Where do Abyssinian cats come from?

We are not sure where Abyssinian cats come from. However, the best assessment is that they come from Abyssinia which is what the citizens of Ethiopia call their country nowadays. Officially it is called the Ethiopian Empire. It is in north-east Africa. It is believed that the first Abyssinian cat in England was called Zula. This individual cat, it is believed, was brought to England by the wife of Captain Barrett-Lennard in 1868. 

This is according to Gordon Stables writing in 1874. The date, 1868, coincides with the end of the Abyssinian confrontation and it is probable that she obtained the cat from one of the returning soldiers from that war. The name of the cat, Zula, is the name of the northern Abyssinian port at which the British military force established its first base in 1867.

 Where do Abyssinian cats come from? See map above.

It is then believed that the cat was selectively bred in England during the early years of the cat fancy from ticked tabby coated cats brought back to England from Abyssinia after this brief war. It appears that more than one cat was brought back which allowed selective breeding to take place and to found or create the new breed which was labelled the Abyssinian cat.

The cat was first listed as a distinct breed in 1882. Its status was contested. The first breed standard for this cat was published in 1889 by Harrison Weir who is described as the father of the cat fancy. The first Abyssinian cats to be registered in the National Cat Club studbook occurred in 1896 and in 1907 the first Abyssinian caps were exported to the United States.

Abyssinian cat. Photo in public domain nowadays/

It should be strongly noted, however, that there are a lot of theories about the origin of the Abyssinian cat. We don't know for sure. A lot of what is said is either a best guesstimate, a decent analysis or pure speculation. But the name of the cat points strongly to Ethiopia as the country of origin and it does tie in quite nicely with the fact that there was a war there which allowed soldiers to bring animals back. The cats must have seemed quite exotic at that time because of the interesting ticked tabby coat. This is a coat which does not have markings like the classic tabby (except the M on the forehead and a dark tipped tail) but the coat has a broken and rusty appearance.

Some writers of the era speculated that the Abyssinian cat might be a direct descendant of the sacred cat of the ancient Egyptians. Egypt is close to Abyssinia. And the Abyssinian cat, when in the sitting position, looks very like the statuettes of the ancient Egyptian era right down to the appearance of the face. But there's no hard evidence to back up the idea that this is a cat from ancient Egypt.

Are Abyssinian cats vocal and talkative?

Yes, they are talkative but there are two ways to answer the question: the conventional and the unconventional way. The conventional answer pretty clearly states that Abyssinian cats are talkative. Gloria Stephens, a cat show judge and a person with considerable knowledge of the cat breeds, describes the Abyssinian cat as an individual that "loves to talk with people in a euphonic voice". Fair enough.

Abyssinian cat. Photo: Helmi Flick.

A pretty distinct and clear answer. The unconventional answer comes from me but of course I defer to Gloria Stephens. However, I don't think that you can say with certainty that Abyssinian cats are talkative. Firstly, it depends on the individual cat because even within a cat breed there will obviously be variations between individuals as to personality and personality has a bearing on whether the cat is talkative or not.

Secondly, the amount of vocalisations that a cat makes depends upon the environment in which they live. If you have a tremendously loving human caretaker in a close relationship with an Abyssinian cat, the cat is liable to be quite talkative to that person. It's simply an extension of their relationship.

Thirdly, cat breeders normally focus on the appearance of the cat they are breeding and their behaviour comes second. You never hear of cat breeders selectively breeding for a cat that is talkative. It is not on their radar to declare to themselves that a particular cat is very talkative and therefore to put that cat in the breeding line to ensure that offspring and their offspring are going to be more vocal. To the best of my knowledge, they don't do that. They don't focus on a tendency to vocalise because they are fully focused on the appearance which takes precedence over everything else.

The Siamese cat is known to be vocal with a particularly characteristic voice as it happens. But even with the Siamese there is variation. The point that I'm labouring on explaining is that Gloria Stephens makes a definitive statement about Abyssinian cats being vocal but I wouldn't go that far. I would answer in a more cautious way because I don't think you can brand an entire cat breed with the description that all the cats in the breed are talkative and vocal.

Patellar luxation and Abyssinian cats

Abyssinian cat. Photo: Helmi Flick with her express permission.

