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The Somali, despite its name, does not come from Africa. The recessive longhaired gene was present in the Abyssinian breed for years, probably introduced after World War II when the Aby breed was nearly wiped out in England. For many years, these early longhaired kittens from Aby breedings were quietly eliminated (some by placing as pets, sometimes not) until unrelated groups of breeders in Canada and the United States began working with these longhaired "throwaways" in the early 1960s to develop the breed that exists today.

The Somali breed was accepted for championship status in CFA in 1977, though only in ruddy; other colors -- red, blue, and fawn -- were accepted later. The breed was first imported to the UK in 1981, and received championship status from GCCF ten years later.

The Somali cat is perhaps most easily described as a longhaired Abyssinian, although over time, the types have diverged some and these breeds no longer look like exact counterparts. The lively Somali breed has a bushy tail that led to the nickname "fox cat". Its dense, soft coat is ticked in the manner associated with wild cats.

The Somali personality is extroverted, active, inquisitive, very affectionate and people-oriented. They can be stubborn and obedience is better won with love and praise than with punishment.

Although sources often state that Somalis are not good apartment-dwellers, they are fine apartment cats as long as they have the run of the place. They do not like being caged or closely confined to a single room for extended periods.

Somali kittens are most commonly available in blue, fawn, red (sorrel), and ruddy colors. Somali kittens are also available in silver tones in Europe and less frequently in the United States, although many associations do not accept these color. They are accepted outside the United States in other colors in some other associations, including chocolate and lilac. Theoretically, the Somali can be found in twenty-eight colors total, but only the four mentioned above are widely accepted.

Photo © Chanan

Interesting fact: The Somali cat shares the distinction with the Birman of being one of the most challenging breeds of cat to breed for show. This is because there are key features of the breed -- intense undercoat color and clarity (lack of stripes on the neck and legs) -- often cancel one another out. The longer hair length also makes undesirable marks show up more easily than they do on their parent breed, the Abyssinian.

Associations: The Somali breed is accepted in all major cat registries.

Books about the Somali from amazon.com

• Somali Cats : Everything About Acquisition, Care, Nutrition, Behavior, Health Care, and Breeding (Complete Pet Owner's Manual) by Karen Leigh Davis

Somali Breed Information

• Abyssinian & Somali Pedigree Database (Pawpeds)
• Choosing a Somali (PetPlace.com)
• ERoS Somali Pedigree Database
• Genesis: Origin of the Somali Cat (1976)
• Somali (Animal Planet)
• Somali (IAMS Breed Guide)
• Somali Breed Profile (CFA)
• Wikipedia: Somali

Somali Cat Clubs/Associations

• CFA Somali Breed Council (CFA)
• Somali Cat Club (GCCF)
• The Association of Somali Cats (TASC)

Somali Video:

• Cats 101: Somali (Animal Planet)