Contents
History of origin
It is hard to believe, looking at the graceful Somali cats, that these magnificent animals were at first considered an ordinary “production marriage”. In the 40s of the last century, several breeders of Abyssinian cats in Canada and the USA suddenly began to give birth to long-haired kittens. Naturally, they did not meet the standards of the Abyssinian breed at all and did not receive pedigrees. Moreover, unwanted offspring were quietly given away to friends, worried that non-standard kittens could compromise the reputation of the breeder.
But in the late 60s, the owner of the American cattery, Evelyn Maguey, changed the fate of long-haired “pre-Abyssinian2” cats. She decided that the whole world should admire such beauty and founded the first society of Somali cat lovers. And since the parents of the Somalis were cats of the Abyssinian breed (Abyssinia used to be called Ethiopia), she decided to name the new breed of cats by the name of the country neighboring on the map with Abyssinia – Somalia. In parallel with her, another cat breeder, Mary Mailing, fell in love with long-haired Abyssinians in Canada, who began to demonstrate her incredibly beautiful cats at exhibitions.
These two breeders changed the fate of the Somali cats, despite the active resistance of the catteries of the Abyssinian breed, which did not need competitors at all. In 1978, the Somali or Somali cat breed was officially recognized in the United States. And already in 1982 it was registered with the International Cat Federation.
Breed description
Somali cats have a long, elegant body, flexible, muscular, with straight, slender paws. The tail is long, thicker at the base and tapering towards the tip. The head is wedge-shaped, not elongated, with rounded outlines, the transition from the forehead to the nose with a smooth bend. The ears are large, triangular and set wide apart. The eyes are large, almond-shaped, yellow, amber or green in color. With any color of Somali cats, the eyes must have a stroke in the color of the ticking. Ticking (the so-called ring of a different color, which encircles the hairs several times) is the main distinguishing feature of the coat of Somali cats. The coat on their belly, inside of their paws, and on their chest is not ticked. The rest of the hairs have it, and ticking is especially intense on the tip of the tail, the soles of the hind legs and along the back.
According to the standard, four main colors of Somali cats are allowed with some of their variations:
- ruddy (wild color) – dark orange body with red-brown ticking;
- fawn (roe deer color) – beige color with dark cream ticking;
- blue (blue) – bluish-gray color with steel ticking;
- sorrel (red) – copper color with red-brown ticking.
The coat of Somali cats is thick, silky to the touch, consists of outer hair and undercoat, on the tail of the hind legs and around the neck the hair is longer than on the rest of the body.
Character
– Somali cats are not a pillow breed, they are very mobile, do not like to sit still, they should have enough space to play, and they retain playfulness until old age, – says owner of cattery of Somali cats Silvaliya Larisa Poteryanova. – This is a very affectionate and intelligent breed, Somali cats will never give a voice if they want to ask something from their owners, but they will come up and delicately tap their paw on the knee. They are generally not very talkative, but they immediately respond to affection with a grateful purr. I call the Somali the “human cat”. In my opinion, no breed of cat is able to get along so well with people.
Somali cats are human-oriented and easily adopt the lifestyle of their owners. They have high intelligence and complaisance, perfectly adapt in any family. Despite their sociability, if the owners left home for a long time, Somali cats will quietly wait for them, be bored, but not show discontent. And when the owners returned, meet them at the doorstep and follow them in anticipation of affection. But they will never distract their owners if they are busy with something.
– Somali cats are not shy, they are very friendly even to strangers, they will not hide from guests, on the contrary, they will always go out to the company to be in the spotlight, – continues Larisa Poteryanova. – And the cats are right: everyone should see such beauty.
Care and maintenance
The magnificent coat of Somali cats gives them charm – it is impossible not to touch this silk wealth. Luckily for Somali cat owners, their coats require little to no effort in grooming.
– A flat iron comb and 20 minutes a week are enough to make the cat’s coat look well-groomed, – explains the owner of the cattery. – The coat of Somali cats does not roll into tangles, does not get tangled, so the cats themselves cope with caring for it. Only during periods of molting, in spring and autumn, you can make this activity easier for your pets. I would advise owners of Somali cats to use a furminator during shedding – a comb with a blade that removes the undercoat and leaves the guard hair. Cats after such care will not look “bald”, and the fluff of the shedding undercoat will remain on the furminator.
It is recommended to bathe Somali cats once every 1 months, it is possible and less often – once every six months, here the owner himself must determine how much the coat needs to be washed. Use only special products for cats. Cut nails with a nail clipper once a week. Regularly check the eyes and ears, if dirt has accumulated in them, remove them with a damp cloth. You can use wipes impregnated with special compounds – they are served in veterinary clinics.
As for food, it must be remembered that fatty foods have a bad effect on Somali hair – it becomes dull, dandruff may even appear. Cat nutrition should be balanced. If the cat is fed only with industrial dry food, she needs to be additionally given vitamin complexes. If the owners have chosen natural food for the cat, in addition to frozen meat, it should contain cereals and vegetables (zucchini, carrots) – 30% of the daily diet.
Education and training
– The kitten that you take from the cattery is already socialized, he has certain skills: he is accustomed to the tray, to the scratching post, he knows what is possible and what is not. But the owners must definitely prioritize in order not to have problems with the behavior of the pet in the future, – explains Larisa Potrenyaova. – For example, we teach our kittens from childhood not to play with hands – hands are only for caress and food, this is not prey. In order for the baby to understand what is possible and what is not possible, it is enough to show it several times in voice and tone, of course, no physical punishment is allowed. A raised index finger and an angry voice will be enough for the Somali cat to learn the rules of behavior.
It is desirable that Somali cats have a place to play – many owners equip the room where the pets live with special complexes consisting of houses of different heights, posts that can be used as a scratching post. In this case, frisky Somali cats will splash out their energy in a specially designated place, without bothering the owners at all.
High intelligence and affectionate nature will allow you to live with a Somali cat without any hassle. They are great with children and get along well with other pets, even dogs.
Health and disease
Somali cats have good immunity and are practically not susceptible to genetic diseases. However, owners should be sure to monitor the well-being of the pet.
“Every year, cats need to get all the required vaccinations, because even if your pet doesn’t go outside, we can bring bacteria and germs on our shoes,” warns Larisa Poteryanova. – If a cat sneezes regularly during the day, this is already a reason to contact the veterinarian.
One of the common diseases of Somali cats is gingivitis (inflammation of the gums).
– Even as a kitten, a Somali cat should be taught to brush its teeth weekly – for this you need to use a special paste and a small brush. So we will avoid the formation of tartar. Another prophylactic against gingivitis is solid food, the expert explains.
With due attention and care, Somali cats will live long and bring happiness to the whole family.
Popular questions and answers
We talked about Somali cats with zoopsychologist, specialist in the correction of cat behavior Nadezhda Simokhina.