The Wonderful World of Abyssinian Cats

Abyssinian cats are gorgeous animals, uniquely bred to show a coat unlike any other tabby cat. While all tabby cats, including the Abyssinian cats, have ticked backgrounds in their coats, only the Abyssinian cats have been bred to remove the additional patterns in the fur such as blotches, spots, or a mackerel.

Abyssinian cats have been bred for over 85 years to remove these additional patterns and to provide a uniquely ticked coat. This means that the individual hairs of the coat are banded with different colors, but there are no additional patterns to the coat. There are four colors officially recognized by the CFA, which include the original red and ruddy varieties and the more recent additions of blue (from 1984) and fawn (from 1989). The colors of these beautiful cats do not fully mature until the cat reaches about a year and a half old, so don’t judge an Abyssinian cat’s potential by it’s shade as a kitten.

Ruddy
The ruddy-coated Abyssinian cats are a vibrant burnt orange color underneath their outer coats, with a rich and ruddy brown over top ticked with shades of brown and black. Their legs and belly are unticked burnt orange, and they occasionally have a black line down the center of their backs which reach up to the tip of the tail, however the ruddy Abyssinian cats do not have any striping or barring and no white markings at all. Their noses are brick red, the pads of their feet black or brown, and their eyes are typically a shade of gold.

Red
Dilute the darker ruddy Abyssinian cat and you will find yourself with a lovely sorrel, cinnamon, or red Abyssinian. These cats are a lovely red color ticked with chocolate, and have a base coat color of deep apricot. The stomach and the inside of the legs are unticked apricot like the base, and the color along the spine might tend to be darker. The nose of the red Abyssinian cats should be pink with a brick red lining, and the paw pads should be pink as well.

Blue
The blue Abyssinian cats are a more modern addition to the breed, but no less lovely in their way. These cats should show a warm blue-gray shade ticked with a deeper blue, and should be a pale cream color at the base. As with red Abyssinian cats, the color along the spine tends to be a darker version of the body color. The tail should be tipped with a darker and deeper shade of blue, and the paw pads should be blueish as well, with a dark pink nose.

Fawn
The fawn Abyssinian cats should show a dull beige color ticked with a cream color with a pale cream base like oatmeal. The spine shading should be a darker shade of the body color, and the tip of the tail should be a darker shade as well. The paw pads and nose should both be shades of pink.

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