Somali

The Somali’s direct ancestor is the Abyssinian, one of the oldest breeds of domesticated cats, although true records are now lost. Legends vary as to whether the Abyssinian (and therefore the Somali) is a direct descendant of the sacred cats of Ancient Egypt, or perhaps British Soldiers brought them back from Abyssinian (Ethiopia) in the late 1860’s? 

They were developed and refined in Britain, with recent genetic studies revealing a link to cats from the coastal area of the Bay of Bengal in India. First imported to the United States in the early 1900’s, they quickly became one of America’s favourite breeds, and the long-haired Somali variant soon appeared and became popular in their own right. 

Outdoor space is essential, but it must be absolutely secure, and provide plenty of climbing branches and lounging platforms. If you approach building a cat-run as if you were providing for a captive wild cat, you’ll get the right idea, the Somali does not believe itself to be a domesticated pet! 

Not a cat to permit outside unsupervised or in an insecure area, they will more than happily invite themselves round to the neighbours and steal their Sunday lunch or laundry. 

The happy Somali lives in a home with multiple cat trees, climbing frames and platforms, shelves designed with cats in mind and no fragile objects as the ancient cat sport of ‘push the expensive thing from the high shelf’ is a popular one with Somalis. They are not clumsy however, they do not knock objects off by accident, it is intentional. Gravity is fun! 

Provide toys that allow them to hunt, chase, bite and dissect, toys that break open to reveal food will go down very well. The typical ‘things on strings’ are popular but ensure you have a variety. Somalis will chase and fetch, though their enthusiasm for this game will be on their terms only, they won’t perform to amuse your friends! They can be clicker trained to perform a variety of tricks and useful behaviours (they’ve been taught to use the toilet and even to flush afterwards!) but again, this will mostly be on their terms, not yours! 

Every cat is unique and each has their own particular likes, dislikes, and needs when it comes to food. However, cats are carnivores and every cat must obtain 41 different and specific nutrients from their food. The proportion of these nutrients will vary depending on age, lifestyle and overall health, so it's not surprising that a growing, energetic kitten needs a different balance of nutrients in their diet than a less active senior cat. Other considerations to bear in mind are feeding the right quantity of food to maintain 'ideal body condition' in accordance with feeding guidelines and catering to individual preference regarding wet or dry food recipes. 

The Somali will generally take care of their own grooming, however establishing a weekly grooming routine to check through the coat, spot any injuries or parasites is a sensible practice and helps with bonding and quality time together. 

A greasy coat is a sign your cat is not self-grooming at all and this may indicate poor health. 

As with all cats, regular vaccination and parasite control is recommended. 

Ideal for those already familiar with the more extreme chaos end of the cat scale, who are home most of the time. As they are loud, demanding and determined, this may not be a suitable breed for homes with either very small children, or loud, busy children who have lots of guests. The Somali is likely to find busy, loud households with many visitors quite stressful and this may result in behaviour problems such as inappropriate urination or self-harming.