by Annie Jane

Created on: December 21, 2008

HISTORY

The Somali, also sometimes called a fox cat, appeared from a breeding program around 1950 when their Abyssinian kittens were showing up with long fluffy coats. Their country of origin is the United States.

APPEARANCE

The Somali retain many of the same character traits as their Abyssinian cousins; one of the few differences is that the Somali have longer fur. The Somali also have very bushy tails in addition to their thick coats. However, they do not tend to shed a lot. Large ears are also a quality linked to the Somali, along with a black stripe going down their back. The Somali are known for looking fox like and very wild, although their personality is very tame. Sometimes Somalis have full tabby markings such as stripes, which are often seen as a flaw. There are about twenty-eight colors of Somali in total; some examples are: chocolate, lilac, red, cream, silver, blue, fawn, and blue silver. The most common four are the Cinnamon, Tawny, Fawn, and Blue; sometimes even a mixed silver version of the four. The heart of the Somalis appearance is their ticking. Every single hair is ticked with two colors. However, as gorgeous as these cats are, there are several genetic problems. Many purebreds have significant dental problems; some adult cats have had to have all their teeth removed. Another unfortunate trait to the Somali is PKDef (Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency). The Somali have extremely soft voices, and usually stay pretty quiet. They usually grow up to be medium, to large cats, with lots and lots of muscle. Somalis grow very slow, not reaching full size until about eighteen months of age, which means breeders rarely sell them before they are twelve months old. Their litter of kittens will range pretty small, with about two to four kittens a litter. Females usually tend to be smaller than males, but not by much.

TEMPERAMENT

Like their Abyssinian cousins, the Somali are very active, intelligent, playful, and extremely curious about everything. Due to their obvious curiosity, Somali cats need lots of room to roam and explore. Lots of room also comes in handy when they get a burst of energy to play. They love to play with water, and often learn to turn on faucets. They also have habits to open cupboards and drawers. They love to run, however they tend to run a little lopsided, like a monkey. They do tend to be very graceful though, for their asymmetrical run. The Somalis tend to be very funny and bubbly, and sometimes tend to be over-confident.

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