Everything you need to know about Somali cats

Somali cats are very beautiful. They look like real aristocrats - flexible, graceful, with fluffy "fox" tail, piercing gaze and sophisticated collar. At the same time, they are curious as kittens, playful, gentle - real companion cats. If you are looking for a kind and fun, while unobtrusive cat with the character of a dog - there is no one better than a Somalian.

The exact details of the origin of the Somali breed of cats are unknown, but periodically the long-haired kittens appeared in the litters of the Abyssinian breed, and this happened in different localities. The appearance of the so-called longhair gene is associated with the name of the breeder Janet Robertson. In the 1940s, her Abyssinian kittens were sold all over the world. So, after some time, among the Australian, Canadian and American Abyssinians there were kittens with long hair and a tail of increased bushiness. At that time, this was considered a breed marriage, and the kittens did not participate in further breeding.

In the 1960s, Canadian and American cat breeders decided that a long-haired Abyssinian kitten would make a separate breed. The success of long-haired kittens is associated with the name of another breeder - Mary Meiling, it was she who showed them at an exhibition in Canada, where they created a furor. In 1978, the CFA recognized the Somali breed, and now Somalis have received worldwide recognition. In the same year, a description of this breed was compiled and a standard was approved for it.

The breed received its name from the country on the border with Ethiopia, where Abyssinian cats probably appeared, suggested its breeder Evelyn Megyu from America. The first representative of the breed was officially registered in the name of the same Mary Meiling in 1965. A club "Somalis" earned in 1972.

It is logical to conclude that Somalis are the closest relatives of the Abyssinians. In 1979, the Somalis gained championship status. The following year, Somalis were accepted by all the felinologists clubs, they were admitted to the exhibitions. A year later, Somali cats are spread in European countries, and after 10 years they are recognized by international organizations. Somalis can now participate in any exhibition held in the world.

It still remains a mystery why the long-haired gene appeared. After all, the Abyssinians are cats with short hair. They have a thick and soft coat, in the shoulder it is shorter. Head Somalis small size, very neat. In contrast to the head, the ears are very large. Some representatives of the breed have tassels on the ears. The front legs have 5 fingers, and the hind legs have 4. The hair is thick between the fingers. The eyes of the Somalis are very expressive, almond-shaped and may be brown or green, or amber-golden.

Cats grow to a length of 26–30 cm in length, up to 30 cm in height, and can weigh 3.5–5 kg. Somali cats are very bright, attractive animals. Because of the contrasting colors of the face and large ears, as well as the inquisitive look, they look like chanterelles. The similarity enhances the fluffy tail.

The breed standard also provides for the following features:

• head wedge-shaped, smoothly rounded to the chin;
• ears have a wide landing;
• tail length is proportional to torso length;
• eyes summed up black with an “arrow” at the top;
• paws have a curve to the line of the fingers;
• cheekbones are weak, under the line of vibrissae they are narrowed.

The hair is unevenly distributed over the body, the length on the shoulder blades is minimal, the back is slightly longer, and the belly hair is the longest. There is a lush collar around the cats' necks and fluffy pants on their hind legs.

Like any other breed of cats, Somalis have both advantages and disadvantages. Let's start with the advantages, namely:

• representatives of the breed are absolutely charming;
• playful, curious;
• are amenable to training;
• unobtrusive and have excellent intuition;
• smart and quick-witted;
• unpretentious in food;
• excellent health.

There are also disadvantages, though not essential, such as:

• Somalis very poorly tolerate loneliness, even short-lived;
• quite capricious and can sometimes disobey the owner;
• love to play with the hair of the owners, so long-haired people can be difficult with such cats;
• prone to kidney disease;
• unusually mobile, which can tire people inclined to contemplation.

Somali cats are amazing. They are relatives of Abyssinian cats, from them curiosity and lively nature were transmitted to them. But the Somali felines are quieter and more tactful when compared to Abyssinians. Somalis are loved by all family members. They are excellent contact with children, even the smallest. They love to play with them, are patient and never scratch the child, even if he caused them discomfort.

With an adult, a Somali cat behaves differently. Even with the cat’s immense curiosity towards all actions of the owner, he will not impose his society on him and will not bother him. Somalis love to communicate incredibly. Even if a person came to the house for the first time, the cat will demonstrate everything that he can to attract his attention. But they intuitively feel when their interest is inappropriate, when a person is not in the right mood to play and communicate, then they stand aside.

