The Somali is a long-haired abyssinian. Somalis have a striking, bushy tail, which, combined with their ruddy coat, has earned them the nickname of "fox cats" in some circles. Their coats are ticked, which is a variation on tabby markings, and some Somalis may show full tabby stripes on portions of their bodies, but this is seen as a flaw, and tabby Somalis are only sold as neutered pets. The only tabby marking on a show Somali is the traditional tabby 'M' on the middle of the forehead. Like Abyssinians, they have a dark rim around their eyes that makes them look like they are wearing kohl, and they have a small amount of white on their muzzles and chins/throats. White elsewhere on their bodies disqualifies them from show-status.
The breed appeared spontaneously in the 1950s from Abyssinian breeding programs when a number of Abyssinian kittens were born with bottle-brush tails and long fluffy coats. Where the longhaired gene came into the Abyssinian population is a subject of speculation, but before the Somali breed began to be advanced in the late 1960s, longhaired kittens popped up in Abyssinian litters. These longhaired kittens, which couldn't be shown or used in a breeding program, were quietly neutered and given away or sold as pets.
In the late 1960s in the United States, people taken with these longhaired "mistakes" began breeding these cats purposely and advancing that the breed to become accepted for championship status. This was not the first advancement of this breed; a Somali was shown in Australia as early as 1965. By the late 1970s, the Somali was accepted by all North American cat associations for championship status. It has had slower acceptance in Europe; the GCCF (Governing Council of the Cat Fancy), Great Britain's cat association, did not fully recognize the Somali for championship status until 1991.
They are smart and lively, but also alert and curious. They may be shy, but are freedom loving, and must have plenty of room to roam and explore to be content.