Patellar luxation is more common in some cat breeds than was once thought. Rather disturbingly, surveys of Abyssinian cats from California in 1991 and1992 discovered that 26/69 (38%) of examined Abyssinian cats had "patellars that could be dislocated, compared with 1/84 other cats tested". This condition can sometimes be found at the same time with hip dysplasia. The kneecap slides to the inside of the leg rather than remaining on top of the joint i.e. in its trochlear groove. There may be intermittent lameness and a reluctance to jump.

The source of the information comes from the studies listed below:

1. Giger Urs, P.A. Green and G.K. Smith: "Hip Dysplasia and Patellar Luxation in Cats", Veterinary Proceedings from the North American Veterinary Conference, 1992 Vol 6:321. This study is referred to in Medical, Genetic & Behavioral Risk Factors of Devon Rex Cats by Ross D Clark DVM.
2. Guger Urs; Presentation at the 13th Annual Robert Winn Foundation Symposium on Feline Health, June 20, 1991. "Patellar Luxation and Hip Dysplasia" summary by Diana Cruden. Cat Fanciers' Almanac, Nov. 1991, p. 84.

Interesting facts about the Abyssinian cat

The most interesting facts about the Abyssinian cat come from it's history. I know that the history of the cat breeds does not fascinate people as much as their appearance but in this instance I have to write about it. There is one story which I think is very interesting about the origins of the breed. It is a bizarre historical incident.

Both the above photos are by Helmi Flick

The Emperor of Abyssinia (now Ethiopia) in 1860 wrote to Queen Victoria to ask her to marry him. She ignored the letter which annoyed the Emperor resulting in the arrest of some Europeans including the British consul. The British government overreacted and sent in a force of 32,00 to release him and the others. The Emperor panicked as the troops approached his residence and he blew his brains out with a pistol given to him by Queen Victoria!

The fighting was over before it had started so they offered gifts to a local chief and went home. On their way home some of the soldiers picked up pet kittens from the friendly local people and returned to England with them. This is said to be the beginnings of the Abyssinian cat breed.

The first Abyssinian cat in Britain, according to a man called Gordon Stables writing in 1874, was an individual called Zula who was brought to England by the wife of captain Barret-Lennard in 1868. This is the date of the end of the Abyssinian confrontation. It is possible that she obtained the cat from one of the returning soldiers referred to above. "Zula" refers to the name of the northern Abyssinian port at which a British military expeditionary force established its first base in 1867.

That is the more romantic version of the origins of the Abyssinian cat. The more pragmatic and perhaps realistic version is that the cat was simply created through selective breeding in England at the end of the 19th century. It appears that there was a substantial amount of crossbreeding of cats with ticked coats in order to fix what is now perhaps the defining feature of this cat namely the ticked coat. This is an agouti tabby coat without the strong markings with which one is familiar. The appearances salt-and-pepper rather than dark swirls or spots and stripes.

Although it seems likely that some cats were indeed brought back to England after the brief war with Abyssinia. Perhaps the selective breeding took place around these cats and they were refined by mating them with carefully chosen British shorthairs.

The first time I saw an Abyssinian cat I thought that it looked very similar to the ancient Egyptian cat statues in museums. It raised the question as to whether the Egyptians, many thousand years ago, lived with cats similar in appearance to the Abyssinian. There is no evidence to suggest this however. This misconception may have come about because the Abyssinian cat's appearance is very regular and normal. This is one of the outstanding features of this cat breed. Although the cat is quite slender and athletic there is nothing extreme about it which is refreshing bearing in mind some of the extreme bred cat breeds such as the flat-faced Persian.

Some authors suggest that the Abyssinian was first listed as a breed in 1882 but this is contested. There was a "Standard of Points" (breed standard in modern terminology) in 1889. It was published by the founder of the cat fancy, Harrison Weir. The first Abyssinian to be registered at the National Club Studbook occurred in 1896. The first individual Abyssinian cats to be exported to the United States were shipped out in 1907.

As to temperament, there are many descriptions but it would be surprising if there were anything but excellent companions. I shall rely on Gloria Stephens who says that they communicate with their human companions in an open and loving way. This cat likes to talk with people in a "euphonic voice". They make a loyal, loving companion. This is a gentle animal capable of understanding the feelings of their owners. The Abyssinian is an inquisitive cat with great climbing skills combined with grace and agility. Yes, they are an athletic cat breed.

