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Somali |
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TranslationFrancis Vandersteen |
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OriginThe Somali is a breed of cat native to the United States. |
| It is the semi-long-haired variety of the Abyssinian. |
A brief historical overview |
| In 1967, Mrs. Mague, an American Abyssinian breeder and volunteer at an animal shelter in New Jersey, saw the arrival of “George”, a superb longhair. Stunned by the cat's morphological similarities to the Abyssinian, George was neutered and Mrs. Mague decided to investigate his origins. She traced him back to a “Li-Mi-R” cattery and was amazed to discover that the cat's parents had come from her own cattery. George was the only longhaired kitten in the litter, suggesting that Somali's birth was a genetic mutation, a happy “accident” of nature. Continuing her research, Mrs. Mague discovered that “long-haired Abyssinians” had been appearing since the 1950s. Seven breeders had confided in her that they had had longhaired Abyssinians in their litters and were getting rid of them because they didn't conform to breed standards. At the same time, a Canadian judge, Ken McGill, also discovered the presence of longhaired Abyssinians. Some believe that this is not simply the resurgence of a recessive gene (the longhair gene), but a more rational and historical explanation. In 1976, Walter Del Pelligrino carried out in-depth research into the pedigrees of North American Somalis. He confirmed that all had in their ancestry an Abyssinian of British origin, Raby Chuffa of Selene, bred by Lady Barnard and sold in 1952 to an American breeder, Mr. Schuler-Taft. The Second World War decimated British Abyssinian breeding, and only a dozen Abyssinians survived the crisis. British breeders were therefore allowed to make illegal crosses with, among others, Persians (which didn't have a crushed muzzle at the time), introducing the “long-hair” gene into the resulting lines. Whether Abyssinian or Somali, all cats from this line have these mixed-breed ancestors in common. The Somali Cat Club was founded in 1972 in the United States, and Mrs. Mague was elected President with the mission of gaining recognition for the breed in all American federations. The name “Somali” refers to the country bordering Ethiopia, which is the probable country of origin of the Abyssinian. The breed was recognized in Europe in 1982. |
General appearance |
| The Somali is the long-haired variety of the Abyssin, whose standard it shares, except for the length of the coat. They are medium-sized, foreign-type cats. Males are larger than females. |
Behavior / characteristics |
| This breed is reputed to be intelligent. Somalis do well indoors and are very playful. They are also curious and good climbers. They are described as particularly affectionate cats, and are often referred to as “dog cats”. However, these traits are entirely individual and depend above all on the history of each cat. |
Genetics |
| The Somali can breed with the Abyssinian, as the Somali is a descendant of the Abyssinian. In this case, kittens born Somalis will be recognized on the pedigree as Somalis; kittens born with shorthair will be recognized as Abyssinians (variants), because they carry the “longhair” gene and can therefore give Abyssinians, variant Abyssinians and Somalis in an Abyssinian variant x Abyssinian variant marriage. Abyssinian variant x Abyssinian breeding produces Abyssinians and Abyssinian variants, but no Somali. Abyssinian variant x Somali breeding produces Abyssinian variants and Somalis. In this type of breeding, we know the status of the kittens with regard to coat length. DNA testing for longhair now exists, so it's always possible to know whether an Abyssinian is longhaired or not: whether he's a variant or not. |
Head |
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Cranial region |
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Head |
The medium-sized head is shaped like a rounded triangle, also known as a wedge. Both from the front and in profile, it has rounded contours. A round head or one that is too triangular (reminiscent of the Siamois), or with a pronounced stop or, on the contrary, a straight profile, are show faults. | |
Skull |
The skull and forehead are slightly rounded and, in profile, there is a gentle slope between forehead and nose. | |
Facial region |
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Nose |
The contour of the nose and lips are pigmented with the same color, in harmony with the base color. | |
Nose |
The nose should not be too long, and may have a slight bulge. | |
Eyes |
The large, almond-shaped eyes are described as brilliant and expressive in the LOOF standard. Permitted colors range from yellow to green to hazel. The eyes are outlined with a line of the basic coat color, surrounded by an area of lighter coloring. Above each eye, a short vertical stripe cuts through this lighter zone. | |
Ears |
Large, well flared at the base and moderately pointed at the tip, the ears point forward and are set fairly far apart on the skull, without being as widely spaced as the Oriental breeds. The hair on the ears is short and flat-lying, if possible with ticking. FIFé, TICA and CFA appreciate the presence of feathering at the tips of the ears. The inside of the ears is well furnished with hair. Thumbprints, which are more visible on dark-colored cats, are desirable on the outside of the ear. | |
Neck |
| The neck is also slightly arched and fairly long. |
Body |
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Generality |
Described as elegant, the body is moderately long, never massive, with well-developed muscles. | |
Chest |
The ribcage is slightly rounded, with a slightly arched back. | |
Tail |
| Fairly thick at the base, the tail is rather long and well proportioned to the body. It should not be whip-like, which is a fault. |
Limbs |
| The legs are slender, long, well muscled and straight, with small oval paws. | ||
Forequarters |
Hindquarters |
Coat |
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Coat and texture |
The medium-length coat is silky and very fine, with a dense but not woolly undercoat. The coat is thicker on the ruff and breeches, shorter on the shoulders and spine. | |
Hair |
The coat is ticked tabby, i.e., each coat has alternating light and dark stripes. LOOF accepts all colors, with or without the silver gene. However, the TICA standard specifies that the authorized coats are limited to colors with eumelanins (black called hare or ruddy, chocolate, cinnamon called sorrel or red and their blue dilutions, lilac and fawn). The CFA standard accepts only four colors, without the action of silver: black, cinnamon and their dilutions blue and fawn. The FIFé standard accepts all four CFA colors, with the addition of the silver gene. | |
Color and ticking |
Color should be as contrasting and intense as possible, never dull. A band of darker color is present on the spine and tail. For LOOF, each coat must have at least four alternating light and dark stripes. Only the hairs on the belly, chest, neck, inside of the legs and underside of the tail are not ticked. The pasterns, chin and upper throat are lighter in color, more ivory than white. An area of darker coloring on the back of the legs is appreciated. The tail should not be ringed. The color of the pads is in harmony with the base color. For LOOF, ticked hairs must start with a light stripe and end with a dark stripe. For silver cats, the lighter color between the bands of the base color is replaced by a silver shade. Rufous shading is tolerated, particularly along the spine. | |
Color faults |
 Show color faults include tabby markings elsewhere than on the head, irregular eye color, and irregular or absent ticking. For non-silver, a cold, gray, sandy or dull coat tone, the presence of white color extending to the throat or an undercoat of incorrect color are faults. For silvers, too much rufousness or a yellowish undercoat are penalized. A fluffy or woolly coat is not appreciated. Eliminatory faults are white patches, closed collars or more than two open collars, inverted ticking and discolored pads. |
Authorized marriages |
| Crosses are permitted with the Abyssinian only. |
English (United Kingdom)