Editing Abyssinian cat (section)

== Description ==

=== Appearance ===
The Abyssinian is a lithe, fine-boned, muscular, medium to large sized cat. The average weight is 10 lb (4.5 kg) ranging between 8–12 lb (3.6–5.4 kg) with height ranging between 8–10 in (20–25 cm). The head is moderately wedge-shaped, with a slight break at the muzzle, and nose and chin ideally forming a straight vertical line when viewed in profile. They have alert, relatively large pointed ears. The eyes are almond-shaped and are gold, green, hazel or copper depending on coat colour. The legs tend to be long in proportion to a graceful body, with small oval paws; the tail is likewise long and tapering.

Abyssinian kittens are born with dark coats that gradually lighten as they mature, usually over several months.<sup>[''citation needed'']</sup> The coat is short, and is ideally fine, not soft, dense, close-lying and silky to the touch. The ticked or agouti effect that is the trademark of the breed—genetically a variant of the tabby pattern—should be uniform over the body, although the ridge of the spine and tail, back of the hind legs and the pads of the paws are always noticeably darker. Each hair has a light base with three or four bands of additional colour growing darker towards the tip. The base colour should be as clear as possible; any extensive intermingling with grey is considered a serious fault. A tendency to white on the chin is common but likewise must be minimal. The typical tabby M-shaped marking is often found on the forehead.

The breed's original colour standard is a warm deep reddish-brown base with black ticking, known as "usual" in the United Kingdom, "tawny" in Australia, and "ruddy" elsewhere. Sorrel (also called cinnamon or red), a lighter coppery base with chocolate brown ticking, is a unique mutation of this original pattern. Other variants have been introduced by outcrossing to the Burmese and other shorthaired breeds, notably blue (on a warm beige base) and fawn (on a softer creamy peach base). The less common chocolate and lilac are not recognized in the Cat Fancier's Association (CFA) breed standard but have been granted full champion status in The International Cat Association (TICA) and in the UK. The UK also recognizes the Silver Abyssinian, in which the base coat is a pure silvery white with black (called "usual silver"), blue, cream or sorrel ticking. Various other colour combinations are in development, including the "torbie", in which a patched tortoiseshell pattern in any of these colours is visible under the tabby banding.

The breed owes their distinctive coat to a dominant mutant gene known as Ta. In 2007, the first cat to have its entire genome published was an Abyssinian named Cinnamon.

=== Behaviour ===
Veterinarian Joan O. Joshua has written that the "dog-like attachment to the owners" of Abyssinian and Burmese cats causes "greater dependence on human contacts". This stands in contrast to the mere "tolerant acceptance of human company" based around "comforts" that multiple other breeds display.

With their interest in playing with their owners combined with their curious intelligence, Abyssinians are sometimes called the "Clowns of the Cat Kingdom". They have soft chirrup-like vocalizations which do not sound like the expected "meow".<sup>[''citation needed'']</sup>

A study comparing Oriental, Siamese and Abyssinian kittens to Norwegian Forest cat kittens found that the former group was more likely to recede and hide as well as display other 'shy' behaviour.