Somali

Posted by: Cat Diaries on 31 Mar 2009

This month’s feature breed is the Somali, sometimes referred to as ‘fox cats’ because of their appearance. Curious and very friendly, Somalis are great for families and will provide years of companionship.

Snapshot
Extremely playful and always looking for an adventure, Somalis make wonderful companions for children and families. Their distinguishing characteristic are their big, bushy, fox-like tails. Their fur is also distinctive, being ticked by multiple bands of colour that give the Somali its slightly wild appearance compared to other long-haired cats. These cats are available in a variety of colours, with tawny, cinnamon, blue and fawn the most common colours found in Australia.

History
The Somali is a far more recent breed of cat than most. Somalis are sometimes compared to the long-haired version of Abyssinians, which first appeared in the 1950s. Through breeding programs of Abyssinians, the Somali variant — with kittens born with long coats and bushy tails — began to become more frequent. While some people did not want to accept these unusual Abyssinians, others began to cultivate the breed. Although still not very popular in Australia, this diamond in the rough is making a scene in the cat world internationally.

Personality
Their personality may be the reason so many people fall in love with these cats. They are energetic and full of life, but still gentle and affectionate to their owners. An unusual feature of this breed is that they have a fascination with water, so they will not only play with a dripping tap, but they have also been known to turn the tap on themselves to provide running water! Their curiosity also means that there will never be a dull moment, as this cat will try to help you with your daily activities. Somalis also love attention and are not the type of cat who will sit quietly in a corner. The Somali is very much an extrovert who loves to be around people, even grooming their human friends. Their active and sociable characteristics allow them to get along with other cats, as well as dogs and other animals. somali-cat

Because of their active and vivacious personality, you may think that being indoors would cramp their style, but they are safest indoors. However, Somalis can be trained to walk on a leash, which will give them fresh air.

Although they thrive on attention and companionship, Somalis can adapt well to single households. If you are the type of person who is out of the home most of the time, having another companion for them to play with would be a good idea. Leaving plenty of toys around for them to play with during the day would be helpful, too, as their intelligence means they get bored easily.

Health
Unlike other long-haired cats, the Somali does not need daily grooming. Their silky textured hair makes it resistant to matting, so once-a-week grooming (which your Somali will love!) is all that’s required.

Breeders
Although this cat is rare in Australia, there are a few breeders out there that realise the beauty of these cats.
http://www.catsofaustralia.com/somali_breeders.htm
http://www.zabenkasomalis.com
http://www.vivacesomalis.net/home.html
http://www.shilabosomalis.com.au/
http://www.joylincarsomalis.com/

http://www.nareira.com/ contact Debbie at debbie@nareira.com

6 Responses to “Somali”

Margaret Croft says:

I live with two moggies and two Somalis: Marcel is a Cinnamon and his sister, Soleil, a Tawny….I cannot imagine life without them. Soleil was named after Cirque du Soleil. Need I say more?! So loving, intelligent and full of fun – a constant source of laughter and delight. And they adore the moggies Sophie and Shadow. Life is never dull. They do have a very dominant personality and I recommend experienced cat owners have them – they will rule if you let them! And they jump on everything – you need to remove any valuables from shelves. But they live happily indoors. Once a Somali has come into your home, life becomes so much the richer.

Leena says:

Hi!

Glad to have found your site through Twitter!

I always had Abessinian cats. And then along came Rolli… (You can read the whole story at http://www.inspirational-short-stories.com/find-a-pet.html )

Everything you say here about Somali cats is true. Rolli at least is so affectionate and loving. Always sitting at your lap (and lying on the keyboard of my laptop when I try to write – so sorry about the typos if there are any LOL). He is so sociable you can´t imagine. Purrs like a tractor, washes your hands (yes, even when I try to write with my laptop here) and cheeks, comes to say good morning and good night. And good day many times in between.

He is soooo charming every single person who comes to visit falls in love with his personality. His fan club grows by each visitor. If anything ever happened to us and Rolli would need to find a new home, there would be a queue to take him.

He absolutely loves people. Just the day before yesterday we had a two year old girl here who of course was very interested in Rolli´s bushy tail. And when she of course pulled it, Rolli just looked at the girl and purred. Then she took him by the ear and pulled. Rolli flopped on his side, closed his eyes and purred. She grabbed him with both hands and shook. What did Rolli do? You guessed it. Looked a bit baffled… and purred.

I think a Somali cat is the purrrfect cat to introduce to anyone who is afraid of cats. At least Rolli is a one-cat-therapist…

And a lovely site you have. I have bookmarked you and will return again

Leena

Dianne Munro says:

HI,
I was a breeder of Abyssinian for many years but before that, I had a beautiful tawny Somali, which is the long haired Abyssinian. He was the most beautiful and loving cat and died last year at 16 and half, and i still miss him badly. Many years ago, we lived in a newish area with bush at the back and all around. Shortly after we moved there, there were numerous sightings of a FOX in the area. Took me a while, but I finally worked out it was my beautiful boy they were talking about, as when they run, the Somali’s beautiful bushy tail sticks up, like a fox’s. Shortly after I built a huge run to keep all my cats safe, as i didn’t want anyone to shoot or catch the ‘FOX” . Once I did that, there were no more sightings of the ‘FOX’. I live in a small unit now so can only have the cats I now have, but in the distant future, when they cross over the Rainbow Bridge, my next cat will definitely be another Somali.
Dianne

Taryn says:

We recently got our little somali – Neelix is her name. she is absolutely beautiful with an unbelievably loving personality and always loves to play. We are enjoying her so much, I cant even imagine going back to the times without her.
One thing we have noticed though is that she begs for anything food related, you could open a packet of chips or bite into an apple and she wants it. Not that she likes everything she wants but she wants everything if it smells like food of any nature. Is this a natural trait of the somlai breed. She also prefers to drink out of a glass rather then her water bowl?
Anyway those are a few Q’s iI had, if anyone has any info on the begging thing please let me know
thanks

Nannette says:

I have a somali and like the above posters said; they are sweet, loving, outgoing, adventerous and wonderful little dog-like cats! If you want the outgoing nature of a dog and the sweetness and lap quality of a cat; then get a somali!

My somali is leash trained! He loves the car! He loves water! He jumps right onto my shoulders and we clean house together! And unlike most cats; he eats EVERYTHING! Apples? Yep! Chips? Yep! Pizza? Yep. None of my other cats would come close to such foods; but he will chomp away happily.

The somalis certainly one of the most unique breeds that I have ever met/had. From liking to be on leash to loving Great Danes that are within an inch of their face to their CONSTANT head butts! they are truly special.

Welcome home Remus » Margreet & Fredde :: Sharing a little... says:

[...] characteristics as a dog. After some research we found Abyssinian and their long haired cousins Somali, they seemed like a perfect match – the outgoing nature of a dog and sweetness and lap quality of [...]