About Our Breeds

The name "Abyssinian"
refers to Ethiopia, but most
stories about the origins of Abys
refer to Egypt since the cats so closely
resemble the cats depicted in the drawings
in the tombs of the Pharaohs. "Somalis", the long-
haired version of an Aby, though close to no grooming is
required, were given the name of the country close to Ethiopia.
The first Abys imported into the U.S. came around 1906 and 1907
and were called "Salt" and "Aluminun". Given the names of these two cats,
it is believed that they were probably silvers. Silvers are difficult to breed for
show because they sometimes have undesirable tan patches in the coat and these patches
show up much more clearly on a white undercoat. Since we are thoroughly entranced by their
beauty, we keep looking for that perfect combination of color and type.

The colors of Abys and Somalis are determined by the darkest bands of color on each hair shaft as well as the
undercoat color. A cat with black ticking and an undercoat of orange/brown is a ruddy. Take away the undercoat
color and replace with a white undercoat and you have a black silver. The colors of Abys and Somalis accepted for
Championship status in TICA are as follows: Ruddy, Cinnamon, Blue, Fawn, Chocolate, Lilac, Black Silver, Cinnamon
Silver, Blue Silver, Fawn Silver, Chocolate Silver, and Lilac Silver. Most of the time, silvers are born with "rufousing" or
"tarnishing" that for the most part fades away as the kitten matures. The ultimate silver show cat is an icy white without
any patches of color other than their ticking. These are few and far between. Full coat and body maturity are reached around
18 months of age.

Abys and Somalis are affectionate, intelligent cats that are very people oriented, active and thrive on interaction and play. They are very similar to dogs, since they like to be with you and be involved with you most of the time. Men who previously thought that they did not like cats, have found they prefer an Aby to a dog. They are not hyper so much as just busy and curious. Once you sit down to read the paper or watch TV, they are content to just snuggle with you after they have also read the paper. They would prefer to ride on your shouders or walk with you as opposed to being held. They can be taught to fetch or easily be trained to walk on a harness. They prefer high places such as the backs of chairs, the tops of cat trees and your refrigerator. Once you have formed a relationship with them,
there is no breed more loyal and devoted to you than an Aby or Somali. Being people cats, they can become lonely
if left for long periods of time, so it's often wise to have two as company for each other.