Abyssinian Cats

Personality: Active, curious, intelligent, affectionate
Suits: Lively families, experienced cat owners
Other: Love climbing, very agile, quite vocal, need lots of mental and physical stimulation

Breed Information

1) What are they like as pets?

They are very active and very curious. They are also clever - one of their favorite pastimes is to watch humans doing things and then copying them. This can include opening cupboards and doors, so you need to make sure any rooms or cupboards you don't want your Abyssinian to get into are well secured!

They love jumping and climbing. Tops of doors and high cupboards are often favorite places for these cats to perch.

They can run extremely fast and are full of energy. They need lots of mental and physical stimulation to prevent them from becoming bored and destructive. For this reason they're better suited to experienced cat owners or families that can give them the time and attention they need.

2) Looks, build, colors and markings

These cats have long, muscular bodies and long legs. They have lovely big eyes, big ears and fairly thin faces. Their lovely, thick, shiny coats don't need much grooming - once every week or two is usually fine. They come in a variety of colors including fawn, chocolate, lilac and cinnamon.

The breed is fairly small. Adult females weigh about 7 - 9lbs, and males are a couple of pounds heavier.

3) History

The Abyssinian cat is a very old breed - it's thought it originated in Ancient Egypt around 4,000 years ago. It first arrived in Europe in 1866, brought back from Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) by an English soldier who'd fought in the Abyssinian war. The breed arrived in the USA around 1900. It's now one of the most popular cat breeds in the USA.