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Although the Abyssinian is one of the oldest known breeds, there
continues to be speculation and controversy concerning its
history. In appearance, Abyssinians resemble the paintings and
sculptures of ancient Egyptian cats which portray an elegant
feline with a muscular body, beautiful arched neck, large ears and
almond shaped eyes. Abyssinian today still retain the jungle look
of feel. The African wildcat ancestor of all domestic cats.
The source of the name is not because Ethiopia, formerly
Abyssinia, is thought to be the original home of these cats, but
because the first "Abyssinian" exhibited at a show in England was
reported to have been imported from that country. In the British
book, by Gordon Staples, Cats, Their Points, Etc. published in
1874, there is the first mention of an Abyssinian. The book shows
a colored lithograph of a cat with a ticked coat and absence of
tabby markings on the paws, face and neck. The description reads:
"Zula, the property of Mrs. Captain Barrett-Lennard.
This cat was brought from Abyssinia at the conclusion of the war…"
British troops left Abyssinia in May 1868, so that may have been
the time when cats with ticked coats first entered England.
Unfortunately, there are no written records tracing the early
Abyssinians to those imported cats, and many British breeders are
of the opinion that the breed was actually created through the
crossing of the various existing silver and brown tabbies with
native British "Bunny" ticked cats.
Recent studies by geneticists show that the most convincing origin
of the Abyssinian breed is the coast of the Indian Ocean and parts
of Southeast Asia. In fact, the earliest identifiable Abyssinian
is a taxidermal exhibit still residing in the Leiden Zoological
Museum in Holland. This ruddy ticked cat was purchased around
1834-1836 from a supplier of small wild cat exhibits and labeled
by the museum founder as "Patrie, domestica India." Although the
Abyssinian as a breed was refined in England, its introduction to
that country and others may have been the result of colonists and
merchants stopping in Calcutta, the major port for the Indian
Ocean
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Ratings out of 10 |
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Compatibility:
-Children
-Other Pets
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5 |
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Grooming |
3 |
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Affection |
7 |
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Playfulness |
10 |
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Attention Need |
7 |
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Healthiness |
5 |
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Independence |
6 |
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Activity Level |
10 |
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Vocality |
3 |
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Intelligence |
9 |
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