Their appearance is medium-sized. They are muscular, shorthaired and have slender bodied. The head is "slightly wedg -shaped". The ears are large with almond-shaped eyes. The tail is long and tapering. The long-haired variant of this very popular breed is the Somali. In my view the Somali is more attractive than the Abyssinian and their appearance is somewhat like that of a fox. They photograph beautifully in the studio. I can vouch for it having attended a photographic session with Helmy Flick in the USA at a cat show in which she photographed the most glorious Somali cat.

The original colour form is the rusty red coat called "ruddy". This was the sole colour until 1963. The colours have been expanded substantially.

Abyssinian Cat Personality

The Abyssinian cat personality is said by people in the know to be loving and loyal. This cat breed is apparently talkative and lets you know when they want something; sounds a bit like the Siamese. They have gentle dispositions. The Aby is inquisitive and a skilled and agile climber  - a naturally athletic cat¹.

Dr. Bruce Fogle describes the Abyssinian as "attention-demanding" (Encyclopedia of the Cat - ISBN 978-1-4053-2149-5). Their popularity - in the top 5 of all cat breeds - indicates that they have very pleasant personalities.

Chilli - Abyssinian cat - all played out - Photo by Maggie Sharp.

Maggie in Tasmania, Australia, has an Abyssinian, Chilli, as a cat companion. He seems like an active boy cat.

Remember, though, that individual cats have their own personalities that are superimposed on cat breed characteristics.

Note: (1) Legacy of the Cat - Gloria Stephens - ISBN 0-8118-2910-3

Abyssinian Cat Pictures

Eleven Abyssinian cat pictures by the celebrated Helmi Flick, one of the world's best and one of the best known cat photographers.

The photographs on this page are protected by copyright ©. Violations of copyright are reported to Google.com (DMCA). Sorry but Helmi is a professional photographer.

Abyssinian cat "Hawkeye" ©Helmi Flick	Abyssinian cat Ady Uber ©Helmi Flick
Abyssinian cat "Diego" ©Helmi Flick	Abyssinian cat Josephina ©Helmi Flick
Abyssinian cat "Gryf" © Helmi Flick	Abyssinian cat "Muscle Girl" © Helmi Flick
Abyssinian cat "Siggy" © Helmi Flick	Abyssinian cat "Siggy" © Helmi Flick
Abyssinian cat "Natalie" © Helmi Flick	Abyssinian Cat photo ©Helmi Flick
Abyssinian Cat photo ©Helmi Flick	Champion Abyssinian cat 1907 photo public domain

I have added the last and 12th picture as a comparison. You can see a marked difference to the shape of the cat's shape. In the early 20th century the Abyssinian cat had a more cobby shape. Selective breeding created what breeders consider to be a more elegant looking cat - called "foreign" body shape.

The Abyssinian is a tabby cat with few markings (tail and forehead). There are some subtle color types. The ruddy color is the one we are familiar with. Blue (gray ) is also popular. Personally, I think that this cat should have one color.

Beautiful Abyssinian Cats

Here are three beautiful Abyssinian cats. The first one is by an amateur photographer on Flickr and the second by Helmi Flick, one of the world's best cat photographers.

Blue Abyssinian Cat - Photo polandeze

This above cat lives in Sheffield, England. This cat (I don't know her/his name) has gold/hazel colored eyes as far as I can tell. This is one of the eye colors of the Abyssinian cat under the breed standard. This is a tabby cat but the only markings you see are the faint, disguised "M" mark on the forehead and muted markings on the tail.

Abyssinian cats "Prowler" & "Viper" ©Helmi Flick

I find the difference between ruddy coated Abyssinian cats and sorrel coated cats difficult to separate. I think Viper is a ruddy Abyssinian and Prowler is a sorrel coated Abyssinian. If I am wrong, please tell me in a comment. See some Abyssinian cat facts.

If you are looking for breeders in the USA try the Breedlist.comhttp://www.breedlist.com/ website. In the UK try the Abyssinian Cat Club.

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The photo by Helmi Flick on this page is protected by copyright ©. Violations of copyright are reported to Google.com (DMCA).

Abyssinian cat health issues

Abyssinian cat health issues must include a well recognized disease called renal amyloidosis. It is presumed to be an inherited disease (genetic disease). "The mode of inheritance is not completely understood" (1).

It starts at between one and five years of age. Some cats live to 10+ years and others die soon after diagnosis.

A substance called "amyloid" is deposited in cells and it kills the cells due to "pressure atrophy". This accumulation of amyloid occurs in the cat's kidneys.

