With many traits in common with its sister breed, the Abyssinian cat, this is often considered its long-haired version. However, the Somali is much more than that, since it is a breed in itself, with many virtues, such as its character or its intelligence, without underestimating its elegant and stately bearing, in addition to that beautiful coat that serves as its distinctive compared to other similar breeds. Nowadays it is very popular, this is understandable due to all the benefits that having one of them as a companion offers, as we will see in this article on our site.
If you are thinking of sharing your life with one of these felines, below we will explain the characteristics of the Somali cat, its main care, curiosities and much more. Keep reading!
Origin of the Somali cat
It was in the 50s of the last century when hybridization was carried out by breeders from the United States, New Zealand, Australia and Canada, between Abyssinian cats with Siamese, Angoras and Persians, gave rise to the appearance of long-haired cats in litters. At first, these individuals with longer hair than their congeners were despised and given away, since they were of no interest to breeders as they did not have a pedigree. However, with the passage of time and the succession of crosses, more and more of these puppies appeared in litters, thus, in the 1960s, a Canadian breeder decided to separate these long-haired kittens and managed to establish the breed.. The American breeder Evelyn Mague was the one who managed to breed long-haired Abyssinian cats in a controlled way in 1967.
It was in 1979 when the Somali cat breed was first officially recognized, which was named in this way due to which comes from the Abyssinians, who in turn are originally from Ethiopia, a country bordering Somalia. This recognition is carried out by the Cat Fancier Association (CFA), and followed by the Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFe), which accepted it in 1982.
Physical characteristics of the Somali cat
The Somali is a medium-sized cat, weighing between 3, 5 and 5 kilograms, although there are specimens that can weigh up to 7 kilos. His body is muscular and stylized, which gives him an extremely elegant and majestic appearance. Their limbs are long and slender, but they are still strong and robust. Generally, their life expectancy is between 9 and 13 years.
The Somali cat's head is triangular, with a slight indentation that makes its forehead slightly domed. The snout is elongated, like the nose, and wedge-shaped. Its ears are large and wide, with a marked point and longer hair, as in the tail, which is long and in the form of a duster, with a long and dense hair. The eyes are large and almond-shaped, with dark eyelids, presenting a range of colors that go from green to gold or copper.
The Somali cat's hair is medium-long, although it is somewhat longer on the tail and ears than on the rest of the body. This coat of hair is dense and soft, it does not have a woolly coat, so it is sensitive to cold. The colors of the hair are very particular, since in the same hair it presents several different shades. For example, the color is often lighter at the roots and darker towards the ends, which is called ticking and gives it an incredibly special appearance. The range of colors includes blue, sorrel, fawn and wild or ruddy
Now that you know the main characteristics of the Somali cat in terms of physical appearance, let's see those corresponding to its temperament.
Somali cat character
The Somali cat is characterized by being active and smiling, it loves company and games with its humans, as it is a breed of very energetic cat and needs to release all that energy to appear relaxed and avoid nervousness. As if this were not enough, the Somali cat is very intelligent, being very cooperative in training and learning simple commands with surprising ease and speed.
These animals love to live outdoors, but this does not mean that they do not adapt perfectly to life in an apartment, although in this case we must provide them with enough stimuli so that they do not bored and can exercise and satiate your restless curiosityFor this, it may be interesting to know more about what environmental enrichment is and what it is for, as well as the benefits it will have for our feline.
Somali cat care
The Somali cat, having a semi-long coat, will need daily brushing, with the most suitable brush according to the characteristics of its coat, to keep their coat he althy and free of dirt and dead hair. The maintenance of the hair will be simple, since it does not usually get tangled and it is not too long. We can complement brushing with the use of products against hairballs inconveniences, such as m alt, Vaseline or specific oils for this use. Finally, regarding the care of the Somali cat's hair, to make its fur look shiny and lustrous we can follow these tricks to enhance its natural shine.
We have to provide quality food, with feed that is as rich in meat as possible and with a lower proportion of cereals and by-products. In addition, we have to moderate its intake, since it is a cat that tends to gluttony. Although it is true that they usually compensate with their playtime and physical activity, especially calm or sedentary felines can easily become overweight and obese, with the disorders that these entail.
Likewise, we must control the state of their nails, eyes, ears, mouth and teeth, as well as keep their vaccinations and veterinary check-ups, which will help in the prevention and early diagnosis of possible alterations in the he alth of our pet. Of course, we must not forget the aforementioned environmental enrichment, so it will be essential to practice intelligence games with the Somali cat, provide him with several scratching posts, toys that allow him to cover his hunting instinct, etc.
Somali cat he alth
The he alth of the Somali cat is truly enviable, since the breed does not present congenital diseases, being one of the he althiest and strongest of feline races.
However, despite the good predisposition of the Somali cat and its magnificent genetics, we have to keep our cat protected from various contagious diseases, we will achieve this through the vaccines, which will help us prevent both viral diseases, such as the dangerous and lethal feline rabies, and bacterial diseases. Likewise, for a complete preventive medicine, it is recommended to administer antiparasitic drugs, both external and internal, which will keep it free of fleas, ticks, lice and intestinal worms, all they are quite harmful to their he alth and even to ours, since there are some zoonotic diseases, that is, they can be transmitted to humans.
