The Abyssinian

Abyssinians are medium sized, short hair breed. The appearance of abyssinians should be elegant, but muscular. Abyssinian fur should be silky and resilient, with ticked coloration. “Ticking” is the word used to describe bands of colors in a single hair and there should be several bands to create an even ticking pattern on the coat.

Abyssinian is one of the oldest known breeds and it was first registered in the year 1881, however the breed history is thought to have started from 1890. The abyssinian was one of the first breed recognised in the cat organisation FIFe when it was first founded.

Character

Abyssinians should be open, curious and couragous. An abyssinian isn’t necessarily conisdered as a “lap cat” but it is typical for an abyssinian to be interested in everything that their human companion is doing, be it vacuuming or just relaxing on a sofa.

Activity

As an active breed abyssinians may need more effort from their humans to provide sufficient activities than with the average cat. Activities can include for example going out (in a harness or a cat pen), learning tricks, hiding treats or using “brain game”-toys which are usually intended for dogs. Despite the need for more activation, due to the treat craving nature of abys, it is fairly easy to motivate them to do said activities.

Appearance

Abyssinians come in four basic colors: ruddy, blue, sorrel and fawn (and their silver variants). The coat is short and easily managed and doesn’t inherently need a washing routine. Shedding is usually moderate and depends on the seasons.

Abyssinian as a pet

A word that comes to mind when describing an abyssinian is “companion”. With an aby you’re never lonely, because they want to enjoy every activity in your everyday life with you. It is easy to come up with activities together because abys enjoy doing things together with their human. However, an active cat needs more involvement from their owner so they can thrive and be happy. Usually (though not always) abyssinians yearn for the company of other cats, so it is good to note when getting an aby, they will need a partner in the future. For an active breed the best results is another active breed to minimize the risk of conflict. A peace loving, calmer breed cat might get distressed with a speeder aby companion.

In the picture Viljo is showing off a trick, where he holds this wooden toy in his teeth by command!

Herzlichkeits Abyssinians

Herzlichkeits abyssinians grow up in a loving environment with their mother and with their human family. The kittens are considered as a part of the family from the moment they are born. The kittens are handled every day after birth while doing routine check-ups and weighings. When the kittens are old enough, they are first introduced to the close family and friends and later to strangers as a part of the socialization process. In my opinion socialization is crucial and it creates a solid ground for trust in humans, be it familiar faces or complete strangers. The aim is to get visitors from different ages so the kittens can get to know different types of people, for example also children.

The kittens are fed using high quality wet food and raw food. When feeding raw foods we use products from a finnish company MUSH. In addition we use Nutrolin-oil as an extra.

All Herzlichkeits cats are avid outdoor adventures and are familiarised to harnesses already before they leave to their new homes. We start our harness training at around 8 weeks of age. Training is done safely inside and kittens get used to them very quickly. Continuing harness training is recommended for the families of the kittens.

Outdoorsy Hilma, picture by Anna Rönnqvist

Herzlichkeits-kittens are moving to their forever homes at the age of 15-16 weeks, registered to Suomen Kissaliitto (FIFe), microchipped and vaccinated. Pet kittens move after getting neutered/sterilized. The kittens get a Herzlichkeits-backpack filled with familiar foods, treats and toys and of course a lifetime support from us.

Dreaming of you own little abyssinian? Contact us!

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