A goddess on the hearth rug
Sensational Somalis - cats with smiles
Click here to find out more about Elchris Somalis
Could this be the cat worshipped by the ancient Egyptians? Bastet, the Egyptian fertility goddess was portrayed in bronzes and carvings as a cat or cat-headed woman resembling the Abyssinian. The distinctive tabby markings on the face may have recalled the scarab or sacred dung beetle to the Egyptians as the bronzes often had scarabs on their foreheads.
The Somali is an Abyssinian with a long coat. When the first kittens were discovered in Abyssinian litters breeders were horrified and gave them away as neutered pets. Eventually, though, interest was aroused and a group of breeders determined to develop these variants as a separate breed.
Somalis are believed to have originated in England, but the breed was first recognized through the efforts of breeders in the USA and we should be grateful for their vision in getting recognition for this delightful breed. The Somali was reintroduced to Britain from the USA in 1980 but was only granted official status as a breed by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy in the late 1980s.
Abyssinians and Somalis have a unique place in the cat world as the breed is based on a single coat pattern not found in any other breed. They were once known as 'bunny-cats' because they had a similar coat to the wild rabbit. Basically they are tabby cats with the tabby markings restricted to the face. These give them their unique smile.
They have large almond-shaped green or gold eyes accented by dark lidskin with a lighter surround. Above each eye a short vertical line extends towards the top of the head and a line from each outer eye corner extends towards the base of the ear. You might think they have been using eye-liner. And they have the most enormous ears which are continually swiveling around to pick up the smallest sound.
The Somali's coat is longer, silkier and softer than the Aby's with a full ruff around the neck and fluffy breeches on the hindlegs. There are several bands of dark ticking on each hair on the body but the underside of the cat is even coloured. They come in a variety of colours, usual which is somewhere between apricot and chestnut with black ticking, sorrel (fox-red), blue, lilac, fawn, chocolate and torties with silver versions of each colour and breeders are always trying to add to these.
The Somali is the perfect cat for anyone wanting the beauty of a long-haired cat without the time-consuming grooming to maintain it. They are turbo-charged, always rushing busily around with plumy tail held aloft, fluffy trousers wiggling a la Marilyn Monroe, bent on mischief. They chatter like chipmunks. They jump like fleas many times their own height from a standing position. They are incredibly affectionate and demanding of your company, always following you around in case they miss something. Despite this they have the delightful wild look of a miniature lynx. The Somali cat is a very special cat, nature in the raw tame enough to sit on your knee.
Click here to find some useful Somali links
