Somali Cats
Cat Facts

In truth, Somali cats are Longhaired Abyssinian cats. Originally, these domestic cats were considered the 'unwelcome produce' of a recessive gene in the Abyssinian cat. It is unclear how this recessive gene found its way into the Abyssinian gene-pool. It is thought that is was introduced many years ago by crossing the Abyssinian Cat with and Angora or Persian Cat. Irrespective of how it was introduced, the results are a striking!

In the early days when longhaired foxy-looking kittens appeared in Abyssinian cat litters, cat breeders would neuter the kittens and sell them off as pets. In the early 60's, Jean Robertson's Abyssinians regularly produced longhaired kittens that found their way to the Canadian breeders, Don Richings and Ken McGill. They started a breeding program with these cats. Richings later teamed up with Mary Mague, an American cat breeder who was developing longhaired Abyssinians which she named Somali cats. The breed was finally recognized during the late 70's.

Features and Characteristics

Somali cats obviously have similar characteristics to their 'parent breed', the Abyssinian cat. It is a medium to large cat, with a muscular, flexible body, long thin graceful legs and is always well proportioned. The Somali's tail is probably its most distinguishing feature, being broad at the base and tapering at the end with a full brush of long fox-like hair.

Their heads are triangular or a rounded wedge-shape. The muzzle is not pointed or fox-like and their chins are well developed. Ears are large, set fairly wide apart, slightly pointed and often have lynx tips. An interesting marking seen on the Somali's face are the two vertical black stripes that form an 'M' on the forehead.

Their eyes are large, bright, expressive and almond-shaped. The skin on the inner lids of the eyes are black, resulting in an eye-liner look with lighter fur encircling the eye that further accentuates those beautiful amber, green or gold-colored eyes.

The Somali cat's double coat is fine, but dense and the texture is soft to the touch. The coat is semi-long on the belly, chest, flanks and back and long on the ruff, britches and tail. On the shoulders the fur is slightly shorter.

These cats have an agouti or ticked coat which means that each hair shaft has alternating bands of light and dark colored bands. What makes this wild, ticked pattern unusual is that ticked coats are not common in longhaired cat breeds.

The colors that are permitted vary considerably. You would need to visit the relevant registry in your country to establish which colors are recognized. The Cat Fanciers' Association and FiFe accept only 4 colors. The International Cat Association only accepts eumelanistic colors (black based) and Governing Council of the Cat Fancy and South African Cat Council accept a much wider range of colors.

Fawn: The ground coat is a rose-beige color with light cocoa-brown ticking.

Blue: The ground color is a warm beige with slate-blue ticking

Ruddy: The ground color is a burnt-sienna and the ticking can range from black to dark brown.

Red: The ground color is a rich and warm red with chocolate brown ticking.

Silver: There are various silver varieties. All have a white ground color. Black Silver has black ticking; Sorrel Silver (chocolate ticking); Chocolate Silver (dark chocolate ticking) and Blue Silver (slate blue ticking).

Chocolate: Copper-Brown ground color; ticked Dark Chocolate

Lilac: Dove-Gray ground color; ticked Deeper Gray

Red: Apricot-Orange colored ground color; ticked Red

Cream: Cream ground color; ticked Deeper Cream

Somali cats develop relatively slowly and they only reach their full size at around 18 months.

Personality

Somali cat tends to be less boisterous and demanding than the Abyssinian cat. They are even-tempered, alert, people-orientated cats and are sociable towards strangers and other animals. They are quiet cats with soft voices which they seldom use.

They are gentle and affectionate, yet lively, active and playful cats. They need a fair amount of space as they tend to have frequent bursts of energy where they run sideways, their tails and backs arched like monkeys. The find the game of fetch most appealing and like their parent breed, prefer it if you do the fetching. Their cat toys amuse them for hours. Another idiosyncrasy of this beauty is their 'hairdressing' syndrome, where they enjoy sitting on your shoulder and licking or flicking your hair!

Somali are highly intelligent and mischievous and have been known to open cupboard doors and faucets.

It is the perfect cat for a household with children and other pets of equal energy, but generally not suited to the elderly as they do tend to get under your feet. Whilst apartment living is not ideal, they will adapt provided there is ample room for them to run and exercise. They enjoy hunting and an enclosed, escape-proof yard would probably be more suitable for this cat breed.

If you're looking for brains and personality.......then the Somali cat breed is it!

Somali Cat Information

Indoor or Outdoor Cats

The ideal home is with other pets and children. They can adapt to large apartments, but apartment living is not recommended. Somali cats need space to run, hunt and explore. Gardens must be cat-proofed.

Cat Care and Cat Grooming

Even though the Somali Cat is a semi- to longhaired cat, it requires limited grooming. Brushing is recommended twice a week to avoid matting and to keep the fur in good condition. They shed very little excess hair. Visit our comprehensive pages on cat grooming, cat care and general hygiene for your cat.

Cat Health Concerns

The Somali cat is generally healthy, but there are some lines that are prone to:

• Auto Immune Hemolytic Anemia
• Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency
• Renal Amyloidosis and Gingivitis

It is always wise to consider cat insurance for your cat.

Cat Diet and Nutrition

This cat does not need a special diet, but you do need to feed your cat a healthy, well balanced diet. The review on cat food provides excellent information on the different types of feline foods and the cat nutrition guide reviews the importance of specific nutrients in your cat's diet. Water and not milk is also an essential part of their diet.

The Average Weight

Their weight varies between 2.7 kg - 5.5 kg (6 - 12 lbs), the females being lighter than the males.

Life Expectancy

The average life span of Somali cats is between 9 and 15 years.

Cat Related Pages:

Somali Cat Pictures - beautiful photos of foxy-looking cats

Somali Kitten Breeders - an international cat breeder directory

Cat Photo courtesy of:

Top:Ruddy Somali Dreamstime.com

Center: Dushara Breidablik of Valinor Black Silver Somali Owner: Alex Page of Valinor Cattery

Center: Somali with kitten Ruddy Grand Champion Hillstblues Mafusa of Thomasomali Owner: J Hoare of ThomasO'Mali Cattery

Bottom: © Theresa Fouche - Karnaki Half Asleep in Frog Pyjamas- Ruddy Somali male neuter, Owned and Bred by: Karen Pepler