Somali Cat Breed - Overview and History
Dog Breeds
The Somali cat breed is a breathtaking cat that resembles a red fox, with its large tufted ears, masked face, large neck ruff and dramatically bushy tail.
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Introduction
The Somali is a breathtaking cat that resembles a red fox, with its large tufted ears, masked face, large neck ruff and dramatically bushy tail. Also known as the Fox Cat or the Longhaired Abyssinian, the Somali is medium-sized and muscular, with well-balanced proportions and an overall sleek, athletic build. Its legs are long, slender and fine-boned, and when standing it appears to be on its tip-toes. The Somali’s head is wedge-shaped and slender when viewed head-on, with soft contours and a gentle curve when viewed in profile. It has a slight but distinct break, or stop, in the nose at the level of its exotic, almond-shaped eyes. Ideally, the Somali’s rich copper, amber, gold or green eyes are ringed with a dark outline, which itself is surrounded by a ring of lighter fur, giving it the appearance of wearing eyeliner. The breed’s prominent pricked ears are tufted at the tips and spaced widely apart atop the head.
The Somali’s semi-long, extremely soft double coat is shorter over the shoulders and quite long on the tail and underbelly. It comes in a rainbow of colors, including Sorrel (or Cinnamon), Sorrel Silver, Ruddy (also called “Usual”), Blue, Cream Silver, Lavender (or Lilac), Blue Silver, Ruddy Silver, Chocolate, Chocolate Silver, Fawn, Fawn Silver, Red, Red-Cream, Blue-Cream and several Tortoiseshell variations. Not all purebred cat registries recognize each of these colors. Whatever its coat color, the Somali’s individual hairs each have at least three and sometimes up to twenty bands of alternating multi-colored ticking along their length, which gives the cat an overall shimmering, iridescent appearance. This breed requires little grooming and is not prone to significant shedding, although it does blow its coat (sheds out) once or twice a year. It can take up to 18 months for Somali kittens to develop their fully mature ticking and adult coloration.
History
The Somali is a stunning, long-haired descendant of the Abyssinian, which is one of the oldest breeds of domesticated cats. The breed is named after the country of Somalia, which borders Ethiopia (formerly Abyssinia) in northern Africa, to confirm the connection between the two breeds. Over the decades, there have been the occasional long-haired kittens in purebred Abyssinian litters. However, it wasn’t until the mid-1960s that efforts were undertaken to selectively breed for the long-haired variety and create a new breed that would consistently reproduce true to type. Starting in the 1960s, Abyssinian fanciers in the United States realized that there was a naturally-occurring recessive long-haired gene in their Abyssinian population. This initially was thought by some to be the result of some spontaneous genetic mutation. However, most authorities now seem to believe that the long-haired gene was introduced around the turn of the century, when ticked tabby cats of unknown parentage were brought into Abyssinian breeding programs to stabilize the vitality and viability of that breed, whose gene pool was becoming increasingly and dangerously restricted at that time.
The fluffy Abyssinian kittens initially were regarded as sub-standard and unsuitable for the show ring. In the 1960s, an American Aby breeder named Evelyn Mague discovered that a long-haired Abyssinian adopted from a shelter had been sired by her short-haired cat. She bred that male selectively to see if she could consistently create a line of long-haired Abyssinians. She was successful. However, the rise to acceptance among the purebred cat world was long and arduous for the Somali and for those breeders who adore them. Many Abyssinian fanciers shunned these longer-haired versions of their cats. Eventually, through dedication, persistence and perseverance, the Somali breed was established and formally recognized.
Two Sorrel Somali kittens were born in a litter with four Sorrel Abyssinians in Great Britain in 1971. They caused quite a stir among British cat fanciers when they were exhibited in the show ring. Today, Somalis bred to Somalis only produce Somali kittens. When a Somali is mated with an Abyssinian, the resulting litter can contain both long-haired Somalis and short-haired Abyssinian littermates.
The Ruddy and Sorrel Somalis were accepted by the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) in 1979. The Blue was accepted by the CFA in 1986 and the Fawn in 2000. The breed was officially recognized by the British purebred cat registry in 1983, and was awarded championship status from the GCCF in 1991. This breed is rapidly increasing in popularity world-wide. It has an especially wide following in the United States and in Japan.
Health Predispositions
Somalis have a life expectancy of approximately 15 years, which is about average for most domestic breeds. They are predisposed to developing certain hematological (blood) disorders, including pyruvate kinase deficiency (which can cause severe anemia) and increased osmotic fragility of red blood cells (erythrocytes). They also can develop a neurological condition called myasthenia gravis, which in cats causes drooling, regurgitation, weakness, lameness and abnormal flexion of the neck. Somalis typically have small litters of 3 to 4 kittens, which mature slowly over 18 months.
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