Abyssinians are one of the most perpetually active cat breeds that exists and generally dislike being held or restrained, which is the opposite of what most people picture when a breeder describes a 'friendly, people-oriented' cat.
Health tests to ask the breeder for
There is no CHIC program for cats. These are the DNA and screening tests that the testing laboratories and cat health bodies name for the Abyssinian. A breeder who tests will show the certificates; a DNA result of "clear" for one variant is not a guarantee against the disease.
- PRA-rdAc (CEP290) DNA test (UC Davis VGL / Langford Vets) screens for late-onset progressive retinal atrophy / blindness
- PRA-Rdy (CRX) DNA test (UC Davis VGL) screens for early-onset dominant retinal degeneration
- Erythrocyte Pyruvate Kinase (PK) Deficiency DNA test (UC Davis VGL / Langford Vets) screens for inherited haemolytic anaemia
When to spay or neuter: by five months, whatever the breed. That is the one answer the AVMA, the feline practitioners and AAHA all give, and the spay and neuter page has why, and the two weeks after.
Sources: vgl.ucdavis.edu · vgl.ucdavis.edu · vgl.ucdavis.edu · langfordvets.co.uk. Checked September 2026. Check a breeder has the questions.
Adopt a Abyssinian near you
Shelters and rescues list Abyssinians and Abyssinian mixes on Petfinder. Enter a ZIP code to see who is waiting within 100 miles.
Listings come from Petfinder and open there. Petipedia does not take part in adoptions and earns nothing from them.
Living with a Abyssinian
Abyssinians need real daily interactive play and vertical space to climb and perch — a bored Aby will invent its own entertainment, usually somewhere you don't want it. Coat care is minimal, but this is not a low-key breed: expect a curious, athletic, always-into-something cat for its entire life, not just as a kitten, and one that would rather perch near you than sit on you.
Health you should know about
- Pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency — an inherited red blood cell enzyme defect causing hemolytic anemia; some affected cats show no symptoms for years while others become clinically ill, so DNA screening of breeding cats (not just watching for symptoms) is the only reliable way to catch it.
- Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) — an inherited, incurable retinal degeneration leading to blindness; documented in Abyssinians in veterinary literature since the 1980s.
- Familial (renal) amyloidosis — abnormal amyloid protein deposits build up in the kidneys and can cause progressive kidney disease; onset and severity are highly variable between individual cats and even between breeding lines, no genetic test currently exists to screen for it, and it is often only diagnosed after death.
Read the full Cat Care Guide first — costs, daily time, and everything a cat needs before you choose a breed.
Naming a Abyssinian? Egyptian cat names, 80 of them, with what they mean.
Sources — 4 references
Last reviewed October 2026. 4 sources listed below. Written and maintained by Petdeals.io. General care information, not veterinary advice — for a sick animal, call a vet.