Breeders of Abyssinian and Somali cats in the United Kingdom
TICA, FIFe and GCCF registered

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Show Standard of Points FIFe - Abyssinian and Somali GCCF - Abyssinian GCCF - Somali FIFe Standard of Points - Abyssinian and Somalis Type The Abyssinian and Somali are medium sized cats of identical type.  The body is firm, lithe, muscular on fine, long legs with small, oval paws.  The tail is thick at the base, long and tapering.  The head, shaped like an equilateral triangle with softly rounded lines ending in a gently modified wedge, is supported by an elegant neck.  In profile the nose shows a gentle curve.  The large ears are broad and open at the base with good width in between.  The large almond shaped eyes are set well apart at a very slight angle to the nose; their colour should be an intense clear amber, green or yellow, outlined in the colour of the ticking. Coat Abyssinian Short, fine, lying close to the body.  The warm body colour of each hair should be ticked with 2 or 3 bands and tipped with the dark colour of the relevant variety as are the tips of the ears, the hocks, the spine, the top line and tip of the tail. Somali Very fine and soft but dense.  Of medium length over the body but a little shorter over the shoulders; a frill, breeches, ear tufts and a well furnished tail are desirable.  The ticking may take as long as 2 years to develop fully. Faults Any skeletal deformity.  A cobby body, round or oriental head, too deep a nose stop, small pointed ears, round eyes.  Lack of ticking, bars or rings on legs and tail, unbroken necklace, white locket, marks or white spots on underparts, unsound undercoat colour, unclear eye colour. Colours & Patterns Ruddy, Blue, Sorrel, Fawn. Black Silver, Blue Silver, Sorrel Silver, Fawn Silver. The ticking consists of  2 or 3 bands of the dark colour corresponding with the colour variety.  The eye colour can be amber, yellow, green, hazel, always outlined with the colour of the ticking.  The colours of the nose leather and paw pads are in keeping with the coat colours. Scale of Points Body, incl legs, paws & tail 20 Head (and ears) 15 Eyes 10 Body colour 25 Ticking 15 Texture 10 Total 100   Top of Page Abyssinian Standard of Points (GCCF)   The Abyssinian cat is a balanced medium-sized animal of foreign type.   The lithe muscular body should be of medium build and have a well-ticked close-lying coat, which conforms to the standard for that colour.    Head - All head contours should be gently rounded especially from the brow to top of head.  Wide between the ears, forming a moderate wedge, which tapers from the outer edge of the ear base to a slightly rounded muzzle.  A slight indentation forms the muzzle.  Allowance should be made for fuller cheeks in adult males.  A slight nose break is essential; a bump on the nose is undesirable.  The line from the nose tip to the very firm chin should be straight.  An elegant neck should arch in an unbroken line from top of head to shoulders.    Ears - Set wide apart, large, well cupped, pricked and furry on their inner edges. Ear tufts are desirable.  From the front view the line of the ears should follow the head wedge.  Eyes- Set well apart, large, expressive and a rounded almond shape in an oriental setting.  Colour to be a clear deep shade of amber, green or hazel.    Body - Lithe, muscular body of medium build and size.  Back straight from shoulder to rump and rub cage rounded.  Legs and Feet - Legs slender and elegant, in proportion to body; small oval feet.  Tail - Thick at base, tapering and long enough to reach the cat's shoulders.  Coat - Short, fine but not soft, dense in texture and lying close*  Distinctly ticked, resulting in at least four bands of colour.  The roots must be the colour of the base hair and the final band must be the ticking colour.  Markings - Pigmentation lines of the ticking colour must extend from the inner edge of the eye to the top of the head;  and also from the outer edge of the eye to the edge of the ear.  The hair around the eyes is pale and the eyelid edge darker.  The back of the ears should be darker at the tips, preferably with clear brighter colour at the base.  Chin lips and nostrils should be the colour of the base hair or cream; white here is undesirable.  White markings, such as a locket, anywhere else are not permitted.  A line of the ticking colour should extend from the back of the head along the spine and tail, ending in a solid tail tip of that colour, the same colour to extend well up the hock.  There should be no heavy necklet or bars or any other marks, although a faint well broken necklet or slight leg barring is acceptable.  * Effective 1st June 2002  Withhold all Awards for: White markings, such as a locket (see Withhold Certificates (1) below) Cobby, coarse, small or Oriental type  Aggressive temperament  Withhold Certificates or First prizes in Kitten open Classes for: White extending down the neck  Unbroken necklets  Absence of required pigmentation marks on head and around eyes in adults  Absence of darker tail tip  Rings on tail  Lack of overall silver effect owing to excessive yellow pigmentation in silver exhibits  Ill-defined or incorrect ticking  Fewer than four bands of colour in adults  Absence of firm chin Lack of slight nose break  Whip tail  Two or more faults as listed in the Faults section below  Any defect as listed in the preface to the SOP booklet  Faults: Pinched muzzle or lack of muzzle indentation  Pale or muddy eye colour  Eyes not in oriental setting  Heavy, broken necklets  Absence of spinal shading in adults  Absence of darker markings on hind legs  Substantial barring on legs  Dark roots on a major part of the body  Fluffy, soft, over-long or rough coat  Yellow pigmentation anywhere on a silver cat   Scale of Points   Head 15 Ears 10 Eyes 5 Body 15 Legs and feet 10 Tail 5 Coat Colour 20 Markings, Ticking, Texture 20 Total 100 Top of Page Somali Standard of Points (GCCF) General Type Standard The Somali should be a beautifully balanced, semi-longhaired cat of medium build and foreign type.  The head to be broad and curving to a firm wedge set on an elegant neck.  The body to be firm, lithe and muscular of medium length, tail fairly long and tapering.  The head, body, legs, feet and tail should be in in proportion, giving a well-balanced appearance.  The expression should be alert and smiling.  The cat should be in excellent physical condition with good weight for size. Head - A moderate wedge with brow, cheek and profile lines should gentle contours.  There should be a slight rise from the bridge of the nose to the forehead which should be high with good width between the ears.  From the front, a shallow indentation should form the muzzle.  In profile, a slight nose break is essential, a firm chin and an elegant neck. Ears - Set wide apart but not low, broad at the base, proportionately large, pricked, well-cupped and tufted.  Inner edge well furnished with long hair. Eyes - Large, almond-shaped, set obliquely and well apart, expressive and bright.  Accentuated by a dark surround encircled by lighter coloured, "spectacles".  Short dark "pencil" lines at either edge of the eye, the inner one vertical, the outer one pointing towards the ear.  Colour:  amber, hazel or green: the richer the better. Body - Firm, lithe and muscular of medium size, foreign type with a level back. Legs and Feet - Long legs.  Feet oval with tufts between the toes. Tail - Long, well furnished, broad at the base and tapering slightly with a full brush.  Length to balance with the body. Coat - Soft and fine, dense but lying flat along the spine.  Medium long except over the shoulders where a shorter length is permitted.  All other points being equal, preference should be given to the cat with a ruff and full breeches.  Ruff and breeches may not be apparent in kittens. Colour and Pattern - Ticking is the essence of the Somali coat.  There should be at least three bands on every hair, ie six contrasting colour sections from base hair to tip.  Ticking is slow to develop, but should be apparent at least on the shoulders of all kittens. Ear tips and tufts, facial markings, top and tip of tail, toe tufts and heels are the same colour as the ticking.  Darker shading along the spine and top of tail is desirable. Chest, belly, under tail, inside of legs and breeches are the same colour of the unmarked base hair. Depth of colour in sex-linked colours may not be achieved in kittens or young cats, as this develops with maturity.   Withhold all awards for: 1.    White locket or white patches anywhere except around the chin, lips and nostrils.         (This does not apply to silvers). 2.    Absence of ticking in adults. 3.    Unbroken necklace. Withhold Certificates or First Prizes in Kitten Open Classes for:  (additional to General Type Standard). 1.    Cobby or oriental type. 2.    Pinched muzzle. 3.    Straight profile or stop. 4.    Absence of facial markings. 5.    Incorrectly coloured heels (Heel colour in silvers may not extend to the hock). 6.    Severe barring on legs, body or tail. 7.    Any veterinary defect as listed. Scale of Points Head 15 Ears 10 Eyes 10 Body 10 Legs and feet 5 Tail 5 Coat Colour 15 Ticking 15 Texture 5 Length and Condition 10 Total 100   Top of Page