What Are The Characteristics Of Somali Cat?

Posted by Fred on September 5th, 2008 at 08:05am

By George Adams

The Somali is an intelligent playful cat and for those who like
longhaired cats, this may be the breed for you. Somalis are
descendants of the Abyssinian cat breed, and have a lot of
similar traits. Abyssinian litters have seen the birth of
longhair cats for many generations and in the 1960s, a Canadian
breeder thought of coming up with a new breed from these
kittens. He called it the Somali and their popularity spread
fast to the United States and Europe. This breed was developed
from the Abyssinian and they were known as the longhair
Abyssinian.

A very distinguishing feature of these cats is the markings on
the face which are often described as heavy stage makeup. The
eyes look like they have been outlined with kohl and around the
dark ring there is a ring of light hair. So the effect is that
of a cat with glasses. The body has a wedge shaped head with
large ears, a well muscled body, a long bushy tail and very
expressive eyes. This is one breed that can be found in colors
like chocolate, red, blue, lilac, ruddy, sorrel, cream colors,
fawn, with silver tabby patterns or tortoiseshell tabby.

These are highly trainable cats that are happiest when they
have something to play with. The toy can be a paper bag or some
small toy. They can do all the things one would train dogs for,
like fetch the paper, walk on a leash and come when called or
they are just as happy to cuddle in your lap for the six o’
clock news. If you plan to be out for most of the day, then get
a small companion for your Somali because a lonely Somali can
get really unhappy.

Grooming is a once a week affair as they have a medium length
coat that needs a good brushing to keep it tangle free and
unmatted and this is more so around the tail and the ruff around
the neck as here the hair is the longest. If time is a problem,
then get a short haired cat as a Somali with matted hair is not
a happy Somali. These cats keep reasonably good health and the
only thing to be aware of is that they may have a hairball
problem occasionally. Check with your local vet for hairball
control food.

The Somali is a very family oriented cat and people who like
cats will be very happy with these as pets as they make very
good pets. There are breeds which are very good but don’t do
very well when trained and kept in a home, but not Somalis.
These intelligent and playful cats are just the right breed for
a cat loving family.

About the Author: George Adams is a staff writer at
www.pets-digest.com and is an occasional contributor to
several other websites, including
www.theaquariumexpert.com.

Source: www.isnare.com

Under Breeds