Every month I showcase a breed of animal I think deserves a little attention. I only do this to heighten interest and add a little bit more knowledge about a deserving breed. Someone who normally visits this site to see the pet portraits, or cat astrology, can take a look at a breed of animal that means so much to a large percentage of the world. You may own one, you may not, or you may be considering owning one. I hope this enlightens you to another beautiful animal perfected over the years. This month I bring you the Somali.

The Somali

DEVELOPMENT
Whatever the origin of the longhaired gene, there is no doubt that longhaired Abyssinian kittens were man-made. They were not the result of a spontaneous mutation as some Abyssinian breeders stubbornly insisted. Nor was England alone responsible for introducing this gene to the breed. American breeders also helped to enlarge the Abyssinian gene pool-and to enhance those qualities that needed strengthening through outcrossing. Nevertheless, Abyssinian breeders behaved true to form as cat fanciers and refused to recognize their longhaired kittens as natural Abys. Such kittens were sold without papers as quickly and quietly as possible.

One day in 1969 a year-old longhaired Abyssinian named George (who had been given away at the age of five weeks) was brought by his fifth owner to a private shelter in Gillette, New Jersey. Evelyn Mague, the woman who operated the shelter, is an Abyssinian breeder. In fact, she later discovered that she owned the Abyssinian male that had sired the much-traveled George. Mague thought that George was "the most beautiful cat" she had ever seen, but he was not used to being around other cats; so she had him neutered and vaccinated, which no one had bothered to do for him yet. Then she placed him in a single-cat home.

Mague resented the way George had been treated. Although his parents had been pedigreed cats from some of the finest Abyssinian lines of that time, he was treated no better than a street cat because he had been born with long hair. Mague determined to find and show another longhaired Aby. Then she determined to start a campaign to get these cats accepted. When Aby breeders would not hear of calling these cats longhaired Abyssinans, Mague chose the name Somali because Somalia forms the eastern and southeastern borders of Ethiopia, which used to be called Abyssinia.

Finding another longhaired Aby was not difficult. In order for two short haired cats to produce a longhaired kitten, each of those shorthairs must possess a longhair gene. Since Mague had inherited George's mother when his breeder left the business of breeding cats and since she already owned George's father-she was able to produce additional Somalis with little difficulty: one out of every four kittens on the average. Breeding Somalis to Somalis, of course, will produce nothing but longhairs. After running an ad in Cats magazine for a year, Mague heard from a breeder in Canada who had bought some longhaired Abys from a Canadian judge and had been working with them for four or five years. Gradually Mague found other Aby breeders with longhairs, and in 1972 founded the Somali Cat Club of America (SCCA). Registration and championship status for the Somali soon followed. The now defunct National Cat Fanciers' Association was the first to recognize Somalis.

Genetically, the only difference between a Somali and an Abyssinian is one gene: that which determines coat length. There was little sense in creating a new breed for these cats. They should have been an Abyssinian variety. There is even less sense for insisting, as most associations do, that short haired kittens born from Somali-Abyssinian crosses have to be registered as Somali and cannot be shown. At least one registry, The International Cat Association, currently allows all kittens from such sanctioned outcrosses to be shown as either Abys or Somalis, depending on their coat length.

"Although beautiful, an Abyssinian or a Somali is not the ideal cat for everyone. They have a lot of energy and demand a lot of attention. Those who buy one on impulse from a pet store are often unhappy to find that instead of a mellow, independent, albeit beautiful cat or kitten, they find themselves with a cat which follows them about the house, gets underfoot, and may cause destruction if ignored. They are much like dogs in this manner. They also retain their kitten-like vitality for many years, often long after their owners expect these cats to "mellow out." So it is not a surprise that they end up in shelters or are abandoned at vet offices with an alarmingly high rate. unfortunately another characteristic of the breeds is that in general they absolutely hate to be caged (if not crate trained as a kitten), so they make difficult, and often short-lived, shelter residents."

The overall impression of the Somali is that of a well-proportioned, medium-to-large cat with firm muscular development, lithe, showing an alert, lively interest in all surroundings, with an even disposition and easy to handle. The cat is to give the appearance of activity, sound health, and general vigor (the female being finer boned but usually much more active than the male). It is a very hardy breed with very few health problems.  Its characteristics can be more compared to a dog (with its ease of training and tendency towards being underfoot at all times) then to a common household cat. It is a cat not recommended for the elderly as it would be quite easy to trip on the Somali with its inquisitive nature! The Somali is a very "in your face" sort of cat with extreme social tendencies. It will welcome your guests for you, and socialize with them as well (don't invite any cat haters over!).