Representatives of this breed have a great mind. They are fairly easy to train, they are well aware of the basic set of standard commands, they can even learn how to bring small objects to the master. Some Somalis can perform a number of tricks, since they are not inherent in stubbornness, and also they are interested in any actions on the part of the owner. But, of course, they are still cats, not dogs.

Somalis adapt well and quickly to changing conditions. They are easy to get along with other pets in the house, and, although they are amazing hunters, they can even make friends with rodents. Representatives of the breed retain playfulness and curiosity to old age. They really like small objects and parts, and most of all - drops of water from the tap, which they catch with their paw.

Somalis have extraordinary dexterity. They effortlessly climb on the highest objects in the house - a wardrobe, a refrigerator, and also know how to “leak” into hard-to-reach places. The motility of the representatives of the breed is well developed - they can hold small objects in their paws and play with them. They are very nimble, agile, energetic. Sometimes it seems as if they do not need rest.

They love to be with someone from the family members, but if the owners are not up to him, they will take care of their own affairs. Left alone for a long time, it can get silly.An excellent way out is to get a “partner” pet, preferably, also from the cat family.

Distinctive features of long-haired Abyssinians are as follows:

• non-aggressive, neither to owners, nor to strangers;
• easy to contact, friendly;
• smart, smart;
• like “hugs”, affectionate, tender;
• well trained, memorize commands, amenable to training;
• capricious, they can "shoot out" an overly obsessive person.

Despite its non-aggressiveness, Somali cats do not always calmly react to the inconvenience caused to them. If the family has kids, it is better not to leave them alone with the cat. Having played out, the child may inadvertently pull the cat by the tail or mustache and get hit by a paw or bite.

Somalis are long-haired "copies" of Abyssinians. They have equally flexible and graceful bodies of medium or large size. The muzzle is very expressive. However, there are also differences, namely:

• coat length;
• lush collar and fluffy tail, resembling a fox.

During the molting period, Somalis look rather unsightly, but the rest of the time they are very beautiful. The color of the representatives of the breed may be different, but ticking is always there. The presence of ticked color - the main feature of the Somali. Ticked color is the presence of dark transverse stripes on each hair. The more stripes a cat has, the more valuable it is.

Initially, only two shades were present in the color palette - this is wild and sorrel. Now it is much wider and every year it becomes more and more refined. The main gamut of colors of Somalis today is represented by such colors as:

• wild - reddish or brownish-red tone of wool, black at the ends; dark back belt must be;
• roe deer - cream-matte wool, in some places has a warm color, at the base the shade is very light; for “roe deer” the uniform color is the most valued;
• blue, or rather, a smoky blue hue from above, and inside - light beige or cream; on the surface are clearly visible stripes of a gray-blue color, the same tone and cushions on the legs;
• sorrel - copper-red color with care in light brown, in the basis of an apricot shade; in cats of this color, the nose and paw pads are colored pink, and on the tip of the tail and the ears there is kary wool;
• silvered - any color in which the shade of the undercoat and ticking is white.

If you buy a Somali kitten to participate in exhibitions, then you need to consider what is considered a marriage of a breed, namely:

• presence of sand or gray tint;
• black areas at the base of the coat;
• residual patterns - stripes on the legs, spots on the body;
• white spots is an indicator for disqualification of a kitten; let's say white color only on the chin, throat, nostrils;
• curved tail;
• closed necklace;
• the presence of an extra finger or, conversely, incomplete.

The cost of a representative of the breed starts from 11,000 rubles. Of course, the price depends on what sex the kitten is, what external data it has, what is its pedigree. There are several Somali nurseries in the country, the largest in Moscow.

There are nurseries in Kiev and Minsk. If you purchase a kitten via the Internet, first of all, specify the seller’s reputation and feedback on it. Feel free to call or write to customers who purchased kittens from this breeder and ask if they are satisfied with the purchase. This will allow you to avoid wasting money, because, as already mentioned, Somalis are not cheap.

Care for the Somali cat (as well as for any long-haired representative of the cat family) must be very carefully. Long hair requires brushing and regular brushing. Somalis have a thin soft coat of medium length, which looks well-groomed and does not roll into mats. But this, of course, does not mean that you do not need to comb the wool.

