Abyssinian Kittens: Adopt or Buy in Australia?

Should you adopt or buy an Abyssinian?

It depends on whether the papers matter to you. If you want a purebred Abyssinian kitten with known parents and DNA results, a breeder registered with a cat council is the route that gives you those. If what you want is an active, curious, short-haired cat, rescues list short-haired cats of all ages that come desexed, microchipped and vaccinated, with notes on energy level from the people who have been caring for them.

The RSPCA Australia Knowledgebase recommends adopting from the RSPCA or another reputable rescue organisation first. If you buy from a breeder, it suggests confirming they are registered with the relevant authority in your state or territory, inspecting where the animal was born, and meeting the parents, especially the mother.

Breeder prices and rescue fees read 12 November 2026 on the pages linked below. Reference only, not a quote: breeders and rescues set and change their own prices, so check with them.

What does an Abyssinian kitten cost from a registered breeder?

We cannot give one. No Australian cat council or club publishes an Abyssinian price guide, and Cats Victoria (GCCFV) says kitten pricing is up to individual breeders and varies by breed. In November 2026 we read the websites of Abyssinian catteries that show registration with an Australian cat council. None published a price for a pet kitten on its own site, and prices that appeared only on listing sites or social media do not count, so we have no current figure to report. Ask every breeder you talk to for the price in writing and what it includes.

Reference figures only, not quotes. Breeder prices were read on breeders' own websites, never on listing sites, and fees change, so check with the breeder or rescue. RSPCA NSW says its animals are desexed, microchipped, vaccinated and health-checked before adoption. Fees in other states are in our guide to kittens for sale in Australia.

What the price should buy you, going by the councils' own guidance:

• A kitten of at least 10 weeks. ANCATS rules set 10 weeks as the minimum and ANCATS recommends 12.
• Desexed, vaccinated and microchipped. Cats Victoria (GCCFV) says a kitten should be all three before it comes to you, and suggests asking whether the breeder supplies a health guarantee.
• Registration papers from a cat council, and DNA results for the parents (see below).

What does the Australian standard ask for?

The Coordinating Cat Council of Australia standard (issue date November 2023) describes “a cat of foreign type of medium build, firm, lithe and muscular; never coarse,” and says “it is an alert, active cat and when standing it gives an impression of being on tiptoes.” The coat is “rich, lustrous and distinctly ticked.” It allows no outcross to other breeds.

From the Coordinating Cat Council of Australia Abyssinian standard, read 12 November 2026. The US Cat Fanciers' Association accepts four colours: ruddy, cinnamon, blue and fawn.

Show faults are a show question and no reason to pass on a pet. They are a useful check on a seller, though: a striped or barred kitten sold as a purebred Aby does not match the standard. The long-haired version of the breed, the Somali, has its own CCCA standard.

On personality, the Cat Fanciers' Association describes Abys as extremely active and playful, intensely curious and constantly on the move unless asleep, friendly and extremely affectionate, but says the average Aby may not be a long-term lap snuggler. It says they are fond of high places, do not like to be left alone for long, and are not particularly talkative. As with any breed, the individual cat matters most.

Which health tests should an Abyssinian breeder show you?

The Australian Cat Federation's DNA tests by breed list (October 2025) sets the minimum recommended testing for each breed it recognises. For the Abyssinian it lists:

Source: ACF DNA tests by breed (October 2025), read 12 November 2026. A test being on the list means breeders should screen for it, not that every line carries it. This is a buying checklist, not veterinary advice. The ACF also says AB blood group types should be monitored in all breeds.

The CFA says genetic testing now lets Abyssinian breeders remove carriers of an inherited disease that once caused anaemia, and that some breeders teach kitten buyers to brush their cat's teeth to help prevent dental problems such as gingivitis. Ask to see results for both parents, with names or microchip numbers that match the litter. Amyloidosis has no DNA test on the ACF list, so ask the breeder whether it has appeared in their lines.

Our Sydney guide to Abyssinian health issues covers the signs worth a vet visit.

What about Abyssinians in rescue?

Numbers change daily, so check the live listings rather than relying on any rule of thumb. The Abyssinian breed page shows what the rescues we aggregate have listed right now, and an alert tells you when a new one appears.

Expect labels to be loose. A breed label in a rescue listing describes how a cat looks, not its papers, and a lean, ticked short-haired cat is not necessarily an Aby. For most adopters that does not matter: you are choosing a personality, and a foster carer can tell you how busy a cat is, how much play it needs and how it copes with time alone. Because the CFA suggests quieter homes consider two Abys, a bonded pair of active rescue cats is worth a look too.

Our Abyssinian adoption guide for Sydney covers applying through New South Wales rescues.

How do you check an Abyssinian breeder?

Rescue is not right for everyone. A registered breeder makes sense if you want a kitten with known parents and DNA results, or if you plan to show. If you go that way:

1. Registration. Ask which cat council the breeder belongs to: ANCATS, the Australian Cat Federation and its member bodies, or the Coordinating Cat Council of Australia and its members. Check with the council yourself, not through a link the seller sends.
2. DNA results for both parents against the ACF list above, starting with PK deficiency and PRA rdAc.
3. The mother, in person or on a live video call, and where the kittens are raised, before any deposit.
4. Age and paperwork. At least 10 weeks old, vaccinated, microchipped and desexed or with desexing agreed in writing.
5. Your state's rules. Some states require a breeder or source number in kitten ads. Our kittens for sale guide has the state-by-state table.

Get deposit terms in writing before you pay anything.

What do Abyssinian scams look like?

Scamwatch says scammers set up fake websites, and fake social media and marketplace profiles, to get you to pay for popular breeds and pets that do not exist. Its advice: view the pet in person by visiting the breeder or seller, ask to see the pet on a video call with the breeder, check the breeder is legitimate and accredited, and compare prices, because a very cheap pet is likely a scam.

Checks that fit this breed in particular:

• “Registered” with nobody in particular. Ask which council, get the prefix or member number, and check it with that council.
• A ticked moggy sold as an Aby. Plenty of domestic cats have ticked coats. Without papers, the label proves nothing.
• No test results. A breeder working to the ACF list should be able to show PK deficiency and PRA results for both parents.
• Copied photos. Run a reverse image search on the kitten photos and search a sentence of the ad.

If you have already paid, contact your bank straight away and report it to Scamwatch.

Is an Abyssinian the right cat for you?

• Good fit: an active household that will provide climbing towers, high perches, puzzle feeders and daily play, and someone home for much of the day or a second cat for company.
• Think twice: a very quiet home, someone who wants a lap cat, or long days with the cat alone.
• Not a reason to choose one: allergies. ASCIA says all cat breeds can cause allergies.

Our Sydney guide to energy and enrichment for an Aby sets out what daily life with one looks like. Not sure what kind of cat suits you? Try the what cat breed am I quiz, and see our cost of owning a cat guide for the ongoing costs.

Find an Abyssinian near you

• Abyssinians for adoption in Sydney
• Abyssinians for adoption in Melbourne
• Abyssinians for adoption in Brisbane
• Abyssinians for adoption in Perth
• Abyssinians for adoption in Adelaide
• Australia-wide: the Abyssinian breed page.

Open to any lively kitten? Browse kittens in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide. Thinking about two? See bonded pairs in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide.

More on the breed from our Sydney guides: Abyssinian adoption in Sydney, Abyssinian health issues and energy and enrichment for an Aby. Before you apply, the adoption readiness check takes a few minutes, and our guide to adopting a cat in Australia walks through the process.