Abyssinian

Temperament: loving, active, playful
Recommended for: cat lovers and families
The Abyssinian is most widely recognised for its distinctive 'ticked' coat, though its heritage is not so obvious.
The most distinctive feature of the Abyssinian is its close-lying coat with various bands of colour along each hair.
Today, Abyssinians are to be found in 5 Championship colours: Tawny (or Usual): this is the foundation colour, a rich golden brown ticked with black. Cinnamon (or Sorrel): is a lustrous copper ticked with chocolate. Blue: a dilute form of the Tawny with pale underparts and bluegrey ticking. Fawn: a dilute version of the Cinnamon appearing as a dark cream and copper. Silver: another dilute version of the Tawny with a warm base coat lightened to white.
Other recognised colours of Abyssinians are Chocolate, Lilac, Red, Cream and Tortoise shell. These colours are thought to be derived from Siamese and Burmese outcrosses. Tawny and cinnamon make up 90% of Abyssinians in Australia.

Abyssinians are medium-sized cats with long, slender legs and a round, wedge-shaped head. Ears are large and wide set with a distinctive tuft of hair at the tips. Eyes are amber, green or hazel framed with dark rims. The 'Abyssinian look', wild but not savage, centres on these large expressive eyes.
The Abyssinian is a loving, affectionate but demanding cat. They seek attention and settle well into home life. Not as aloof as some cat breeds, the Abyssinian can become very attached to its owner. Although they are very active and like to play, they are not a noisy cat. Abyssinians are even tempered and usually get on well with newly introduced pets. They can be fairly mischievous when they are young but will quieten down as they get older. Abyssinians make wonderful companions and are beautiful to look at.