In addition to wool, representatives of the breed have an undercoat that grows rather thickly. This will require a furminator. If you use it, the molt will not be so strong. This, of course, will have a positive effect on the cleaning of the room. Although it should be noted that Somalis, despite their relative long-hairedness, do not shed as much as other breeds with similar fluffiness.

If the Somali is contained in the conditions of a city apartment, then you need to walk with her regularly. If you are sure that there are no ticks on the lawn where you are walking, then you can put a harness on the cat and let it walk. If there is no such confidence, it is better to walk the cat on a plot fenced and sprayed from insects. It may be worth using a special anti-tick collar as well. You can release the cat on the loggia, provided that it is glazed and well blocked.

After walking the cats must be washed. Somalis are absolutely calm about water, moreover, they only trust the owner, so there should be no problems with bathing and washing of the paws. Somalis need toys, scratching posts and other games. It is desirable to change the toys so that they do not bother the cat. Because if this happens, the curious animal will go looking for "toys" on the table or the master's nightstand.

Somali cat need to eat well and well. The owner can cook her own food or buy ready-made food. Both options are acceptable. In the finished feed should contain at least 40% of the meat. This, of course, is not cheap, but the other is unacceptable. If you choose a ready-made feed, it is impossible to alternate it with natural food. Otherwise, the cat can wait for digestive diseases.

If you stop on natural food, then it should be balanced very strictly: for kittens in a ratio of 3: 1 animal to vegetable, and for adults - 2: 1.

Representatives of the Somali breed differ excellent health. Sometimes teeth and gums cause anxiety, they should be checked periodically. Teeth need daily cleaning. Because of their friendliness and curiosity, Somalis often pay attention to other animals - birds, dogs, other cats. Not all of them are happy with such pressure and do not want to communicate. Therefore, sometimes Somalis are injured by animals.

Between 9 and 12 weeks, kittens can be grafted for the first time. This is a comprehensive vaccination: it protects against chlamydia, distemper, calicivirosis, and rhinotracheitis. A month later, you can make a second vaccination. They are vaccinated against rabies with either a primary vaccination or a second vaccination - this depends on the will of the owner. Subsequently, vaccinations are done at the age of one year, and then every year.

There is one serious disease that Somalis suffer from. This is a deficiency of pyruvate kinase. This happens due to the presence of a recessive gene that causes the development of jaundice. The risk group consists of kittens up to six months and individuals after 12 years. Treat jaundice by injection of glucose and saline. Intravenous injections.

In accordance with the statistics collected by veterinarians, Somali cats are prone to diseases such as:

• renal amyloidosis - unfortunately, there is no treatment; only cats are sick, caused by a violation of protein metabolism;
• dislocations kneecaps - this pathology is hereditary; if the form of the disease is severe, then it is treated through surgery;
• obesity - males mainly suffer after the castration procedure; your appetite is increasing, so you need to be especially careful about what and how much the cat eats.

If the animal does not have enough vitamins, then gum inflammation (gingivitis) may appear, as well as the formation of tartar. It is not necessary to mention the need for regular deworming, as well as inspection for fleas. This is especially important for those cats that walk on the street. Once in 6 months it is necessary to visit the veterinarian for a routine examination.

The appearance of the first estrus in a cat usually falls on the age of 8 months. However, it is recommended to give birth not earlier than the age of one year. Due to the aristocracy and sophistication of the breed, it is hard for somalia to become pregnant, among them very often incapable of pregnancy and carrying offspring are individuals. That is why kittens are so expensive.

To increase the likelihood of getting pregnant, meetings with a cat should be held on the cat's territory. The cat needs to stay there for 3-4 days to get comfortable and reduce stress. If the fact of pregnancy of a cat is established, then it needs a lot of attention and affectionate communication.

Kittens are born with collars and pants (of course, in their infancy, but still distinguishable). Mama cat cares for the kittens very carefully. It is better to leave the kittens with the mother until they reach the age of 12 weeks, otherwise they will experience severe stress. This can affect their mental and physiological state. If the cat is not retracted for mating, estrus will occur more and more often, as much as possible - three times a month. They disrupt the functioning of the reproductive system, cysts and polyps are formed.

See more on Somali cats in the next video.