BREED FOCUS
● The Somali is a rare breed with 79 cats being registered by the GCCF in 2022 compared to 3536 Maine Coones for the same year.
● Somalis come in long coats and short coats. The shorter coat is much rarer. The short coat Somali differs from their Abyssinians ancestors in both type – particularly their head/ear shape and also their coat texture.
● The Somali originated in America in the late 1960s, from a longhaired Abyssinian kitten. The name Somali was chosen to reflect their roots, as Somalia borders on to Ethiopia, which was originally Abyssinia. The first Somali cats came to the UK in 1980.
● The Somali Cat Club was set up in 1981 to help protect and promote the breed in the UK. The club has a dedicated committee and thirteen registered breeders around the UK.
● Famous Somalis include the Instagram Stars – Simon, Bram and Harun@somaliamore a trio of beautiful Somalis with 123k followers. Errol @errol.the. cat with 113k followers and Summer @summerstravels with 98k followers.
● Genetically a Ticked tabby, the Somali has at least three bands of colour on each hair. This is referred to as ticking and is considered the essence of the Somali breed.
● The Somali is often referred to as the “Fox Cat” for their similarities to these bushy tailed creatures.
● The Somali is classed as a semi-long-haired breed and can be found in Section 2 at GCCF cat shows. The long-haired Somali’s coats is silky soft and fine and requires brushing around once a week.
● The Somali is famed for its “Somali Smile” due to the unique shape of their jaws, they appear to be smiling and this matches their happy and fun personalities.
● The Somali comes in eight colours, the most widely known being the Usual (also called Ruddy outside of the UK), but they also come in Sorrel, Chocolate, Blue, Lilac, Fawn, Red and Cream. All of these colours are also available in Silver and Tortoiseshell.
Owner Case study – by Emily Butler
I grew up with cats, living with several different breeds, including Domestic shorthairs, Abyssinians, Bengals, Burmese and Asians. We got our first Somali Wash, a Usual silver, back in 2018. The day we brought Wash home, he came straight out of his carrier and gave me a head nudge, just like my Abyssinians used to and that was it…I was hooked!
Wash is a dream cat; he has the sweetest nature and loves showing off. He is a “ridiculous tart” and loves nothing mor
