The History of the Abyssinian Cat
For those who are looking for a breed to bring into their homes and love, let me tell you a bit about the Abyssinian.
The Abyssinian is a lithe and very muscular foreign type cat of Medium build. The Aby is an alert, very active cat that when standing it should appear to be balancing on tiptoes. The Aby coat is a stunning rich colour which should appear obviously ticked.
They say the Aby originated from Abyssinia (modern Ethiopia), the cat and her descendants naturally acquired the name "Abyssinian", and for many decades the breed was touted as the direct descendants of the sacred cat of ancient Egypt.
The first Aby to reach Australian shores were imported from the UK in 1959. According to one source, they differed markedly from those we see today, with paler, colder coats.
Later imports from the USA, the first of which arrived in 1982, were smaller cats with deeper and richer colour, to their coats. Australian Breeders, able to draw bloodlines from both sides of the Atlantic, have worked hard over the years to produce cats which meet with a favorable response from overseas judges, and which adhere to the Breed Standard, the key note of which is Moderation...
The Official Aby History
NOBLE SAVAGE The pleasures of living dangerously with the world's finest feline They wander freely through the mazelike streets of Calcutta, roam the humid jungles of Sri Lanka, and rest under palms by the Bay of Bengal.
The current assumption is that they were misnamed Abyssinian because British colonists brought them home from India via Abyssinia. These magnificent cats have intrigued people for centuries. With his gold-green eyes alert to danger and sleek body primed for assault or escape, the ruddy-coloured and red Abyssinian survives in the wild as well as he does in comfortable domesticity. Neither wars nor careless breeders have been able to destroy him.
However affectionate, the Abyssinian is fundamentally feral. This is the source of his great allure. Abyssinians remain wild, capricious, and provocative all their lives. One is born an Abyssinian (person) or not. It is not something one grows into.
Will An ABY CHANGE YOUR LIFE? If you are tempted to acquire an Abyssinian, be forewarned that the creature will change your life. Below a longtime Aby-owner makes a modest attempt to count the ways.
1.You will never again sleep past 4:00 a.m. Like the wolf, an Aby feels that predawn is the hour to hunt (but then he also hunts on and off all day).The problem is that he needs you to help him find his prey. At first he may just stand over your head and stare at you, but soon he"ll develop a heavy purr. Only the extremely naive will suppose that the purr expresses devotion. If you have not responded within a reasonable time, he may begin to nibble at your nose or toes. Occasionally he"ll burrow into your hair and try to get some of it between his teeth. Within thirty minutes you will be in the kitchen, can opener poised.
2. You’ll never eat alone. Even if you are eating food the cat doesn't like (in my experience, only grapefruit), he will develop a taste for it. He will steal anything in the pot or on the plate-from croissant to steak or corn on the cob-and drag it to whatever place he considers his lair. You will never be able to sit through a meal when an Aby is nearby. Fortunately they don't mind being removed to another room. Unfortunately, this action never inspires reform.
3. You will have to sneak in and out of your home like a criminal. This is to prevent your Aby from running away. When I open my front door to greet visitors, I clutch my Aby in my arms. No doubt my visitors now talk behind my back about my neurotic attachment. Its actually self-defence. To my shame, my Aby has been known to flee into strangers' apartments and hide under their beds. He has rushed into the elevator and descended alone to the lobby. On one horrible night, with-out my knowing it, he slid through a partially opened window to the fire escape, where he sat overnight one flight above his real home. I hope he missed me.
4. You will dress in tatters. The Aby is a wonderful climber and jumper. If he can get into a closet, he will go straight to the top. And he may stay there so long that you forget where he went-until late at night, when assorted things start hurtling to the floor as he tumbles down to join you in bed. With an Aby in the house, moths will never again be a problem. He can perforate a silk shirt or wool jacket in a single assault. Most Abyssinian-breeders frown on declawing besides it’s illegal in Australia..
5. You will have to put up with tantrums. An Aby is moody. He actually gets grumpy. When he does-and you never know why-he will do anything and everything to annoy: for instance, eat your plants, walk across piano keys as you practice, rewind your VCR/DVD/BluRay with his paw, stand on your book while you read, climb a cabinet and wend his way through the crystal, cozy up to the phone when you are doing official business and purr. If you block them one way, they will find another way to drive you mad. They are very, very smart cats.
6. You will have to throw out overnight visitors-for their own protection. Abys are very sociable and will usually seduce even the most hardened cat hater. They love to be petted and will often end up in a stranger's lap in a undignified swoon. But overnight visitors quickly outlast their welcome. An Aby's hostility may be manifested by his scratching the offender’s suitcases, sitting on the offender's clothes and shedding, or, in desperate cases, using the guest bed as a litter tray.
7. You will benefit a thousandfold. With an Aby, you will never lack for affection. And since the Aby remains as wild as a kitten for life, you may also find yourself holding on to your youth-just keep up with him.
