Abyssinian coat?

[dustytiger]

An Abyssinian kitten was abandoned at a local pet store and I adopted it, he's a very sweet boy and I already love him dearly but his coat is very stiff which I thought to be the opposite in Abyssinian cats. He is a blue Abyssinian, I don't know if that makes any difference, and he's about four months old. He's super affectionate though and he rubs his head against people with a lot of oomph, and the issue I've been running into is that he'll climb on my chair and do that to my face and I'll get friction hives because his coat is so rough. Mind you my other two cats do the same thing but their softer coats have never caused such a reaction.

It's not a deal breaker for me, of course, I love the little guy and I am determined to take Zyrtec if need be, but I did wonder if there was a way I could soften his coat or if that's something that comes with time in Abyssinian cats? I've never had a pure-bred anything and google didn't yield many results other than to say that Abyssinians have very soft fur so I'm a little confused. Of course a previous owner who abandons their kitten at a store likely isn't a reliable source on pedigree so maybe he's mixed with something else? I have pictures of him, he looks like an Abyssinian for the most part though he doesn't have a defined M on his head so maybe he's got a liiiittle bit of something else there?

 

[amethyst]

I don't know about Abyssinians fur specifically but I do know diet can play a huge part in fur quality. Things like dehydration, malnutrition, and not getting enough of certain oils in their diet can all cause the fur to be course. If that is the case here then simply being fed a good quality diet should fix the coat.

Also the M on the forehead is just a tabby marking (in the case of Abyssinian they are "ticked" tabby), it's not unique to any specific breed.

 

[dustytiger]

I don't know about Abyssinians fur specifically but I do know diet can play a huge part in fur quality. Things like dehydration, malnutrition, and not getting enough of certain oils in their diet can all cause the fur to be course. If that is the case here then simply being fed a good quality diet should fix the coat.

Also the M on the forehead is just a tabby marking (in the case of Abyssinian they are "ticked" tabby), it's not unique to any specific breed.

Gotcha! I will try and figure out what's the best diet to make him a lil softer!

 

[GoldyCat]

Have you tried bathing him? My aby's coat is really soft, especially after a show bath.
You wouldn't need to do a full show bath, but a bath with unscented baby shampoo might help. Just be sure to rinse super well, and when you think you've gotten all the shampoo out, rinse again. One of my friend's uses a vinegar rinse on her longhair show cats to get all the soap out, but I've never tried that.

 

[iPappy]

Have you tried bathing him? My aby's coat is really soft, especially after a show bath.
You wouldn't need to do a full show bath, but a bath with unscented baby shampoo might help. Just be sure to rinse super well, and when you think you've gotten all the shampoo out, rinse again. One of my friend's uses a vinegar rinse on her longhair show cats to get all the soap out, but I've never tried that.

Does she use white vinegar, or apple cider? I've used an apple cider vinegar rinse on my dogs before, and it really does help them feel squeaky clean and I think it helps them dry faster, too.

 

[GoldyCat]

Does she use white vinegar, or apple cider? I've used an apple cider vinegar rinse on my dogs before, and it really does help them feel squeaky clean and I think it helps them dry faster, too.

It would be apple cider vinegar.