Symptoms of ill health include:

• poor coat
• weight loss
• lethargy and anexoria
• polydipsia (excessive thirst)
• polyuria (excessive urination)
• dehydration
• anemia
• oral ulcers
• gum disease

The cat's kidneys are firm and irregular. The vet can feel these through the cat's abdomen (feeling internal organs is called "palpation").

A renal biopsy (removal of affected cells to be examined) confirms the existence of the disease. The cat suffers from chronic kidney failure and the vet will treat for that illness.

(1) Medical, Genetic & Behavioral Aspects of Purebred Cats edited by Ross D Clark DVM

Abyssinian Cat

Abyssinian cat "Hawkeye" -
photograph copyright Helmi Flick

Introduction



The Abyssinian cat is a very popular, slender purebred cat that is well known for his or her special ticked tabby coat. The history of this cat breed is interesting. There are no facts but plenty of speculation. There is agreement that this cat breed is one of the oldest in the cat fancy and that the breed quite possibly originates in India as a jungle cat (Felis chaus) wildcat hybrid that was imported to England by a British soldier via Abyssinia (now Ethiopia).

Showing ticked coat
Photo by key lime pie yumyum
(Flickr)

The two most recognised cat coat colours are probably the ruddy or natural colour and the blue.



History of Abyssinian Cats

My assessment as to the possible history of the Abyssinian cat is based on historical record and Darwin's records that come from his voyages to the far east. As mentioned above my theory is that this cat breed started in India, around the middle of the 19th century as a wildcat hybrid to the domestic cat sized jungle cat (Felis chaus), which, incidentally, looks very like the Abyssinian. It is not uncommon for semi-domestic cats to mate with small wildcats. This occurs with the Scottish wildcat for instance. A modern version would be the Bahraini Dilmun. The original Abyssinian cat in unrefined form would have been very interesting looking and it would not be unsurprising if a person took a fancy to the cat and imported it into England.

{Note: it is interesting to note that the modern version of the jungle cat x domestic cat cross - a wildcat hybrid - is the Chausie, a relatively rare cat breed.}

Click on the link to read lots more: Origins of the Abyssinian Cat.

You can see a time line of the history by clicking here.

You can read about the first Abyssinian cat Zula Zula in England by clicking here.

Blue Abyssinian cats

Blue Abyssinian cat - photo by polandeze (Flickr)

I have a page on blue Abyssinians. You can see it by clicking here. The page also discusses red Abyssinians and some genetics.

Red Abyssinian cats

Ruddy Abyssinian Kittens - the person in the picture is the
the breeder: Pat Harbert.

See this image in large format: Two Ruddy Abyssinian Kittens. You can see three ruddy and three blue Abyssinian kittens in a large format picture by Helmi Flick by clicking here with some background info or see it right here:

Taken at an Oklahoma cat show. Two blue, 3 ruddy and 1 spoiler
Please respect Helmi's copyright.

These are commonly called "ruddy" (Tawny - Ruddy/Usual). Below is the video of the blue and ruddy Abyssinian kittens that you see on this page. They are ready to be photographed by Helmi Flick at a cat show in Oklahoma, USA. One of them caught my eye. He was tired and I think he was a bit of a loner. Is he the one on the right spoiling Helmi's photo? I think so.



Click here to see the above video in HD on YouTube. You can see the finished photographs and compare blue to ruddy in this video. Or you can read some more about the background to the video by clicking here.

Long Haired Abyssinian Cats - The Somali

The Somali cat breed is extremely attractive. The resemble foxes in their coat color and foxy plumed tail. I like foxes so I like Somali cats. The male cat in the video below was one of the stars of this cat show in Oklahoma, USA.



Click on here to see it on YouTube in HD.

Abyssinian Cat Personality

This section incorporates Abyssinian cat behavior because personality dictates behavior. Please don't believe that each and every cat breed has a particular and nicely defined personality. They generally don't. Remember there are over 100 cat breeds. You do get some generalized differences between the more active, slender and perhaps more intelligent cats (say Bengal cat) and the more gentle indoor loving cobby type cats (for instance the Persian) but individual cat personalities outweigh differences in cat breed personality.

