Description of the Abyssinian Coat

Coloration

• Abyssinians coats are smooth, glossy and almost elastic in nature, but they are long or overly luxurious. Because of these qualities, fur maintenance is not particularly time-consuming or difficult. When you pet a healthy Abyssinian's fur, it easily moves back into its prior spot afterward, leaving these cats meticulous as before. These short-haired animals have dense undercoats. Their fur often takes on a luminous quality, particularly when under bright lighting.

General Coat Coloration

• Cats of the Abyssinian breed appear in a handful of different overall colors, which are pale yellowish-brown, orange-red, red and blue. The default orange-red color is commonly described as ruddy. Historically, Abyssinian cats were generally pale yellowish-brown or silvery in coat coloration -- coats had less variety than in modern times.

Ticking

• One of the most noteworthy aspects of the Abyssinian breed's fur coloration is ticking. Individual hair strands have four to six stripes -- a mix of their "main" colors with others. Their strands switch off between deep and pale colors, starting with pale roots. Red Abyssinians possess deep brown markings. Ruddy Abyssinians display either black or reddish-brown markings with orange ones. Pale yellowish-brown Abyssinians boast rosy-tan and light brown markings. Blue specimens have tan and grayish-blue colors.

Coat Marking Distribution

• Not all parts of an Abyssinian cat's coat have ticking. The lower portions of their physiques are devoid of it -- think the interior portions of their limbs, their stomachs and their chests. The ticking on their faces, however, is rather prominent, with deeply colored, narrow bands that come out from the brow and eye regions.