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Picture Somali Cat
The Somali Cat needs High Quality Protein Food
Dr. Jane
An active and often acrobatic longhair whose theme
song is "Don't Fence Me In," the Somali cat is a
fun loving feline. He likes room to play.
A Somali needs high biological value protein and
quality fat. If you're not feeding yours an
alternative premium cat food, give him a balanced supplement
with vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids as well as an
egg yolk (no uncooked whites) twice weekly.
Discover this Excellent Food for your Somali
Many Somalis have a tendency to be hyper as
well as active, usually in the evening when you're
ready for sleep. If yours is a late night partier,
a vitamin B complex or 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon brewer's
yeast is a smart daily meal supplement, along with
a nightcap of room temperature chamomile tea, or
lactose free warm milk and honey.
Ground or chopped hops added to the evening meal may
also help keep peace in the family.
Hairball Management Solutions for Somali Cats
Natural
& Safe Relaxant for Somali Cats
The Somali Fox Cat
Article brought to you by the paws of: Alfred
The Somali breed appeared in the 1950's and is basically a
long-haired Abyssinian. The breed resulted from a breeding
program that produced Abyssinian cats with long
fluffy coats
and bottle-brush tails. The Somali and the Abyssinian are
both active, curious, intelligent and playful and also have
a similar appearance.
The only real difference between the breeds is the length of
fur and the grooming needed as a result. Somalis shed very
little of their long hair, unlike most other long-haired
breeds, therefore regular grooming of these cats is required
in order to prevent matting. In general they shed twice a
year en masse rather than shedding constantly like other
long-haired cat breeds.
In some circles Somalis are called "fox cats" because of
their ruddy coats and striking, bushy tails. Some Somalis
have a dark stripe down the back, depending on the fur
color. They also have breeches, a full ruff and large ears,
all contributing to the "foxy" look.
Most Somalis have a ticked coat that is a variant of tabby
markings. Some Somalis also have stripes on parts of their
bodies, but this is considered to be a flaw and these cats
are mostly neutered and sold as pets. The only tabby marking
allowed on a Somali that is going to be shown is the classic
'M' on the middle of the forehead.
Like the breed's cousin the Abyssinian, the Somali has a
dark rim around the eyes making them look like they are
wearing eyeliner. Some Somalis also have white in small
amounts on the chin, muzzle and throat, but white anywhere
else on the body disqualifies the cat from being shown.
It is believed by some that the recessive long-hair gene
managed to get into the breeding line when the Abyssinian
breed was rebuilt during World War II using cats of unknown
origin, although others are sure that the recessive gene was
present even back in 1905 when the breed became a part of
the National Cat Club. All of the cats registered as
Abyssinian back then had at least one parent of unknown
origin. And still others say that the long-haired Somali is
the result of a spontaneous mutation in the Abyssinian.
The Somali breed first began to be recognized in Abyssinian
litters in the 1940's. A British breeder exported Abyssinian
kittens to Australia, New Zealand and North America, and
occasionally litters from these cats produce long-haired
kittens. In 1963 Mary Mailing decided to enter one into a
local Canadian breeding show. One of the judges of the show
asked for a kitten to breed.
Evelyn Mague, an American breeder, also got long-haired
kittens from breedings of her Abyssinians and she dubbed
them Somalis. Don Richings, a Canadian breeder, used kittens
from Ken McGill and began breeding with Evelyn Mague's cats
to produce long-haired Abyssinians, or Somalis. The Somali
became an official breed near the end of the 1970's in North
America and then in the 1980's they were accepted into
European circles. The breed was accepted worldwide in 1991.
The Somali cat is known for its Abyssinian ticking, where
each hair is 'ticked' multiple times in two colors. The
Ruddy Somali, a golden brown ticked with black, is the most
common coloring. Although there are twenty-eight total
colors of Somali that are accepted, some show organizations
only accept a few of these colorings. All cat clubs accept
blue, fawn, sorrel/red and usual/ruddy. Most clubs recognize
blue silver, fawn silver, sorrel/red silver and usual/ruddy
silver. Other colors that are accepted by some groups
include blue-tortie, chocolate, chocolate-tortie, cream,
fawn-tortie, lilac, lilac-tortie, red, silver, sorrel-
tortie, usual-tortie and variants of all the above colors.
Somali cats sometime have congenital dental problems that
have been exacerbated by inbreeding. Because of this some
Somalis have had to have their adult teeth removed. Somali
breeders have made strides to breed out this unfortunate
trait, however.
Both the Abyssinian and the Somali breed have also been
known to suffer from PKDef or Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency.
Five percent of the breed carries this defective gene and
there are now genetic tests that can identify this recessive
disorder in the breed. Because of this all breeding stock
should be tested to ensure that kittens that carry this
disease be spayed/neutered to prevent this disease from
being passed on.
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Swanky Somali Cat Calendars
