Somali cat

Federations: LOOF, CFA, ACF, ACFA, TICA, FIFé, WCF

Coexistence is important that you have with your new friend. Before considering the acquisition of a cat of the breed "Somali cat" you know certain factors. You must take into account their character, their need for exercise, their interaction with other pets, their care and if you have small children, their level of tolerance towards them.

No one knows for sure when and where the first somali cat; some advocates think that the long coat was a spontaneous natural mutation of the Abyssinian cat. Genetic studies indicate, However, that Somali probably originated around the turn of the century in England, when breeders, few breeders, they used longhair cats in their breeding programs Abyssinians.

At the end of the decade 1910 and at the end of the decade of 1940, during the aftermath of World Wars I and II, when so many races had dwindled to near extinction, breeders were forced to mix other breeds into their bloodlines abisinias to keep the race. Raby Chuffa of Selene, a Abyssinian cat male who came to the United States from Great Britain in 1953, and that appears in the pedigrees of many Abyssinians, is considered the father of the somali race on this continent; all the somalis Canadians and Americans can be traced to this cat.

The pedigree of Raby Chuffa It dates back to Roverdale Purrkins, a female Abyssinian cat English whose mother, Mrs. Mews, was of unknown ancestry and probably carried the gene for Longhair. Mrs. Mews was given to the breeder Janet Robertson by a sailor during WWII. Mrs. Mews later had two kittens: Roverdale Purrkins, registered as Abyssinian, and an unregistered black male.

Robertson used to Purrkins to start his kennel of Roverdale. Your cats and others Abyssinians of British origin were exported to Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and United States. When long-haired kittens appeared in the litters of Abyssinians (which was possible whenever two Abyssinians who carried the longhair recessive gene), the kittens were discreetly given away, since no breeder wanted their Abyssinian lines to be thought to be “contaminated” with the longhair gene.

It was not until the decade of 1960 when breeders, seeing the appeal of a longhair version of a breed that was rapidly gaining popularity in North America, they began to seriously try to turn these castaways into a race of their own. At the same time, breeders of Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand also began working with the new breed. Some breeders of Abyssinians they wanted nothing to do with these long-haired hipsters and they didn't want to further the connection that the name “longhair abyssinian” would produce.

the Abyssinian breeder Evelyn Mague, one of the first American breeders to work with the long haired breed after discovering that two of his Abyssinians, Lynn-Lee’s Lord Dublin and Lo-Mi-R’s Trill-By, they were carriers of the long hair gene.

He came up with the name “Somali” because somalia borders ethiopia, the country that used to be called Abyssinia and that gave its name to the Abyssinian cat. In 1972, Mague founded the Somali Cat Club of America and began to gather the enthusiasts of the somalis.

In 1975, the International Somali Cat Club was founded, affiliated with the CFA. La CFA. recognized the breed in 1978. Lynn Lee’s Picasso and Lynn Lee’s Pearl, two somalis from the hatchery of E. Mague, arrived in France in 1979. The FIFe approved the breed in 1982.

This cat is very popular with a growing audience.

"Somali cat"

The complexion of the Somali cat It is similar to the race it comes from, with long legs and agile and muscular body. Long hair may have up to twelve alternate stripes of dark marks in each hair, What produces an impressive brightness when the cat has all the fur. As all cats, silent substantially in spring, and in the year's hottest months or in warm climates, It may seem almost of short hair. With its winter coat, the tail becomes very hairy, and thanks to its color and complexion it has earned the nickname "fox cat".

• Size: 30 cm.
• Weight: 3,5 to 5,5 kg

The breed standards are documents established by official bodies that list the conditions that a dog must meet. Somali cat to be fully recognized as belonging to the race:

• Standard FIFé (Fédération Internationale Féline)
• Standard LOOF (Livre Officiel des Origines Félines)
• Standard AFC (Association Féline Canadienne)
• Standard TICA (The International Cat Association)
• Standard CFA (The Cat Fanciers’ Association)
• Standard GCCF (The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy)

Medium long torso, agile and elegant, showing well-developed muscle strength. The rib cage is rounded; the back is slightly arched, giving the appearance of a cat about to jump; flank is level, without it being collected. The conformation falls somewhere between the extremes of the elongated and slender types.

Modified wedge, slightly rounded, without blueprints; the eyebrows, cheeks and profile lines show a smooth contour. A slight lift from the bridge of the nose to the forehead, which should be of a good size with a width between the ears that flows into the arched neck without interruption. The muzzle should follow a smooth contour in accordance with the skull, seen from the front profile. The chin must be complete, neither lower nor higher, with a rounded appearance. The muzzle should not be very pointed, and there should be no evidence of a bite, rash or pinch on whiskers.

Large, alerts, moderately pointed, wide and hollowed out at the base. The ears should be placed in a line towards the back of the skull. The inner ear should have horizontal strands that reach almost to the other side of the ear.; it is desirable that there are tufts.

Almond-shaped, large, bright and expressive. Skull opening not round or oriental. Eyes accentuated by dark skin on the eyelid surrounded by a light-colored area. On each of them a short dark vertical stroke with a dark pencil line that continues from the upper eyelid to the ear. The color of the eyes is gold or green, the richer and deeper the color, best.

Legs in proportion to the torso; oval and compact feet. When it is stopped, the Somali gives the impression of being agile and fast. Toes five in the front and four in the back.

With a full brush, thick at the base and slightly tapered. Its length is balanced with the torso.

Very soft texture to the touch, extremely thin and double-layered. The denser the fur, best. Length: a medium length cloak, except on the shoulders, where slightly shorter length is allowed.

Ruddy, red, blue and tawny. Warm and glowing.

• Ticking: distinct and uniform, with dark colored bands contrasting with lighter colored bands on the hair shafts. Undercoat color is clear and bright relative to skin. Deeper color tones are desired, However, ticking intensity should not be sacrificed for color depth. Preference is given to cats without markings on the underparts, chest and legs; tail without rings.
• Markings: darker shading along spine continuing to tip of tail; darker shading on the hocks, shading is allowed at the tip of the elbow; dark lines extending from the eyes and eyebrows, shading on cheekbones, dots and shading on whisker pads are desirable enhancements, eyes accentuated by a fine dark line, surrounded by a light colored area.

Under his apparent shyness, he is an intelligent cat and sometimes capable of being bold. Very alert, lively and active, it is not exuberant. He is a lovely companion, whose behavior is often compared to that of a little fox.

Tender and very affectionate, demands a lot of attention, but is said to be less possessive than the Abyssinian cat. Although he is somewhat afraid of the cold, Somali do not tolerate confinement and, Therefore, he does not like life on the flat very much. As a great hunter, a garden is better for him than a flat.

The maintenance of its coat only requires a weekly brushing. During the molting period, must be brushed daily.