Does this cat have Abyssinian in him?

[mhs5819]

Hi, we recently adopted a cat from a cat rescue (called Sabi). We were immediately struck by how affectionate he is. He's also very striking to look at. The person at the cat rescue said he probably has some Abyssinian in him (the coat that looks like rabbit fur, plus the ears and the green eyes). I'd be very grateful if anyone can offer any suggestions as to the breeds that Sabi might have in his ancestry. He also has a very wide and very solid head, which seems to be a characteristic of another breed (i.e. not Abyssinian). He's very muscly and very athletic.

I attach some photos.

Thanks in advance,

Michael

 

[GoldyCat]

He certainly has the ticked tabby pattern like an abyssinian. You're right that he doesn't have the head/ears of an aby, but I don't see any other specific breed in his head either. Abys are also generally more slender through the body, although I have to admit one of mine is somewhat "round".

 

[vince]

My Chesterfield closely resembles your Sabi in color, markings and face. Never really gave a thought to breed history as he came from a shelter. As far as I can tell, Chester is a ticked tabby-and-white domestic shorthaired cat.

 

[lutece]

He's a handsome fellow!

I would describe your cat as a brown ticked tabby and white domestic shorthair.

Ticked tabby is a dominant trait that is fairly uncommon in the domestic cat population, so it might indicate that he has an Abyssinian ancestor somewhere in his family tree. The barring on your cat's legs and tail tell us that he is probably heterozygous for ticked tabby (that is, he probably has just one copy of the ticked tabby gene). Since your cat doesn't have a close resemblance in body and head type to an Aby, he probably doesn't have a close ancestor from this breed, but he could have a more distant ancestor.

It's not likely that he is mixed with other breeds. Cats aren't like dogs; most cats are not any particular breed, and are simply domestic cats.