THE

ABYSSINIAN

Photo ©Helmi Flick

The Abyssinian is an agouti ticked tabby cat in four colors – ruddy, red, blue and fawn. The agouti ticked tabby gene originated in India and/or Madagascar and spread to the Middle Eastern countries via overland trade caravans and to northern Europe via ship. Abyssinians were first exported to North America in the early 1900’s. The first known mention of an Abyssinian entry at a cat show is at the Crystal Palace show in London, England in December, 1871.

THE ABYSSINIAN

Agouti Ticking

THE ABYSSINIAN

The Abyssinian is a colorful cat, distinctly ticked, medium in body, regal, lithe, muscular, balanced temperamentally and physically, with all elements of the cat in proportion. The Abyssinian is interested in anything - and everything - around them and is very active.

THE ABYSSINIAN

Balance is of major importance, as no one feature has more emphasis than another: Head is 30% (including eye color) Body is 30% Color is 30% (divided equally between color and ticking) 10% is coat texture (itemized separately to emphasize this)

If viewed a different way: Put coat, color, ticking and eye color together for 50% and the other 50% is conformation of head, body, and extremities.

THE ABYSSINIAN

The Abyssinian is a proportioned cat with all elements in balance and harmony.

THE ABYSSINIAN

No one element is more important than another.

HEAD: The ideal Abyssinian head is a modified wedge, gently rounded with width between the ears and breadth to the skull.

THE ABYSSINIAN

COMMON HEAD FAULTS: Penalize a head that is too short and round, or too long and narrow.

THE ABYSSINIAN

Head too round Head too narrow

MUZZLE: Common undesirable traits: • Pinched whisker pads • Chin too strong or too weak • A muzzle that is “boxy” or too narrow

THE ABYSSINIAN

Whisker Pinch, Weak Chin

Narrow Muzzle

UNDESIRABLE >

Planes on the head that are flattened on the nose, the forehead or the tophead.

THE ABYSSINIAN

< CORRECT PROFILE

Gentle curve to the nose, into a rounded tophead.

EARS: The ears are large, broad and cupped at the base. The ear set is forward “set as though listening”. Tufts are desirable, though not mandatory.

THE ABYSSINIAN

Good ear set on each of these cats

THE ABYSSINIAN

Ears too close together

Ears are too narrow at base, and too vertical

EARS: Undesirable traits • Ears that are too close together • Ears that are too low • Ears that are too vertical • Ears that are too small • Ears that are too narrow at base

Ears too low

EYES:

Large and almond-shaped Accentuated by circles of lighter fur around them like mascara markings.

THE ABYSSINIAN

Good eye shape and set

Good facial markings around eyes

EYES: Undesirable traits

• Eyes that are too round • Eyes that are too small • Eyes that are too slanted • No facial markings to outline the eye.

THE ABYSSINIAN

Eyes too slanted

Eyes too round

Eyes too small

TOPHEAD: Rounded. A flat tophead looks awkward and takes away from the desired rounded effect. Ears that are also too low enhance the flatness of the tophead.

THE ABYSSINIAN

Rounded Tophead

Slightly Rounded Tophead

Flat Tophead

BODY: The body is allotted 30% of the points in the standard. The torso is deeper than it is wide. The line of the back is level or has a slight upward curve and the line of the stomach is essentially level WITHOUT A TUCK. The body is never Oriental.

THE ABYSSINIAN

BODY: Muscularity is crucial – the ideal Abyssinian is an extraordinary athlete. The well-developed muscularity should be apparent both to the hand and the eye.

THE ABYSSINIAN

BODY:

THE ABYSSINIAN

Chunky body type.

Short in the body

Oriental body type.

Long in the body

LEGS and FEET: The legs and feet are proportional to the body and are of approximately equal length to the body and the tail. The key here is proportional. TAIL: The tail is thick at the base and tapers. It should be at least as long as the body.

THE ABYSSINIAN

TAIL FAULTS:

A tail that is too short and stubby, or too slender at the base, or to “whippy,” is not correct. Tail faults of any kind, whether at the base, the middle or the end of the tail, are a disqualification.

