Cat breeds
Abyssinian
The busy explorer with a glowing coat
Among the most ancient of all cat breeds, the Abyssinian looks like a small wildcat and moves like an athlete. They are alert, lively and endlessly inquisitive about whatever is going on around them, and they attach themselves so firmly to their people that they are often described as the most dog-like of cats. Most are happy sharing a home with children, dogs and other cats alike.
Written with reference to The International Cat Association (TICA). Abyssinian on TICA
History
Nobody can say for certain where the Abyssinian began. Folklore traces it to the banks of the Blue Nile and to the sacred cats of Ancient Egypt — and it does look remarkably like the cats shown in Egyptian murals and carvings. Another story credits Zula, a cat said to have come home to England with British soldiers after the Abyssinian war of 1868, though no record connects Zula to the Abyssinians of today. Recent genetic research points somewhere else entirely: to cats from the coast around the Bay of Bengal in India.
Whatever its roots, the breed was shaped and refined in Britain. The first Abyssinians crossed to America early in the twentieth century, and made their show debut there in 1909. A dedicated American breeding programme followed in the 1930s, and the breed soon became one of the country's favourites for its expressive eyes, its distinctive coat and its character. Its long-haired descendant, the Somali, is named after Somalia, which borders Ethiopia — the country once called Abyssinia — as a nod to the family connection.
Personality
Loyal, loving and exceptionally bright, Abyssinians take a hands-on interest in their people and in everything around them. They will investigate every shelf and cupboard in the house, yet rarely send anything crashing to the floor. They make wonderful companions who always want to know what is happening — and who is doing it.
Did you know?
They are sometimes called the clowns of the cat world — not for silliness, but for the sheer theatre of an Abyssinian deciding your bookshelf is a stage.
Meet our Abyssinian cats
Meet our cats
Want to Meet Them?
You've learned about the breeds. Now meet the cats who call Pink Paws home.
