The beautiful Somali cat breed actually originated in the United States and not in Somalia. These cats have a beautiful appearance with their vibrantly colorful coat.
Likewise, the cats of these breeds are often regarded as long-haired African cats and cousins of the Abyssinian cats. Moreover, Somali cats also share some traits with the Abyssinian cat cats — they are playful, curious, and have a very active nature.
Somali cats are well-known for their interesting history; at one point the entire breed almost died out, but now they are back and getting famous, particularly in the United States.
Now, let’s discuss the Somali cat colors and coat types!
The Two Types of Somali Cat Coats
The cats of the Somali breed are well-proportioned, medium-sized, with firm muscular development and athletic nature. Moreover, these cats love roaming outdoors and getting some good exercise. Besides, Somali cats also love playing “dog games” such as fetch, chasing after toys, and climbing to the highest point in any given room.
The Somali cats are usually seen in two types of coats — short and long.
Let’s discuss them in a little detail!
Short-Haired Somali Cat
During the year 2010, the Somali BAC demanded to apply for recognition of Somali Shorthairs in their own right. This is because they thought of keeping the slightly shorter wedge and more generously rounded muzzle in Somalis. But they also wanted to keep the very soft, fine coat found in the long-haired variety.
These short-haired Somali’s enjoy grooming, plus they are also easy to groom. Moreover, the short-haired Somalis don’t have any ruff or breeches.
Long-Haired Somali Cat
A Somali cat’s long-haired coat is easy to manage, but only if you take care of it weekly. You have to manage and comb the coat of the Somali cat from time to time to prevent or remove any mats and tangles.
Further, the long-haired Somali cats have a fluffy and medium-length coat around the ruff, tummy, and britches — with that adorable, fluffy, full tail. The Somali cats are often described as long-haired Abyssinian cats.
Common Somali Cat Colors
The Somali cats come in four recognized colors as known by the CFA: ruddy, sorrel, blue, and fawn. These colors are common and usually seen in the long-haired version of Somali cats. However, there are some internationally recognized colors that Somali cats are found in, but they are rare and not readily recognized by any breeders or breed associations.
Let’s look at the four common Somali cat colors.
Ruddy
The color ruddy is the most common one that is found in the Somali cat breed. Likewise, the ruddy color Somali cats have a golden brown ticked coat with black color being more dominant around the head and tail. Moreover, the fur is often darker along the spine too.
Here’s a Somali cat with a rich, golden brown coat, made up of an apricot base coat, ticked with black.
Fawn
A fawn-colored Somali cat showcases a warm, powdery fawn coat that is made up of a pale oatmeal or mushroom base coat, ticked with fawn
Fawn Somalis have a deep beige layer on the top, but then this later fades away when you come down to the belly and legs, the color gets lighter to something of a sandy color. They also have a fluffy, long tail that immediately catches anyone’s eye.
Blue
A blue Somali showcases a soft blue coat, made up of a bright oatmeal or mushroom base coat, partially ticked with the blue color.
But these cats actually seem to have more gray color than blue. But when you closely inspect the individual hairs on the coat of the blue Somali cat, you will come to know where the name comes from.
Sorrel
As soon as you look at a Sorrel Somali, you know it’s her. These cats have a look of the wild and are characterized by large ears, a masked face, a full ruff, britches on the legs, that somewhat give them the appearance of a wild fox.
As seen in the photo above, you can see a Sorrel cat with a rich copper coat, made up of an apricot base coat, ticked with a cinnamon shade.
Rare Somali Cat Colors
Apart from the major four colors recognized by the CFA, there are five other colors that Somali cats are seen in. However, these colors are rare and not usually recognized by breeders or breed associations.
Let’s have a quick look at the five rare Somali cat colors.
Cream
The Cream-colored Somali displays a warm, powdery, pale cream coat that is made up of a pale cream base, which is further ticked with a richer shade of cream color. These cats get their rich glow from their lighter top base.
Chocolate
A Chocolate Somali cat has a sweet, rich, warm, chestnut dark brown coat with an apricot base coat, that is ticked with dark chocolate color. The paws of these cats are particularly noticeable, as they possess dark coloring.
Tortie
In general, Tortoiseshell cats come in several different cat colors, but the Tortie Somalis are usually seen in ginger and black spots with a touch of white, orange, or gold.
Silver
The Silver Somali cats give off an overall lustrous silvery sheen. Moreover, the facial markings, tail tip, paws, and ticking are the same color as the non-silver kind.
Lilac
The Lilac Somalis have strikingly beautiful tails; also they have a similar appearance to the blue Somalis — a warm, dove gray coat with a base coat made up of an oatmeal or mushroom color, ticked with light lilac.
Wrapping Up!
The Somali cats are surely one of the most well-known long-haired cats in the world that are equally beautiful. It wouldn’t make any difference, writing these mesmerizing cats off as “long-haired” Abyssinian cats. But a Somali cat, as a pet, has a different story to tell.
There are several Somali cat colors and patterns — ruddy, blue, fawn, and sorrel being the most common ones. Apart from that, Somali cats are found in short and long hair versions as well; rarely found in chocolate, cream, tortie, silver, and lilac.
If you are thinking of having this cat as a pet, then Somali does best with a person who spends a lot of time at home.