Its head can be described as a modified, slightly rounded wedge without flat planes; the brow, cheek, and profile lines all showing a gentle contour. A slight rise from the bridge of the nose to the forehead, which should be of good size with width between the ears flowing into the arched neck without a break. Its muzzle shall follow gentle contours in conformity with the skull, as viewed from the front profile. Chin shall be full, nether undershot nor overshot, having a rounded appearance. The muzzle shall not be sharply pointed, and there shall be no evidence of snippiness, foxiness, or whisker pinch. Allowances are made for jowls in adult males. Its ears are large, alert, moderately pointed, broad, and cupped at the base. Ear set on a line towards the rear of the skull. The inner ear shall have horizontal tufts that reach nearly to the other side of the ear; tufts desirable (TICA says: "A thumbprint marking is desirable on the back of the ear.")Somali eyes are almond shaped, large, brilliant, and expressive. They are green or golden, and rich in color, and the deeper in color and more expressive they are, the more prized the Somali is! Skull aperture neither round nor oriental. Eyes accented by dark lid skin encircled by light-colored area. Above each a short, dark, vertical pencil stroke with a dark pencil line continuing from the upper lid toward the ear.

The Somali's build consists of a medium long torso, lithe, and graceful, showing well-developed muscular strength. Rib cage is rounded; back is slightly arched giving the appearance of a cat about to spring; flank level with no tuck up. Conformation strikes a medium between the extremes of cobby and svelte, lengthy types. Its legs are in proportion to torso; and its feet oval and compact. When standing, the Somali gives the impression of being nimble and quick.

The tail has a full brush, thick at the base, and slightly tapering. Its length in balance with torso. The tail's appearance has led lovers of this cat to call it the "fox cat" as it's bushy tail denotes the similar appearance of the tail on a fox!

The Somali coat's texture is very soft to the touch, extremely fine and double coated. The more dense the coat, the better. It has a medium-length coat, except over shoulders, where a slightly shorter length is permitted. Preference and value is given to a cat with ruff and breeches, giving a full-coated appearance to the cat. Those with a dense coat, ear tufts, and a thick collar are especially prized. The coat doesn't fully show its ticking until approximately 18 months. The ticking refers to the bands of color on a single hair. One hair can have as little as 4, but typically 6 or more, and as many as 12 bands of color.

Faults include: cold gray or sandy tone to coat color; mottling or speckling on unticked areas, necklaces, leg bars, tabby stripes, or bars on body; lack of desired markings on head and tail. Black roots on body, white locket or groin spot or white anywhere on body other than on the upper throat, chin, or nostrils. Any skeletal abnormality, wrong color paw pads or nose leather, unbroken necklace. Incorrect number of toes. Kinks in tail. These faults would disqualify a cat in the show ring, but still make a perfect pet!

SOMALI COLORS

Depending on the color of the Somali, the nose leather and paw pads have corresponding colors. Any colorings not matching are considered faults for a show Somali. Listed below are the ideals of the coats.

BLUE: coat warm, soft blue gray, ticked with various shades of slate blue, the extreme outer tip to be the darkest, with an ivory undercoat. Tail tipped with slate blue. The undersides and forelegs (inside) to be warm cream to beige to harmonize with the undercoat color. Nose leather: dark pink. Paw pads: mauve, with slate blue between toes, extending slightly beyond the paws. Hazel is also an accepted eye color in addition to the typically accepted gold or green. Blue colors are not recognized by the ACFA.

FAWN:  coat warm rose-beige, ticked with light cocoa brown, the extreme outer tip to be the darkest, with a blush beige undercoat. Tail tipped with light cocoa brown. The underside and inside of legs to be a tint to harmonize with the main color. Nose leather: salmon. Paw pads: dark pink, with light cocoa brown between the toes, extending slightly beyond the paws. Hazel eyes also accepted in the fawn. Fawn coloring is also not recognized by the ACFA.

RED: warm, glowing red ticked with chocolate brown. Deeper shades of red preferred. Ears and tail tipped with chocolate brown. Nose leather: rosy pink. Paw pads: pink with chocolate brown between toes, extending slightly beyond paws. Hazel eyes also accepted in the red. Color also known as "Sorrel or cinnamon".

RUDDY: overall impression of an orange brown or ruddy ticked with black. Color has radiant or glowing quality. Darker shading along the spine allowed. Underside of body and inside of legs and chest to be an even ruddy tone, harmonizing with the top coat; without ticking, barring, necklaces, or belly marks. Nose leather: tile red. Paw pads: black or brown with black between toes and extending upward on rear legs, Off-white on upper throat, lips, and nostrils only. Tail continuing the dark spine line ending at the black at the tip. Complete absence of rings on tail. Preference given to unmarked ruddy color. Ears tipped with black or dark brown. Hazel eyes also accepted in the ruddy.