That said a person with first hand experience of handling and wrangling the majority of cat breeds, Ken Flick,  says that the Abyssinian is extremely active. He says that the Abyssinian cat is more active than an F1 (first filial) Chausie (a Chausie is a wildcat hybrid - jungle cat to domestic cat as mentioned above).

Abyssinian cats are one of the more intelligent cats it is thought and this degree of activity supports that finding.

See a video about the two extremes of cat personality (Bengal to Exotic Shorthair that supports this point).

Abyssinian Cat Rescue

As it happens, I have a page on Abyssinian cat rescue so there is no need to go over it here. Yes, there are Abyssinian cats that need rescuing but I think you will find them quite scarce. After all this is a very popular purebred cat. Click on the link to go to Abyssinian Cat Rescue.

Next some more frivolous and more commercial stuff. People search for it.

Abyssinian cat cursor

There are several sites that offer an Abyssinian cat cursor. Tucows is one. It is a download and the cursor is the head of an Abyssinian cat. See the page here.

Abyssinian cat license plate

This is a purely American thing. You don't see it elsewhere and they would be illegal in the UK and probably Europe generally. Amazon.com (North American market) do a license plate frame that might appeal to an Abyssinian cat fan:





Abyssinian Cat Care

Caring for Abyssinian cats is the same as caring for all domestic cats with the proviso that plenty of attention is given to your Aby as they are intelligent and active. These qualities need to be expressed.  One other aspect of caring for the Abyssinian cat is a knowledge of any genetically inherited diseases that might concern this breed of cat. There are several which you can read about on this page - just scroll down the page.  Two are:

• Renal amyloidosis - this comes in several books on cat health.
• Lysosomal storage disease

Here are some web pages from PoC on caring for the domestic cat:

• Geriatric cat care
• Pet care costs
• Newborn kitten care
• After hours emergency cat care
• Bengal cats need special care

Abyssinian Cat Price

Depends on quality as is always the case with purebred cats. By quality I mean to what extent the cat matches the breed standard in appearance. At the poorer quality end expect to pay $300-500 (USD in the USA) and £1000 at the best quality end. You can translate dollars for pounds to figure out the price in the UK but please check (prices as at June 2011).

Abyssinian cat earrings

Couldn't find earrings but this ornament might do (please click on the image):



See and read more in a quick guide about the Abyssinian by clicking on this link.

Would you like to tell people about your Abyssinian cat or your thoughts about this cat breed? Please use the form below:



From Abyssinian Cat to Home Page

Origins of the Abyssinian Cat

Charles Darwin 1879

The Origins of the Abyssinian Cat are shrouded in mystery or at least uncertainty. Here is a theory on the history of this popular cat breed.

In Darwin's "The Variation Of Animals And Plants Under Domestication" he writes:

"In India the domestic cat, according to Mr. Blyth, has crossed with four Indian species. With respect to one of these species, F. chaus, an excellent observer, Sir W. Elliot, informs me that he once killed, near Madras, a wild brood, which were evidently hybrids from the domestic cat; these young animals had a thick lynx-like tail and the broad brown bar on the inside of the forearm characteristic of F. chaus. Sir W. Elliot adds that he has often observed this same mark on the forearms of domestic cats in India. Mr. Blyth states that domestic cats coloured nearly like F. chaus, but not resembling that species in shape, abound in Bengal; he adds, "such a colouration is utterly unknown in European cats, and the proper tabby markings (pale streaks on a black ground, peculiarly and symmetrically disposed), so common in English cats, are never seen in those of India." (note: this can be reproduced verbatim as it is copyright free due to the passage of time - wrong? please leave a comment).

Felis chaus is called the Jungle cat. This medium/small wildcat is listed as "least concern" under the IUCN Red List (see IUCN Red List for cats). The generous listing is probably a result of the fact that this wildcat is able to integrate with human activity quite well despite being persecuted (as usual) by the human. It seems they almost mimic, in the 21st century, the gradual domestication of the wildcat some 9,000 years ago when the wildcat become domesticated. The Jungle cat is found in many Asian countries including India (Felis chaus prateri, whose habitat is in the West of India - src: Wikipedia)

Because of this, as Darwin reports, there has been a natural occurrence of hybridization of the Jungle cat with Indian domestic cats. The Jungle cat looks like this:

Jungle cat photographed in India

The photo above was taken at Mysore - south west India by S.Das - this would seem to be a non-captive cat and if so well done to the photographer. Published under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs creative commons License. The origins of the Abyssinian Cat is probably in the wildcat Felis Chaus.

