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The origin of the Abyssinian is shrouded in mystery. Early cat books do not shed much light
on the history of this breed because there were too few, or no records kept. It was thought that the first cat was brought to England by a British soldier, in 1868, after the English army had fought in Abyssinia (present day Ethiopia). It is believed that this cat, named "Zula" is the founder of the Abyssinian line.
Another explanation for the origin of the Abyssinian breed has been deduced from genetic studies showing that these cats most probably came from the coast of the Indian Ocean and parts of Southeast Asia. There is a ruddy ticked feline taxidermy exhibit in the Leiden Zoological Museum in Holland which was purchased in the mid 1830s, and labeled as Patrie, domestica India. This indicates the breed may have been introduced into England from India by colonists or merchants who frequently traveled between England and the Indian subcontinent.
The first Abyssinian registrations occurred in 1896, and the stud book of Great Britain's National Cat Club reveals that Sedgemere Bottle, born in 1892, and Sedgemere Peaty, born in 1894, were registered by Mr. Sam Woodiwiss. Although they appeared regularly in cat shows in the United Kingdom during the late 1800s, the two world wars and a catastrophic outbreak of feline leukemia almost wiped out the breed in England.
It was not until the 1930s that show-quality Abyssinians were exported from England; these cats form the basis of modern day breeding programs in America.
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