The Somali is a long-haired Abyssinian cat. Abyssinians and Somalis share the same personality (active, intelligent, playful, curious) and appearance. The only difference between them is the fur length and therefore the amount of grooming required.

Somali Cat Origin

Where the longhaired gene came into the Abyssinian population is a a subject of speculation, but before the Somali breed began to be advanced in the late 1960s, longhaired kittens popped up in Abyssinian litters. These longhaired kittens, which couldn't be shown or used in a breeding program, were quietly neutered and given away or sold as pets.

In the late 1960s in the United States, people taken with these longhaired "mistakes" began breeding these cats purposely and advancing that the breed become accepted for championship status. This was not the first advancement of this breed; a Somali was shown in Australia as early as 1965. By the late 1970s, the Somali was accepted by all North American cat associations for championship status. It has had slower acceptance in Europe; the GCCF (Governing Council of the Cat Fancy), Great Britain's cat association, did not fully recognize the Somali for championship status until 1991.

Somali Cat Appearence

Somalis have semi-long, silky hair, a semi-cobby body and relatively small ears compared to other cat races. In order to comply with breed standards, the Somali's body should be of an eggshell colour or golden, depending on the intensity of the markings colour. The markings can be pure seal, chocolate, blue, red, lilac or cream. Tabby variations are also allowed. Tortie cats can be seal, chocolate, blue or lilac. Somalis have sapphire coloured eyes.

The Somali's coat is unusual due to the white 'gloves' on each paw. They are one of the few cat breeds in the colourpoint coat that has fingers and toes in pure white colour.

Somali Cat Colors and Coats

The coat of the Somali really attracts attention  the ticking gives a wild appearance that is very unusual for a longer haired cat. Each hair has bands of contrasting colour. The Somali coat is longest in the breeches, and the lovely ruff. A real feature of the Somali is the tail, which has earned them the name the Feline Fox. The beautiful coat is very easy to care for, due to the silky texture that does not have a tendency to matt. A weekly comb is all that is needed to keep the Somali looking and feeling good, and the cats enjoy this.

Unlike most long-haired cats, Somalis shed very little excess hair. Their coat is generally shed en masse , or "blown", once or twice a year, rather than constantly shedding like a Persian or other long-haired cat.

The essence of the Somali cat is ticking - each hair is ticked multiple times in two colours. The Usual or Ruddy Somali is golden brown ticked with black. There are 28 colours of Somali in total (some organisations accept only some of these colours). All organisations accept Somalis in usual/ruddy, sorrel/red, blue, and fawn. Most clubs recognise usual/ruddy silver, sorrel/red silver, blue silver, and fawn silver. Other colours that may be accepted include chocolate, lilac, red, cream, usual-tortie, sorrel-tortie, blue-tortie, fawn-tortie, chocolate-tortie, lilac-tortie, and silver variants of all the above colours.

The Somali Temperament

The Somali is a lot of fun to live with. Somali's are incedible at jumping what seem like impossible distances, they are the true gymnasts of the cat world. They would never be described as couch potatoes – they are lively and energetic and the world is an endless adventure for them. They are smart and lively, but also alert and curious. They are freedom-loving and must have plenty of room to roam and explore. Like Abyssinians, Somalis are generally quiet cats, with soft voices they don't use a great deal. They get on well with other animals – other cats as well as dogs.