today still retain the jungle look of Felis sylvestris lybica, the African wildcat ancestor of all domestic cats. The breed is named because the first Abyssinians exhibited in shows in England were reported to have been imported from the country of Abyssinia, known today as Ethiopia.
Physical Description
• Bears a remarkable resemblance to the noble cats depicted in statues of ancient Egypt
• Ticked, richly colored tabby coat free of markings on its legs, tail, and neck but with dramatic facial markings, each hair is ticked with four to six bands of color: dark at the tip, lighter at the roots, with bands alternating dark and light
• The ideal Abyssinian has a bright color at the hair root that matches the color on its underside and on the inside of its legs
• CFA permits four coat colors that are: The original or wild color known as ruddy. Its darker bands of color are sepia to black, and its lighter bands are bright orange, giving the impression of an iridescent cat of burnt sienna; Red with darker bands of color that are chocolate brown, creating the impression of a red, iridescent cat; The blue coat has slate blue or gray dark bands of color with alternating bands of warm beige, giving the impression of a warm, dark blue cat with a very subtle look; Fawn, which has darker bands of cocoa brown and lighter bands of rose-beige ticking, giving the impression of a warm, antique rose-colored cat
• The body type is compact, broad-chested (the cobby type) and svelte, lengthy types (foreign)
• Because of the long legs, they appear to stand on their toes
• The typical Abyssinian likes to arch its back when it becomes alert and stands
• The head shape is a modified wedge
• The eyes are curved like almonds
• Large, slightly pointed ears
• The head, eyes and ears all fit together in a complementary fashion, favoring neither extreme length nor extreme shortne
Personality
• Busy
• Incredible intelligence
• Good problem solvers
• Insatiable curiosity
• They want to do everything on their own terms
• They can be a great challenge as pets unless you understand their unique personalities
• Constantly on the move unless they are eating or sleeping
• Continually patrol their territory unless something catches their interest. When interest is aroused, they become incredibly focused on whatever is happening, until the next event occurs or they simply lose interest and move on
• Incredibly playful right in to adulthood
• It is not easy to restrain an Abyssinian who does not want to be restrained, given the loose skin under their coats
• If you decide you want to hold them, they will wriggle out of your grasp, but almost never extend their claws.
• They are persistent at getting their way
• Females tend to be more graceful than males
• They have no fear of height
• Given their fondness for high places, they should be provided with the means to live vertically as well as horizontally
• They appreciate tall, vertical scratching posts or tall, carpeted cat tress and perches, the taller the better
• As a rule, they get along well with older, more considerate children
• Abyssinians introduced into a household to other pets will do well as long as you introduce slowly and properly
• They will get along with dogs, ferrets, large caged birds, just about any pet, including other cats; proper introduction is a must
• They get along better if there are other pets or people to keep them company throughout the day
Source: The Cat Fanciers’ Association Complete Cat Book, By CFA and Its Associates
Written by: Connie Limon. Visit “Adopting Kittens” at http://smalldogs2.com/AdoptingKittens to find a complete online reference for choosing and caring for the perfect kitten, which matches you and your lifestyle. For a variety of FREE reprint articles visit http://www.camelotarticles.com
This article is FREE to publish with the resource box.
Copyright © 2008 All Rights Reserved Connie Limon