Customer Reviews

This Is the Abyssinian Cat

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book was recommended to me by my Abys' breeder and am I glad she did. It's chock-full of information on every aspect of the breed, from its history to methods of care, information on showing and breeding and an additional section on Somalis, the long-haired version of the Aby. It's down-to-earth, sensible and one can tell the author's love of the breed clearly from her words.

Before getting an Aby - a highly intelligent, active and social cat who needs lots of love and attention - one would do well to give this book serious study. Know what you're getting into and the Aby will reward you with a life of insanity, activity and lots of LOVE! But don't buy an Aby thinking this is a "cat that will take care of itself". As Ms. Faler notes in this book, it is a people-loving breed that will flourish best in a home where it is not "just a pet", but an integral, adored member of the family.

This was the first book I purchased after I got my Aby Cats and it is my Bible! Kate Faler when she wrote this book, (it was printed in 1983)was/is a practicing veterinarian that bred and owned these wonderful cats. I would reccomend any first time Aby owner to get this book first and then add the other books. The information contained in this book is timeless. That said, I would love to see an updated version. What fun it is to look at the pictures, even if some are in black and white, and see how similiar my kitties 20 years later look.
This book has saved the lives of two of my queens when they had some problems with their deliveries. The purchase price has more than paid for itself! I wouldn't own an Aby without it!
Thank You Kate!

Kate Faler's book is detailed, practical and knowledgeable. Includes details of British cats behind American Abyssinians and lots of first class photos which really help show how the breed has developed in the last 50 years.Now that American Abys have been imported into Europe, UK, Australia so widely it is important to know about the US cats behind these imports.Valuable hints on care of Abys also. Would be improved by a world perspective and more details on original Abyssinian type developed in United Kingdom.

As the breed has evolved throughout the years, we can see a marked difference from the Abys detailed in this book to present day trends, but the basic information on care and breeding is very good. The text is easy to read, just technical enough to keep it interesting, and it is obvious Ms. Faler is well versed on her subject. A good reference for the Aby breeder.

This Book is EXTREMELY outdated! It was copywrited in 1983 and has not been updated. The pictures of the cats are not even how they look today, let alone the picture of one breeder which makes me laugh by just the thought of their picture. The kittens are similar to a point but the ears on the pictures of this breed of cat seemed to be much smaller back then. Also it says the 'blue' has not been recognized yet and doesn't even mention the fawn colour. It has some relivant information, but for the most part, in 25 years too much has evolved for this book to be useful.

What a wonderful book to have for a historical view of the Aby breed!!

Any new breeder/owner would do well to have this book, for a look back at pictures of cats that may be in the pedigrees of their current Abys.

ALL new breeders should learn the history of their breed and learn to read pedigrees BEFORE embarking on adding to the breed gene pool.

An aby breeder has lent me this book. Its excellent. It contains all you might want to know about sharing your life with abysinnian cat or more of them. It includes even instructions for first aid and keeping your cat healthy, how to prepare milk for kittens if queen fails to breastfeed, which plants to avoid, what toys are suitable etc. There is a history description on how abys have established themselves as a breed and what Britain has to do with it (and later USA). There are some beautiful photos, color and black and white. Its a must have for a breeder. However, keep in mind that book is - old. So some of the info (like information about colour variants of aby) is rusty. I do hope there will be a newer version of this book published soon.