Here is another picture that shows a little better the jungle cat's likeness to the Abyssinian cat:

Jungle cat - Photo by bv_madhukar (Flickr)

The Abyssinian is well known and looks like this:

Abyssinian cat - Photograph copyright Helmi Flick

I think we can see the origins of the Abyssinian cat in a comparison of these two pictures. At least it is strongly indicated.

There is of course a distinct similarity even after all the years of "refinement" through selective breeding by cat breeders. Lets remember the Abyssinian as a cat breed has been around since the late 1800s. The obvious similarity is the well known ticked coat of the Abyssinian and Jungle cat. It is thought (though not clear) that the Abyssinian cat originates from the west coast of India (see Abyssinian cat time line). See a great picture and an explanation of the formation of the agouti ticked cat coat. Ticking is a form of tabby cat coat. See cat coats tabby.

The differences between the two are size and what cat breeders call rufus coloration of the Abyssinian. The Aby has a warm rich color whereas the Jungle cat is a more natural color. The warm rufus coloration is due to selective breeding incorporating polygenes that affect the intensity of yellow. The jungle cat generally is larger than the Abyssinian, perhaps a bit less than twice the size on average but some will be of a similar size (jungle cat weighs from 7 - 22 lbs or 3 - 10 kgs). See largest domestic cat breed for a look at cat sizes and wildcat/domestic cat comparison.

Origins of the Abyssinian Cat - Conclusion - theory:

Is it not possible that the jungle cat mated with the domestic cats or feral cats of the west coast of India (as described by Darwin) producing an interesting Abyssinian like cat that was then noticed, adopted and ultimately transported to Abyssinia by a British Army officer?

This was the time of the British Raj-rule, in India, which commenced in 1858 and concluded in 1947. I speculate that the officer was then ordered to attend the Abyssinian Civil War (the British forces where there in 1867-68) and thereafter he then traveled on to England thereby importing into England the first Abyssinian cat in around 1870, which exhibited at the Crystal Palace (London) cat show of 1871.

One last point. The first Abyssinian cat Zula Zula (early 1870s) was quite a stocky looking cat as where all the early cats of this breed. Selective breeding changed that over time to a more slender body shape.
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Origins of the Abyssinian Cat - sources: Wikepedia for details on the country Abyssinia.
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From Origins of the Abyssinian Cat to Home page

Abyssinian cat

Photo of Abyssinian cat copyright Helmi Flick

Here is a fine photograph of an Abyssinian cat by Helmi Flick, probably the best professional cat photographer. The Abyssinian is a purebred cat of long standing in the cat fancy. It is probably fair to say that there are about ten cat breeds that are at the core of the cat fancy and the Abyssinian is one. The history of this cat is rather uncertain. Without wishing to be unkind, this cat breed was either created (hybrid) by a breeder in the 19th century or was discovered in India, exported to Ethiopia and then re-exported to England where it was refined through selective breeding. You take your pick! "Abys", as they are affectionately referred to, are elegant cats with an active, athletic appearance. There is a limited range of colours which I think marks this cat out from the other breeds. They are very popular and in the top five on my reckoning....see more.

Blue Abyssinian Cats

Blue Abyssinian cat - slate blue and oatmeal - photo strictly copyright Helmi Flick. Note: I am not 100% sure that this is a picture of a Blue Aby but I believe I am correct - wrong? please comment - thanks.

As you probably know Blue Abyssinian Cats are not a bright blue or even a mid-blue but more like a delicate blue/grey color mixed with a beige like color. A number of cats have to be blue/grey and these are the grey cat breeds.

The Abyssinian is a tabby cat but a special one with tabby pattern unlike the classic tabby cats. The Abyssinian tabby allele produces a restricted (much reduced) tabby pattern (on this occasion the term "allele" means a mutant form of a gene. This term is often used to mean one of a pair genes, however, but Robinson's Genetics says the former usage is more correct). The pattern only occurring (it seems very faintly) on the legs, head and tail and more faintly on the remainder of the cat.

There are many tabby patterns, the classic being a blotched pattern and the two other well known patterns are the spotted (seen for example in the Bengal cat) and the mackerel patterns (strips, you can see this pattern in the Toyger cat).


