Candy at 9 months old
Photo by Helmi Flick Cat Photography

RW QGC Alexy Braeside Candytuft of Aksum
Female Chocolate Abyssinian
Born 10/24/07

Chosen by Helmi to be featured in the 2010 issue of Kittens USA Magazine
as THE example of an Abyssinian!

2009 TICA's International Best Chocolate Abyssinian Cat
2009 TICA's International 17th Best Abyssinian Cat

2009 TICA Southeast Region's Best Abyssinian Cat
2009 TICA Southeast Region's 9th Best Shorthair Cat
2009 TICA Southeast Region's 14th Best Allbreed Cat

ACCA Awards:

2009 National 4th Best Abyssinian
2009 National 2nd Best Female
2009 National Best Chocolate

2008 TICA's International Best Chocolate Abyssinian Kitten
2008 TICA's International 16th Best Abyssinian Kitten

2008 TICA Southeast Region's 18th Best Allbreed Kitten

Candy's Pedigree

Candy is a chocolate Abyssinian, born 10/24/07. TICA (The International Cat Association) recognizes six main colors (plus the silver versions for a total of twelve colors) for Abyssinians. Chocolate is one of the newer colors, and is still gaining acceptance by Aby breeders and judges. Candy was confirmed PKDef negative December 2009.

Candy was shown regularly until the end of 2008, stopping halfway through the show season when she was old enough to be bred. She attained the title of Quad Grand Champion with over 6,000 points and 24 Top Ten Finals ribbons, even though she was shown for only half the season before being retired into the Aksum breeding program.

Candy at 5 months old Photos of Candy at 5 months by Twisted River

As a kitten, Candy was a Regional Winner (the RW title in front of her name). She was the Southeast Region's 18th Best Allbreed Kitten. She was also 2nd Best Abyssinian Kitten in the SE Region as well as TICA's International 16th Best Abyssinian Kitten, even though she had been shown only three times in the two months left in the show season. (Kittens can be shown from four months old to one day before they turn eight months old.)

At barely eight months old, Candy became a Grand Champion in just one show, placing in seven finals rings! She is now a Quad Grand Champion with over 6000 points and 24 Top Ten ribbons, enough for a Supreme Grand Championship (lacking only the Best Cat ribbon which is extremely difficult to get) and was TICA's 2009 17th Best Abyssinian Internationally and 2009 14th Best Cat in the Southeast Region - Allbreed. Candy is the second chocolate Aby ever to become a Quad Grand Champion! Candy was 2009 TICA's Best Chocolate Abyssinian!

Candy also received the titles of 2009 National 4th Best Abyssinian, 2009 National 2nd Best Female Abyssinian, and 2009 National Best Chocolate Abyssinian from the Abyssinian Cat Club of America (ACCA).

Candy at 9 months old Photos by Helmi Flick Cat Photography

It is much harder for an Abyssinian who is not a ruddy to place in the top ten finals as Candy has done many times now. Candy's coat color, nice rufousing and ticking, her nicely balanced head and ears, beautiful dark golden eyes in a nice almond shape, and tufts on the ends of her ears are all exceptional features. She also has a nice long tail and a feminine but muscular Aby body. She is a great jumper and loves to play, especially fetch! She is very friendly to everyone she meets.

Candy at 9 months old
Photo by Helmi Flick Cat Photography

Many judges prefer the traditional look of the ruddy, and chocolate Abys are so rare that some of the judges have never seen a chocolate before in person. Here is a chart of the four most common Abyssinian colors (ruddy, blue, cinnamon, fawn) compared with the newest TICA approved colors of chocolate and lilac. Chocolates look a lot like cinnamon in general color (especially without a cinnamon to compare to side by side) but have much darker lips, paw pads, shading along spine, and tail tip. A nice show quality chocolate is very obviously different in color from a nice show quality cinnamon, but it still takes experience to tell the difference (easiest is tail tip color being quite dark brown in the chocolates).

She reached the end of her showing career halfway through the show season, and was retired as a show cat to become Aksum Abyssinians' second foundation queen. Candy was bred by Bruce Alexy of Alexy Abyssinians.

Candy was transferred to us here at Blue River Abyssinians as one of our co-owned foundation queens when we started, in a generous gesture by Aksum Abyssinians. Candy's excellent mothering skills helped us get started with less trouble than we may have had with an inexperienced queen. We now have her beautiful daughter Piper as our second generation and first home-grown queen and are looking forward to kittens from her this spring.

Candy playing around at 9 months old ;) Photos by Helmi Flick Cat Photography

Candy's kittens could have been ruddy, chocolate, or cinnamon and the dilutes of those colors as well (blue, lilac, fawn) depending on the sire of the kittens.

Her first litter of kittens with Traveler (one chocolate female, three blue females, one ruddy male) were born February 24, 2009. They were all very nice quality, with four out of five very nice show quality.

Candy at 9 months old
Photo by Helmi Flick Cat Photography

Her second litter with Linc as the sire born April 13, 2010 had two chocolate males, a chocolate torbie female, a very rare color lilac torbie female (our very own home-grown queen Piper) and a cinnamon male.

Candy had her third and last litter of kittens with Traveler again as the sire was born October 1, 2010. There were five kittens again - a ruddy male, a chocolate male, a blue female, a chocolate female, and a cinnamon male.

Candy regal and alert at 9 months old Photo by Helmi Flick Cat Photography

Candy is now spayed and retired to our home, and we are happy to have her attention all of the time now. She loves cuddling with us on the sofa during family time, and sleeping with us.