Abyssinian Cats Definitely Put The "A" In Active.

The Abyssinian cat is a very popular, elegant, purebred cat with a long and interesting history

It is one of the first cat breeds of the cat fancy. It is not a cat breed that has been bred to extreme. It retains a normal and elegant conformation inline with its athletic tendencies and intelligent personality. All these, plus the special ticked tabby coat, are the reasons for the breed's continued popularity.

The Abyssinian is one of the oldest breeds of domesticated cats, but it's real ancestry is lost in time.

The Aby, as he’s nicknamed, is unlike any other cat.

Smart, silly, and impressively athletic, he stays in constant motionjumping, climbing, and exploring. In other words, this is no lap cat. He also has a unique ticked coat, giving him the appearance of a wildcat.

The confident and alert Abyssinian is thought to be one of the oldest cat breeds.

Although he resembles a small African wildcat, he's a domestic feline through and through. The six- to 10-pound, moderately vocal cat stands out for his ticked coat, which comes in a bevy of colors, including a reddish ruddy, chocolate, cinnamon, blue, lilac, and fawnas well as a silver version for all of these colors. Silvered Abyssinians have an icy white coloration closest to the skin, and ticking along the hair shaft.

The intelligent, curious Aby is highly active and athletic.

He spends his days climbing up to high places, exploring every nook and cranny of your home, and diligently supervising whatever it is that you're doing. This is a happy cat who's sometimes called the Aby-silly-an because of his playful nature. He does best with a person who spends a lot of time at home interacting with him. He also prefers to be the only cat in the house, so he can nab all the attention.

This breed also puts the "a" in athletic

and is capable of soaring up to 6 feet in the air and moving like an Olympic sprinter. Your shoulder is often a preferred place for perching for Abys, when they are not attempting to garner your attention to show off with some feline tricks

This is an affectionate, loyal but demanding breed

who needs to keep busy to avoid becoming bored and destructive. Abys also make you a tidy housekeeper because they like to climb, so keep breakables safely out of paw's reach.

Nicknamed the “Runway models of the feline world, the Abyssinian is blessed with a long, lean, muscular body on long, lean legs.

The Aby wows admirers with its large, expressive almond-shaped eyes, oversized pointed ears, and its eye-catching coat. The coat contains a ticked or agouti pattern enhanced by alternating bands of color on the hair shafts that project a translucent quality.

The coat comes in a variety of colors, including ruddy, blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon and fawn.

Abyssinians aren't for those who want decorative cats

to match the rust-colored carpet, or for those who want cats that enjoy being picked up and cuddled. Courageous, curious, and high-spirited, when restrained Abys tend to become struggling bundles of fur with more than the usual number of elbows; however, that's not to say that Abyssinians are aloof or standoffish. While Abyssinians will cheerfully entertain themselves, they are most happy when involved in every aspect of your life. They are particularly involved at dinnertime. In fact, you'll know it's dinnertime when small, furry, food-seeking missiles attach themselves to your legs!

Clowns of the cat kingdom

Abyssinians regularly perform antics for your amusement, earning them the reputation of being the clowns of the cat kingdom. They will often perch on shoulders, crawl under covers, and sit on laps purring madly before racing off to bat imaginary butterflies and make flying leaps at the tallest bookcases. Natural athletes, no closed room or cupboard is safe from their agile paws and inquiring minds.

Abyssinians have few genetic defects

but, like their long haired counterpart the Somali, are prone to gingivitis and tooth decay. If the Abyssinian can be trained to cooperate with regular tooth- brushing and applications of fluoride, and if periodic professional teeth cleaning and checkups are provided, the problem can be minimized. Abyssinians and Somalis are also susceptible to amyloidosis, a renal disease thought to be hereditary.