My husband and I absolutely adore Abyssinian cats and are seriously considering welcoming one into our home. We’ve read so much about their playful, high-energy nature and how they seem to have ‘ants in their pants,’ and we’re intrigued! We’re considering adding one to our family in the future, but before we take the leap, we’d love to hear from Abyssinian owners. What’s it like to spend time with an Abyssinian roCAT? What’s it like to share your life with one of these incredible cats? Are there any quirks or surprises we should be aware of? Do you have any advice for first-time Abyssinian owners?
We’re eager to learn everything we can about their care, habits, and personalities, so your stories and tips would be incredibly valuable to us. Also, if you’ve had any experience with sitters or think this breed has unique needs when you’re away, we’d love to hear about that too.
We’re so captivated by Abyssinians that we’d even love to travel to another country just to meet one and spend some time playing with them. We believe there’s no better way to learn than through firsthand experience and connecting with people who know the breed best.
Don’t know anything about Abyssinians, but if they’re similar to Bengals, be prepared to turn your house into a cat ‘jungle gym’. I’ve looked after Bengals and first of all, I doubt they would enjoy living on their own with their high energy drive and always looking for things to do. So I imagine you’re better off having 2 of them.
Moreover, the HOs in this case had installed many things throughout the house for them to climb on, jump on, chase after, and had a large exercise wheel for their cats (yes, they used it a lot!) And on top of that, I played with them as well. They also knew various tricks.
I actually never saw these cats sleep. At the most, they were sitting somewhere, alert and ready to take off again. If I ‘ignored’ them for a bit too long in the evening, they would jump on and off the back of my chair to notify me that it was time to play with them. There’s no dull moments with Bengals. So be prepared for a high energy, high exercise and thereby fairly high needs cat.
As bluehorse says - be aware that high energy means high needs.
My experience is from high energy dogs/ working breed.
If you get a working breed/ high energy you would need to put in that work. Every day. It will take up your time and your energy. If you do not put in what is required, your pets needs are not met and it can be (as) exhausting for owner. Especially in the teen-phase for the pet but in lifespan. If the pets needs are not met it will come out in other forms, and that could also be mischief.
I’ve seen owners that need to put pets in kennel for a few days merely because they’re exhausted. Now their life is focused on their pet and that work that has to be put in on a daily basis. So basically one must be prepared for a life changing experience. But you are probably aware that it is not a lap-cat as such.
What’s it like to share your life with one of these incredible cats? Are there any quirks or surprises we should be aware of? Do you have any advice for first-time Abyssinian owners?