They do also come in silver, orange, and tortie shades, but these colors are not accepted in US as of now, except for lilac and cream colors, which are recognized in the breed by the American Cat Association. European associations have different recognitions and as a matter of fact, the silver Somali is quite popular in Europe. Almost as many silver Somalis can be found as the usuals and sorrels. Blue and fawn are very rare there.
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"Somalis are even-tempered and easy to handle. They are ideal cats for households with children, as they are quite gentle (provided the children do not abuse them). They also do well as in a "mixed pet" household, getting along well with other animals. Somalis are extremely affectionate and people-oriented...They are also extremely inquisitive and clever, which may cause some trouble for the cat! An open door is as good as an invitation, as are garbage pails, windows and open drawers. Fortunately, they are also easy to train to use scratching posts.

"Like Abyssinians, Somalis are generally quiet cats, with soft voices they don't use a great deal.
Somalis are adept communicators, but don't rely on their voices to do so. This can be frustrating for
breeders, as some few Somali females may have a "silent heat" (in heat but doesn't call). Buyers of
pet Somali females should also be careful to have their female spayed as soon as she is old enough
for this reason, so an inadvertant breeding doesn't take place. Somali females have been known to
go into heat as young as five months.

"They also shed very little, less than many short-haired cats. They have two seasonal moults in spring
and fall, but otherwise shed minimally throughout the year."

 In general the Somali is a very low maintenence cat, but one that definitely does what it can to get (and keep) your attention! Brushing can be an enjoyed experience for you both, but it is not necessary for its medium coat as it does not mat. A balanced diet, daily exercise, fresh water, annual vaccinations and check-ups and heaps of attention and nuzzles are all you need to keep this cat (or any cat, for that matter) happy!

Recommended Reading
1. Somali Cats: Everything About Acquisition, Care, Nutrition, Behavior, Health Care, and Breeding (Complete Pet Owner's Manual) Karen Leigh Davis, David Wenzel (Illustrator) / Paperback / Published 1996
2. Abyssinian Cats:  (Barron's Complete Pet Owner's Manuals)
J. Anne Helgren / Paperback / Published 1995

Links: The Somali is a relatively new breed so there aren't too many pages out there, but if you have any inquiries concerning Somalis, be sure to contact the owners of the pages below as I am sure they would be willing to answer any of your Somali-related questions:

 

 
Somali & Abyssinian Breed Rescue & Education (SABRE) - breed rescue group dedicated to helping neglected and unwanted Abyssinian & Somali cats.
Somali FAQ - Find lots of pictures of the Somali and from there peruse through pages of other breeds! Some information provided by the Somali FAQ. There is a LOT more information there if you are looking for more.
Somali Breed Page - Find a comprehensive FBRL Somali breeders world-wide listing.
Imzadi Cattery - Meet Somali's and Abyssinians from Huntington, Long Island, New York.
Maria's Cat and Somali Pages (in Denmark) - Jaffa the Somali has his own page, along with his non-Somali friend, the black and white non-pedigree cat, Lucas.
Somali Cat Club Addresses World-wide - very useful for those looking for info/clubs in your
country.
Distinguished Merit Somalis - by Dorte Moller. This page contains a list of Somali cats who have obtained the Distinguished Merit title. The title is given to cats who have produced a number of offspring with the title of at least International Champion/International Premier (in FIFe, Europe) or Grand Champion/Grand Premier (in CFA, United States). For females, five offspring are necessary; for males, the necessary number is ten in Europe and fifteen in USA.
Sunset, the Somali Cat - Sunset is a red Somali, born May 13 1995 at Kimbelot Cattery, owned by Virginia Noblit and Donna L. Brown. Like all Somalis, Sunset is very outgoing, and loves to
have people around. She's very affectionate and playful and, of course, terribly cute....
Danish Abyssinian and Somali Club - Links to and about: What is DAC? DACs councillors, This is the abyssinian, This is the somali, The colours of abyssinians & somalis, When can a kitten change homes, Kitten list abyssinian, Kitten list somali, Studs DAC, Breeders DAC, Danish cat fancy, DACs linkpage, Felis Danica/FIFe pedigree, FIFe's standard for abyssinian/somali.
Nainasus Somalis - Nainasus cats is run by the Francis family, whose interest in cats spans over four decades. Browse through the virtual cattery and see the history of these cat lovers and all their cats!
Foxykats Somalis - Kathy Black has been breeding Somalis since 1990. She is a member of The International Somali Cat Club, Southwest Regional Director for Somali Cat Club of America, and a Member of the Texoma Cat Fanciers.  Foxykats Cattery is registered with the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) and is a CFA Licensed Ring Clerk.
Dushara Somali - Denmark is a popular home for the Somali. Find out more about a local cattery and find even more information on the Somali.
Purring Fox Somalis - Known here as the "Playful Foxes of the Cat World" where "Cindy Sullivan says that this is a lunatic asylum and she is the head lunatic. The Somalis prefer to think of it as a controlled form of insanity."