Abyssinian cat activity: climbing, play and puzzles

The Abyssinian's own breed registry describes it as "constantly on the move, unless asleep." A cat like that needs climbing space, daily interactive play and problems to solve, or it finds its own outlets on shelves, curtains and kitchen cupboards. The breed also carries three inherited conditions an owner should know by name: familial renal amyloidosis, the retinal disease rdAc, and pyruvate kinase deficiency, which causes anemia.

What an Abyssinian needs from its home

The Cat Fanciers' Association breed profile calls the Abyssinian extremely active and playful, and intensely curious. It "leaves no inch of its environment unexplored," is fond of high places, and will devise its own games if nobody supplies toys. The build matches: lithe, medium-long and well muscled.

Those breed traits sit on top of needs every cat has. The AAFP and ISFM feline environmental needs guidelines call meeting them essential, not optional, and organize them into five pillars: a safe place, multiple and separated key resources, opportunities for play and predatory behavior, positive and predictable contact with people, and an environment that respects the cat's sense of smell. For most cats the third pillar is the one that slips. For an Abyssinian it is the one that shows first.

When an Abyssinian is under-occupied

Signs that an active cat needs more to do include:

• Knocking things off surfaces, opening cupboards and drawers, climbing curtains.
• Persistent vocalizing, walking across keyboards, following people from room to room.
• Rough play aimed at ankles, hands or other pets, often in the evening.
• Night-time activity that wakes the household.

Overgrooming deserves a separate warning. Bald or thin patches on the belly, inner thighs or flanks are often blamed on stress or boredom, but that should be the last explanation, not the first. When cats referred with presumed psychogenic alopecia were fully worked up, 76% turned out to have a medical cause of itching, most often an adverse food reaction. Only 2 of 21 cats had a purely behavioral problem. A cat licking itself bald needs a vet visit before it needs more toys.

Climbing and vertical space

The environmental needs guidelines note that raised areas add vertical space for a cat and let it watch its surroundings, and that a perch should be wide and long enough for the cat to stretch out fully. For an Abyssinian, height is where much of the day is spent.

• Tall, stable cat trees. Choose one with several platforms at different heights and a sisal post. Anchor tall trees to the wall, because an Aby launching from the top will rock a light one.
• Wall shelves. Staggered shelves around a room give a route to run and climb without using floor space. Space them so the cat can step or jump comfortably between them.
• Window perches. Watching birds and movement outside is real stimulation for a cat that cannot go out.
• High places the cat is not meant to reach. Tops of wardrobes and kitchen cupboards will be found. Either make them safe, with nothing breakable and no gap to fall behind, or offer a better perch at the same height nearby.

Play that works for this breed

Hunting games

Wand toys are the most useful tool. The guidelines suggest moving a feather or fur toy on a rod the way prey moves, swooping through the air or darting along the ground. Mix fast runs with sudden stops, let the toy disappear behind furniture, and let the cat catch it every so often. A laser pointer can start a session, but always finish with a toy the cat can grab, so the hunt has an end. Some Abyssinians learn to fetch small balls or paper, and if a cat offers that game it is good exercise.

Work for the brain

• Puzzle feeders. Serve part of the daily ration in puzzles instead of a bowl, and change the type every so often so the cat cannot solve it on autopilot.
• Foraging. Hide small portions of dry food or treats around the house before leaving for the day.
• Clicker training. Many cats learn simple cues such as sit, spin or coming when called. Keep sessions to a few minutes and use pieces of the daily food allowance as rewards.
• Toy rotation. Leave a few toys out and put the rest away. The guidelines recommend rotating toys to prevent habituation and boredom; a toy unseen for a week becomes interesting again.

Inherited conditions in Abyssinians

Familial renal amyloidosis

Amyloidosis is a hereditary trait in Abyssinian cats, with the kidney as the main target organ. Deposits of AA amyloid damage kidney structure and can lead to kidney failure. It is hard to catch early. In an Italian study that followed Abyssinians from two catteries for several years, diagnosis was usually made only at post-mortem, and neither serum amyloid A nor the standard urine protein to creatinine ratio identified affected cats early. Higher amyloid A in the urine did appear before signs in some cats, though that test is not routine. In practice, a yearly urine test and blood panel find kidney disease once function starts to fall. A drop in activity, weight or appetite in a normally busy Aby is a reason to book that visit sooner.

Retinal degeneration (rdAc)

The rdAc variant in the CEP290 gene causes a recessive, progressive retinal degeneration first described in Abyssinians and Somalis. A study of affected cats and DNA from Abyssinians in Scandinavia, the UK and Australia found that the age of onset and speed of progression vary more than first thought, that genotype matched the eye findings closely, and that the variant is moderately common in the breed in Europe and Australia. Blind or partly sighted cats cope well indoors if furniture stays where it is, but a cat losing its sight should not be climbing to unguarded heights.

Pyruvate kinase deficiency

PK deficiency is an inherited hemolytic anemia. In a follow-up of 25 affected Abyssinian and Somali cats, 11 showed no signs their owners noticed. The rest had lethargy, diarrhea, pale gums, poor appetite, weight loss or jaundice, and the cats with signs ranged from a few weeks to five years old. Sixteen of the 25 had been used for breeding before anyone knew they were affected. A DNA test now lets breeders identify carriers, so ask for both parents' results before buying a kitten.

Feeding an active cat

Active cats are not exempt from weight gain, especially after neutering. The Merck Veterinary Manual estimates resting energy needs as 70 times body weight in kilograms raised to the power 0.75, then multiplies by 1.2 for neutered adult cats and 1.4 for intact adults. For a 3.5 kg cat that comes to about 215 kcal a day neutered and 250 kcal intact, and for a 4 kg cat about 240 and 275 kcal. A busy Abyssinian may need a little more, a quiet one less. Adjust by body condition: ribs easy to feel under a thin layer of fat, a visible waist from above.

Beyond calories, the practical points are simple. Feed a complete and balanced food, with protein high enough to keep the cat lean and muscled. Serve some of the ration in the puzzles described above, which counts as both food and exercise. Encourage drinking with wet food, several water bowls away from the food, or a fountain, a sensible habit for any cat and especially in a breed with an inherited kidney disease. The Somali guide covers the longhaired form of the breed, which shares the same inherited conditions.

Sources

1. Abyssinian. The Cat Fanciers' Association.
2. AAFP and ISFM feline environmental needs guidelines. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 2013.
3. Underlying medical conditions in cats with presumptive psychogenic alopecia. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association, 2006.
4. Familial amyloidosis in cats: Siamese and Abyssinian AA proteins differ in primary sequence and pattern of deposition. Amyloid, 1999.
5. Changes in serum and urine SAA concentrations and qualitative and quantitative proteinuria in Abyssinian cats with familial amyloidosis: a five-year longitudinal study (2009-2014). Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine, 2015.
6. Retinal degeneration in the Abyssinian and Somali cat (rdAc): correlation between genotype and phenotype and rdAc allele frequency in two continents. Veterinary Ophthalmology, 2009.
7. Clinical course of pyruvate kinase deficiency in Abyssinian and Somali cats. Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 2008.
8. Nutritional Requirements of Small Animals. Merck Veterinary Manual.