THE ABYSSINIAN

Short tail.

Note appropriate oval paws

COAT: The texture of the coat is 10 points. The coat on an Abyssinian is difficult to explain. It is dense, soft, and resilient in feel. If the coat approaches the stiff coarse feel of the American Shorthair, or the downy softness of the British Shorthair, or the short, flat, and slick quality of the oriental breeds, it is incorrect.

THE ABYSSINIAN

COAT LENGTH:

The ideal Abyssinian coat is medium in length, long enough to accommodate 2-3 bands of ticking. The coat should not be short and close lying to the body.

THE ABYSSINIAN

Good coat length

THE ABYSSINIAN

COLOR: The Abyssinian in shown in 4 colors: Ruddy, Red, Blue and Fawn.

Ruddy

Red

Blue

Fawn

COAT COLOR: Ruddy Base coat is orangey red or brown red with darker brown or black bands of color. No gray color at the base of the hair shaft. The belly color should be the same as the undercoat color. Tail tip: Black or dark brown Paw pads: Black or brown

Nose leather: Tile red

THE ABYSSINIAN

COAT COLOR: Red

Coat is rich orangey red or brown red color ticked with chocolate brown. The undercoat is the same orangey red or brown red color. The belly is the same color as the undercoat. Tail tip: Chocolate brown Paw pads: Pink Nose leather: Rosy pink

THE ABYSSINIAN

COAT COLOR: Blue

Warm blue-grey color with ticking bands in shades of slate blue. Undercoat is blush beige, with no white or gray. Belly is the same color as the undercoat. Tail tip: Slate blue Paw pads: Pink

Nose leather: Old rose

THE ABYSSINIAN

COAT COLOR: Fawn

Warm beige color with ticking bands in shades of light cocoa brown. Undercoat is blush beige with no white or gray. Belly is the same color as the undercoat. Tail tip: Cocoa brown Paw pads: Pink

Nose leather: Salmon

THE ABYSSINIAN

TICKING: Ticking is the banding of all guard hairs on the Abyssinian. The ideal coat has room for at least 3-5 changes in color on each hair of the back and sides. The changes in color should be easily seen. The belly hair is ticked in lighter shades.

THE ABYSSINIAN

If you cannot see the changes in color, the cat has no visible ticking and that is incorrect.

THE ABYSSINIAN

COAT and COLOR FAULTS:

Cold gray tones at the base of the coat – commonly called “mouse coat.” White undercoat on blue and fawn. Lockets – white spot in the throat or chest area. Dark broken necklaces in the throat area and barring on the legs. NOTE: Unbroken necklaces are a disqualification.

THE ABYSSINIAN

Locket, and

necklaces

COAT and COLOR FAULTS:

Off-color paw pads. White is allowed on the nostril, chin and throat area. White should not extend from the chin to the side of the face, nor should it be too low down on the throat area.

THE ABYSSINIAN

White not confined to chin/nostril and too low on throat area

A NOTE ON CLARITY:

While there are no points per se in the standard for clarity, keep in mind that the penalize section addresses barring on legs, dark broken necklace markings, and rings on tail. Clarity is a “decision maker.” If you have two cats you like equally well, the clarity of coat color, the ticking, and the lack of barring can be used to break the tie.

THE ABYSSINIAN

An example of absolute clarity

HANDLING:

Let the Abyssinian show itself off for you. Put “four on the floor” and evaluate the overall cat as your rhythm dictates.

THE ABYSSINIAN

HANDLING: Pay special attention to the coat, color and the ticking.

THE ABYSSINIAN

HANDLING: When you are done with your examination, take time to look at the balance of the cat. There should not be one part that overshadows the rest.

THE ABYSSINIAN

THE ABYSSINIAN

THE ABYSSINIAN IN SUMMARY:

THE ABYSSINIAN

Contributors to this presentation:

Norman Auspitz Hilary Helmrich Karen Lawrence

Our thanks to the photographers for the use of their fabulous photos.

THE END Photo ©William Rokaw