Cat Breeds: The Abyssinian

The origin of this cat is unknown, although many stories exist about it. Unfortunately, none of them have any hard evidence to back them up, so they just remain stories. In fact, one story has it originating in Egypt, but DNA testing has revealed that it likely originated near the Indian Ocean.

The Abyssinian cat has a very distinctive ticked coat as exhibited in the above picture. The Abyssinian is one of the most popular short-haired cats in the United States. This cat's body is medium in length and lithe, with well developed muscles. Its tail is broad at the base and slowly tapers almost to a point. The legs are slender and fine boned; the paws small and oval shaped. Its eyes are nearly almond shaped and can be green, gold, copper or hazel in colour. The head is broad and wedge shaped. If you view a profile of this cat, you will see that the nose and chin form a vertical line. The Abyssinian's ears are broad and cupped at the base, tapering to a rounded point at the tips. Most Abyssinians have hair tufts on their ears, a must have feature for show animals. A “M” shaped marking often appears in the forehead hair, above the cat's eyes, which has led to it being referred to as “frown lines.”

All Abyssinians have a darker shade on the backs of their hind legs and the pads of their paws. The original Abyssinian's coat was a warm, reddish-brown with black ticking, however, over the years, other colours have been developed. New colours are Sorrel, which is a cinnamon (yellowish-brown) base with chocolate brown ticking, paw pads and the back of hind legs. Fawn Abyssinians have a light-cream base with darker cream ticking, pads and backs of hind legs. Blue Abyssinians have a light-beige base colour with blue ticking, paw pads and backs of hind legs.

A separate group among Abyssinians is the Silver Abyssinian, which is not recognized by the Cat Fancier's Association, even though this colour has be around for a long time. Silver Abyssinians have a silvery-white base colour, with tickings of black, blue, warm dark cream or cinnamon.

Rare colours include Red, Cream, Tortoiseshell, Lilac and Chocolate, which are bred on a small scale in Great Britain and Holland.

Abyssinians are very active and playful. They can become depressed without daily activity and attention. As a result, Abyssinian cats should not be considered as “lap cats,” because they have to be doing things. If allowed outside, they are great hunters as they are physically capable and intelligent animals.

If you are interested in a cat that is active, good looking and loves to play games, then an Abyssinian is a cat that you should consider.

Until next time,

Teia

Cat Breeds - The Egyptian Mau

The Egyptian Mau is a striking cat with gooseberry green eyes. This cat is the only domestic cat that is naturally spotted and it has spots that vary in size on both sides of the body.

This breed originated in Egypt and, in fact, the word Mau is Egyptian for "cat.” Seen in Temple paintings that date back to 1400 B.C., this cat’s muscular physique is a tribute to its ancestors who hunted along the Nile River. One can almost picture this cat looking like a miniature cheetah stalking its prey in the grass. The Egyptian Mau was first imported into the U.S. in 1953.

A reserved breed, the Egyptian Mau can be somewhat aloof with strangers. Some of these cats love to be handled, while others hate it. This trait mostly depends on which bloodline your cat came from. The Egyption Mau is a quiet cat that has a low-pitched, melodious voice.

A medium-sized cat, the Egyptian Mau has a wedge-shaped head. The ears are sometimes tufted, and usually stand upright. The cat has almond-shaped eyes,and as previously mentioned, they are gooseberry green in color. Their coat is fine and silky. The body is well balanced, with the hind legs being longer than the front.

The Egyptian Mau comes in smoke, silver or bronze colors and is characterized by distinctive spots. The nose and paws are colored according to the coat color. The forehead has frown lines and what looks like the letter M. The lines continue over the head and back of the neck and then turn to spots along the back. The tail is ringed and has a dark tip. Mascara like lines highlight the eyes.

The Egyptian Mau has an average of four kittens in a litter. The kittens are spotted at birth with the exception of those that are smoke colored. The kittens have an interesting eye color that is green when they are happy, but they turn amber when the kitten is disturbed. Once they are about two years of age the eye color stabilizes to green.

This is a fairly hardy breed of cat with no genealogical health problems associated with it. Grooming consists of routine brushing and bathing as needed. Feed your Egyptian Mau a balanced diet, the same way you would any cat.

Most Egyptian Maus make great pets. You really need to choose your breeder well. Make sure you get a cat from a good breeding line. Some lines can be unpredictable and excitable. Most of this breed are affectionate to their family and love children, but can be wary of strangers.

Until next time,

Teia