How to Identify an Abyssinian Cat

By eHow Pets Editor

Instructions

Step 1:
Look at the overall appearance of this medium-sized, muscular cat. The Abyssinian breeds have a coat that has a rich color with alternating lighter colored bands with tips darker than the lighter colored roots, which is referred to as being "ticked." Each hair has four to six bands of the color variance, with the roots usually matching the color on the underside and inside the legs of the cat. The ticking color is not present on the legs, tail or neck.
Step 2:
Observe the well-proportioned, modified wedge shape of the head, and the gentle contours of the facial features. The almond shaped eyes have fine dark lines highlighting them, and they have the lighter color that is also present in the ticking color of the coat encircling them. This lighter color also occurs on the cheeks and areas around the whisker pad. There are also dark lines that extend from the eye to the brow.
Step 3:
Notice that the ears are large with a broad, cupped base and stand alert with a somewhat rounded point.
Step 4:
Examine the long, nimble and graceful body. The Abyssinian stands as if on tiptoe with legs long enough to keep the body well above the ground. The tail has a thick base and is long and tapered.
Step 5:
Look for one of the four colors that are characteristic for these pets. Ruddy is the original wild color. It has a burnt sienna brown coat with various shades of dark-brown to black ticking. The red variety has chocolate-brown ticking, and the blue variety is beige with various shades of slate-blue ticking. The fourth color is fawn, which is a rose color of beige with light cocoa-brown ticking.

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