Breed Standard

The breed standard sets the criteria for an ideal "perfect" cat. Few, if any, show cats come close to this ultimate goal, and, if they do, there is also the judge's personal interpretation of the standard which must be considered.

The main purpose of a breed standard is to guide the judges as they attempt to understand the basic qualities which Abyssinian breeders determine to be important in the appearance of the cat. It also establishes the relative importance of these various qualities in comparing one specimen to another. Ideally, a standard should be adequately descriptive yet remain as concise as possible. In order to provide clear criteria for judging, extraneous or superfluous wording is eliminated. Features which are considered attractive are distinguished from those which are vital, and the undesirable characteristics are separated from those which are so severe as to disqualify the cat. Reading the standard alone cannot give a full understanding of the Abyssinian; additionally, considerable knowledge must be gained. To have Abyssinians in one's home and to watch them at cat shows are good ways to start.

Please, also read Jeanne Singer's Preface to all CFA standards!

Each association has a slightly different standard for show Abyssinians. At the sidebar you will find links to the standards of some of the largest associations. But, you can also download the comparison files, where you can compare the different standards side by side and which makes it easier to see, which are the - sometimes considerable - differences.

 

 

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