Somali Cat: Breed Personality, Behavior Facts and Characteristics, Health Care Info

The Somali Cat has a wild, medium-sized appearance with a bushy tail, long fur and large ears. They have an intelligent and active personality, a cat quite attractive for breeders and lovers of cats.

Photos and Images Somali Cat

In this section you will find photographs of the Somali Cat. Click on the image to see it in full resolution.

What is a Somali Cat?

Somali cat or Fox cat It is a medium, majestic, agile, muscular cat, with thin and long legs. It has a wild but elegant appearance, is a relative of the Abyssinian cat.

This cat has an affectionate and pleasant character and with a personality typical of felines. He is always willing to play and run, a pet that is gaining more popularity day by day.

What is the origin of the Somali Cat?

The Somali cat is basically an Abyssinian cat with long hair. It is originally from England, the result of a mutation between cats with genes of long hair and the abyssinian cat. The Lord Robert Napier introduced it by baptizing it with the name of Zulu.

Some litters of Abyssinians were born with long hair for a time, which were sterilized and given for adoption. From the year 1960 many Canadian breeders took interest in this long-haired race. So at the end of this decade they created a version of the long haired Abyssinian they called Somali. The breeders Ken McGill in Canada and Evelyn Mague in the United States, gave them that name to differentiate them from the Abyssinians.

This race was officially recognized in the 1977 year by the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA). The International Feline Federation (FIFe) recently recognized the breed in the 1983 year.

The beautiful ticked fur can be seen both in somalies and in Abyssinian cats. Because of their beautiful appearance, charming personality they were gaining great popularity.

What are the most common characteristics of the Somali Cat?

The Somali cat has a wild aspect of extraordinary beauty and elegance. He has many qualities, likes to be observed and exhibits with pleasure his tail adorned with abundant hair.

Size: Somali cats have a medium size.

Weight: The weight in the males is 3.5 to 6 kilograms and in the females of 3 to 5 kilograms.

Body: He has a developed muscular strength, of medium length, elegant demeanor and his back is somewhat stooped.

Eyes: They are large and expressive, almond shaped, accented by a thin black line. Dark amber, yellow and green.

Nose: It is not pointed.

Ears: They are large, pointed and separated. It has strands of hair similar to that of the lynx.

Head: Rounded wedge shape, slight elevation between nose and forehead, slightly pointed snout, full and rounded chin.

Extremities: The legs are long and slender, with oval and small feet.

Tail: It is long, thick base and pointed.

Fur: It is fine, dense, semi-long and soft.

Coat color: There are somali cat varieties in red, ruddy (black and blonde veins), blue (blue-gray veins and cream), sorrel (veins chocolate and blondes) and fawn (veins dark cream and beige). White is restricted to the throat, chin or nostrils. The tail has no rings.

How is the character and behavior of a Somali Cat usually?

The somali cat he is active and intuitive, very playful and naughty. He likes open spaces, making it very difficult to live in an apartment. He has a low tolerance to cold, but his hunter’s instinct will make him go outside.

In many occasions it is a timid and distrustful cat At the beginning, you will need a time to adjust with the beings around you. Is very intelligent and learns very easily the orders of his master, which is why it is easy to train them.

Many times this feline has a unique behavior, docile and affectionate, but at the same time it is something sloppy. It has an independent temperament, so it tends to ignore the reprimands and prohibitions of its owner.

How much does a Somali Cat live?

The Somali cat can have a life expectancy between 10 and 15 years. In the case of a female, she could live another year or two. Some cats that live inside the houses can live more than 15 years or more. Sterilization often increases the longevity of these felines, reducing the possibility of suffering testicular cancer in males. In relation to females, they do not develop uterine or ovarian cancer.

How to care for a Somali Cat?

This breed of Somali cat does not require special care when breeding, but you must take care of it from baby. They are robust animals and not very delicate in their diet and health, they will only ask for attention related to their physical appearance.

As with most longhair cats, these minuses will need attention on their hygiene. Periodic brushing will help eliminate dead fur, do it at least a couple of times a week; although in the molting time of fur they should be more frequent. This way you will avoid tangling your hair and prevent your cat from having a gastrointestinal discomfort.

In the same way you should bathe the cat periodically, you need some special products for this type of breed. You have to dry the cat quickly, since they can withstand the cold and catch a cold. Do not bathe more than 1 once a month according to what the cat requires.

Pay attention with the nails and the ears of the kitten, clean them periodically.

You must put special care in the containers of both your food and water, because if you do not clean them daily you could acquire some disease.

What do the Somali cats eat?

For a good somali cat development, give your kitten a quality and nutritious feed. There is balanced food, both wet and dry, that contain all the proteins and calories that this animal needs.

It is not good to provide food that contains cereals and by-products, often causing allergies, as it can not digest them.

Water is a very important factor in all animals, put at your disposal of the cat fresh and clean water in your drinker.

What diseases are the most common in the Somali Cat?

The Somali cat is in very good health, few individuals could get an aggravated disease.

This cat does not like the cold environment and finds it difficult to adapt to cold climates. If you are exposed to these climates and are not properly cared for, you could get sick from a cold and other discomforts.

Some cats may acquire chronic gingivitis, an inflammation in the gums, which could get complicated in kidney problems. In case of any symptoms, immediately assist the veterinarian to avoid complications.

A common anomaly in longhaired and semi-longhaired cats are bezoars or hairballs in their digestive system. You can avoid this anomaly with periodic brushing of your coat and providing paraffin or malt for your hair removal.

Curiosities of the Somali Cat?

The magnificent somali cat, is a domestic feline that every day is gaining more lovers and followers of the breed. In this section we show you some peculiar data of these pussycat.

• This cat is the result of a mutation between cats with long hair genes and the Abyssinian cat.
• The crosses for the creation of this breed were made in the 50 decade.
• This race was officially recognized in the 1977 year by the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA).
• The International Feline Federation (FIFe) recently recognized the breed in the 1983.
• The breeders Ken McGill in Canada and Evelyn Mague in the United States, gave them that name to differentiate them from the Abyssinians.

How much does a Somali Cat cost?

The Somali cat has a variable price in relation to where you are going to buy it. It can cost you more or less 700 American dollars bought in a hatchery, and 300 dollars if you buy it from an individual or from an animal shop.