‹‹Abyssinian

Our collection of Abyssinian cat images features champions, best of breed and classics. Whether you are a specialist looking for stock images of breed examples, a designer looking for a striking picture, or you're simply an Abyssinian fan, we're confident we'll have the image you're looking for.

Our images are from top cat photographers from all over the world.

View all Abyssinian cat stock images. 

Abyssinian cat overview

One of the earliest recognised breeds, distinguished by its ticked coat. Usual, Sorrel and Blue have Championship status; Silvers (other than red, cream and tortie) did achieve Championship status from June 1998, Fawns have Provisional status and all other colors have Preliminary status.

Lively and somewhat independent, with a quiet voice. Affectionate and intelligent, thrives on interaction and play. Needs little grooming.

Other known names for Abyssinian cat

Aby, Somali (Longhaired version of Abyssinian), Ticked, British Tick, Rabbit Cat, Hare Cat, Bunny Cat

Abyssinian foreign names

Abessijn (Dutch), Abyssin / Chat Lapin (French), Abessinier (German), Abisinio (Spanish)

Origin

The Indian Ocean coast & southeast Asia

Breed number/code

No 23 (GCCF) / ABY (FIFe)

Biological data

Size
Medium
Build
Moderate, lithe and muscular; slightly rounded.
Large ears and large, almond-shaped eyes.
Fairly long tail.
Hair quality
Short, fine and close lying but not soft.
Colours - GCCF breed numbers 
Usual (23)
Sorrel (23a)
Blue (23c)
Fawn (23e)
Usual silver (23s)
Sorrel silver (23as)
Blue silver (23cs)
Fawn silver (23es)
Chocolate (23b)
Lilac (23d)
Eye colours
Amber, hazel or green.
Patterns
Ticked tabby. The ticking is an essential feature of the breed.

Abyssinian cat links we are happy to endorse

External links are selected and reviewed when the page is published. However, Animal Photography is not responsible for the content of external websites.

Abyssinian cat – Breed standard

The below links are external
GCCF, FIFe, TICA, CFA, AACE, ACFA, ACF, CCA

Abyssinian cat references and further reading

USA
Abyssinian Cat Club of America
UK
Abyssinian Cat Association
Abyssinian Cat Club

Abyssinian goodies

Mugs, Puzzles, Mouse mats, T-Shirts, Prints.

Buy Abyssinian gifts from the best cat photographers in the world: Abyssinian Mugs, Puzzles, Prints, Prints framed, Mouse Mats, Box frame canvas print, T-Shirts
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Please get in touch

If you are an animal photographer, an expert on Abyssinian cats or a breeder, we would love to hear from you. We strive to have all the latest, most helpful and accurate information on our website, but nobody is perfect, so we do ask for your feedback if we can improve our website.

Please get in touch 
Associations and Specialists – We are happy to link to your Abyssinian association or specialist area, all we ask is for you to return the favour.
Photographers – Please visit our 'join us' page to learn about working with us.
Experts – Spotted some detail that isn't right? Please email us your thoughts.
Breeders – We work with many great cat photographers such as Helmi Flick, Alan Robinson and Tetsu Yamazaki and we'd love to build our contact list of leading breeders. Who knows when you might get a call. Please email us your details.

Abyssinian cat colours

Below are some examples of the various colours of Abyssinian cats, colour names sometimes differ from country to country, 
we've listed the main heading according to
the GCCF and listed other known colours underneath. Colours can vary according to lighting, whether it was taken indoors or outdoors and even the quality of the cat. 
So sadly not an exact science.

Usual – 23

AP-CFR4PK - Abyssinian cat, Usual (Ruddy / Tawny) colour
Photo © Animal Photography, Tetsu Yamazaki

Colour description 
Usual - 23 (GCCF)
Ruddy - ABY n (FIFe / TICA)
Tawny - 
Overall Appearance
Rich golden brown ticked with black.
Base Hair
Ruddy orange or apricot.
Ticking Colour
Black.
Nose Leather
Brick Red.
Paw Pads
Black.

Sorrel – 23a

AP-7D9IJK - Abyssinian cat, Cinnamon colour.
Photo © Animal Photography, Helmi Flick

Colour description 
Sorrel - 23a (GCCF) ABY o (FIFe)
Cinnamon - (TICA)
Red - 
Overall Appearance
Lustrous copper ticked with chocolate.
Base Hair
Bright apricot.
Ticking Colour
Chocolate.
Nose Leather and Paw Pads
Pink.

Blue – 23c

AP-0JRPJB - Abyssinian cat, Blue
Photo © Animal Photography, Alan Robinson

Colour description 
Blue - 23c (GCCF)
Overall Appearance
Soft warm blue ticked with deeper blue-grey.
Base Hair
Pinkish mushroom.
Ticking Colour
Blue-grey.
Nose Leather
Dark pink.
Paw Pads
Mauvish blue.

Fawn – 23e

AP-1YKOM8 - Abyssinian cat, Fawn
Photo © Animal Photography, Tetsu Yamazaki

Colour description 
Fawn -  23e (GCCF)
Overall Appearance
Warm fawn ticked with deeper fawn.
Base Hair
Fawnish-cream.
Ticking Colour
Fawn.
Nose Leather and Paw pads
Pink.

Blue silver – 23cs

AP-4URNF7 - Abyssinian cat, blue silver
Photo © Animal Photography, Alan Robinson

Colour description 
Blue Silver - 23cs (GCCF)
Overall Appearance
Silvery blue-grey ticked with deeper blue-grey.
Base Hair
Silvery white.
Ticking Colour
Blue-grey
Nose Leather
Dark pink.
Paw Pads
Mauvish blue.

Chocolate – 23b

AP-DCCKOK - Abyssinian cat, Chocolate
Photo © Animal Photography, Alan Robinson

Colour description 
Chocolate - 23b (GCCF) 
Overall Appearance
Rich copper brown ticked with dark chocolate.
Base Hair
Rich apricot.
Ticking Colour
Dark chocolate.
Nose Leather
Pinkish chocolate.
Paw Pads
Chocolate.

Lilac – 23d

AP-0NRXO7 - Abyssinian cat, Lilac
Photo © Animal Photography, Alan Robinson

Colour description 
Lilac - 23d (GCCF)
Overall Appearance
Warm (pinkish) dove-grey ticked with deeper dove-grey.
Base Hair
Pinkish cream.
Ticking Colour
Pinkish dove-grey
Nose Leather and Paw pads
Mauvish pink.

Currently we don't have the following colours

Colour description 
Usual Silver - 23s (GCCF)
Overall Appearance
Clear silver ticked with black.
Base Hair
Silvery white.
Ticking Colour
Black.
Nose Leather
Brick Red.
Paw Pads
Black.

Colour description 
Sorrel Silver - 23as (GCCF)
Overall Appearance
Cool silvery peach ticked with chocolate.
Base Hair
Silvery white.
Ticking Colour
Chocolate.
Nose Leather and Paw Pads
Pink.

Colour description 
Fawn Silver - 23es (GCCF)
Overall Appearance
Silvery fawn ticked with fawn.
Base Hair
Silvery white.
Ticking Colour
Fawn.
Nose Leather and Paw Pads
Pink. 

Abyssinian picture ideas

Featured image

AP-09U1R7 - Abyssinian cat
Photo © Animal Photography, Helmi Flick

Abyssinian kittens

AP-TDCODX - Abyssinian kittens
Photo © Animal Photography, Alan Robinson