Ruddy Abyssinian Cats

The ruddy Abyssinian, the color we normally associated with this cat breed is produced by a combination of these genes:

-- Ticked gene in homozygous form (meaning both copies of the gene) indicated in genetic terms like this: T^aT^a (ticked gene)

-- Agouti gene in homozygous form (meaning both copies of the gene) indicated in genetic terms like this: AA

All Abyssinians have the combination genes of T^aT^a and AA. In addition there are these genes: B (browning gene) and D (dense coloration). In the ruddy Abyssinian the ground color has been intensified by selective breeding.



Blue Abyssinian in foreground. Background is a Russian Blue. Photo copyright SHARPSHOOTA.com.


Blue Abyssinian Cats

The coloration of Blue Abyssinian Cats is produced by the above set of genes with the exception that the gene D (dense coloration) is substituted by the dd. This produces ticking that is blue/grey over a color that Robinson's Genetics describes as "cream to oatmeal".

The genetic symbol dd represents the dilute recessive gene (lower case letters) and as it is "dd" these particular genes present in this cat are in homozygous form or there are two together which allows the genes to produce the dilute effect.

The individual strands of agouti affected hairs have banding of slate blue or blue/grey and beige (or oatmeal as mentioned above) rather than black and beige (some people say yellow rather than beige). The appearance (phenotype) should be of a warm but dark blue cat.


Sources:

• Me
• Robinson's Genetic's for Cat Breeders & Veterinarians
• CFA
  

Blue Abyssinian Cats to Abyssinian cats

Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) in Bengal cats

Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) in Bengal cats in something that has only now (somewhat late in the day) come to my notice. I have just seen an article on Tufts website referring to the Sept. 2007 conference. This posting is not a "knock the Bengal Cat" post. I love all cats. The natural instinct for breeders and those involved in the cat fancy is to be quiet about problems. This is natural to protect business.

The problem of HCM in Bengal cats would seem to have been dealt with quietly. Breeders realize, though, that it is for the best in the long term to discuss the difficult subjects, openly. They do in fact discuss breeding issues on forums such as Yahoo Groups. It is essential to do so for the welfare of the cats. It is not compatible with good cat breeding (an ethical approach to breeding) to knowingly or recklessly breed cats that might have an inherited disorder that shortens the life of the cat and has a negative impact on their welfare and/or the breed generally.

It is with surprise and sadness that I have discovered that the Bengal cat breed suffers from two heritable disorders. I have made posts on the first disorder, HCM. Read this for basic information on HCM and this for HCM and the Bengal Cat. PRA also affects Abyssinian cats.

The other is what Tufts calls is a "novel" version of this disease. As I understand it "novel" means distinct or unique to the Bengal Cat as this disease affects other cat breeds. This disease is caused by gene mutation. Different genes in the Bengal cat have mutated to those in the Persian cat, which has a version that starts early in the cat's life and the Abyssinian has a version that is "late onset".

Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) in Bengal cats is mid term so it starts neither early or later in the life of the cat. The Tufts speaker said that in at least 10 Bengal cats the mutated gene can be traced back to a common ancestor 3-6 generations earlier.

I presume that there is ongoing work on this. I have not heard of Bengal Cat breeders talk of this disorder except once. Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) in Bengal cats causes the cat to go blind I understand. Ask about this when adopting a Bengal cat (or indeed a Persian or Abyssinian).

Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) in Bengal cats to Bengal cats


Retinal Atrophy
Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) is a group of genetic diseases seen in certain breeds of dogs and, more rarely, cats. It is characterized by the bilateral degeneration of the retina, causing progressive vision loss culminating in blindness. The condition in nearly all breeds is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait (the section in grey is a Wikipedia® verbatim copy of a part of a larger article)

There have been 2 studies (there may have been more subsequently). One took place in Sweden, the other England. The Swedish cats inherited the disease through an autosomal recessive gene the English cats a autosomal dominant gene.

The English type has been classified as rod-cone dysplasia. This type of PRA has an early onset of severe vision loss. It is caused by a defect in the gene for cGMP-phosphodiesterase, which leads to retinal levels of cyclic guanosine monophosphate ten times normal (the section in grey is a Wikipedia® verbatim copy of a part of a larger article)

The Swedish PRA disease can progress slowly allowing the cat to adjust and masking the condition as cats do so well in using other senses (see blind cat and blind cat dignity). The disease caused severe vision loss.

Cat breeds affected: Abyssinian, Bengal


Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) in Bengal cats - Wikipedia
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