The Somali Cat is a breed that captivates with its striking ticked coat and active, engaging personality. This article delves into the official breed standard, providing a comprehensive overview for breeders, enthusiasts, and potential owners. We will explore the detailed scoring system that judges various aspects of the Somali, from its head and body structure to its unique coat and captivating colors. Understanding these standards is crucial for appreciating the breed’s distinct characteristics and ensuring its continued development.
Anatomy and Appearance: A Detailed Breakdown
The Somali breed standard is meticulously outlined, with specific points allocated to different physical attributes to guide evaluations. This scoring system ensures a holistic assessment of the cat’s conformation, health, and overall presence.
Head (25 points)
The head of a Somali is described as a modified, slightly rounded wedge, free from flat planes. The brow, cheek, and profile lines exhibit a gentle contour, with a slight rise from the bridge of the nose to the forehead. A significant width between the ears is desired, flowing seamlessly into an arched neck. The muzzle should conform to the skull’s contours, possessing a full, rounded chin that is neither undershot nor overshot. Sharpness, foxiness, or whisker pinch are to be avoided, though allowances are made for jowls in adult males. Ears are a prominent feature: large, alert, moderately pointed, broad, and well-cupped at the base, set to align with the rear of the skull. Desirable horizontal ear tufts should extend nearly to the opposite side of the ear. The eyes are almond-shaped, large, brilliant, and expressive, with a skull aperture that is neither round nor oriental. They are accented by dark lid skin encircled by a lighter area, with short, dark vertical pencil strokes above each eye and continuing from the upper lid towards the ear.
Body (25 points)
The Somali’s body is characterized by a medium-long, lithe, and graceful torso, demonstrating well-developed muscular strength. The rib cage is rounded, and the back is slightly arched, giving the cat an appearance of poised readiness. A level flank with no tuck-up is preferred. The overall conformation strikes a balance between cobby and svelte types, resulting in a cat that appears both elegant and powerful. Legs are in proportion to the torso, and the feet are oval and compact. When standing, the Somali should convey an impression of nimbleness and quickness. They possess five toes in front and four in the hind paws. The tail is a full brush, thick at the base and tapering slightly, with a length that is in balance with the torso.
Coat (20 points)
The Somali’s coat is exceptionally soft to the touch, extremely fine, and double-coated, with denser coat being preferred. It is medium in length, though a slightly shorter length over the shoulders is permissible. Preference is given to cats with a noticeable ruff and breeches, contributing to a full-coated appearance.
Color (30 points)
The color of the Somali is paramount, with warm and glowing tones highly desired. Ticking should be distinct and even, featuring dark bands contrasting with lighter bands on the hair shafts. The undercoat must be clear and bright right down to the skin. Deeper color shades are favored, but the intensity of the ticking should not be sacrificed for color depth. Markings are also important: darker shading along the spine extending to the tail tip, darker shading up the hocks, and some shading allowed at the elbow point. Dark lines extending from the eyes and brows, cheekbone shading, and dots and shading on the whisker pads are considered desirable enhancements. The eyes are accentuated by a fine dark line, encircled by a lighter colored area. Eye color can be gold or green, with richer and deeper colors being preferred.
Somali Coat Colors and Markings
The Somali breed standard recognizes four accepted colors, each with specific characteristics:
- Ruddy: Features a ground color of burnt-sienna, ticked with various shades of darker brown or black, with the extreme outer tip being the darkest. The tail is tipped with black. The underside and inner legs should have a tint harmonizing with the ground color. The nose leather is tile red, and paw pads are black or dark brown, with black between the toes extending slightly beyond the paws.
- Cinnamon: This color presents a rich, warm glowing red ground color, ticked with chocolate-brown, the outermost tip being the darkest, with a red-orange undercoat. The tail is tipped with chocolate-brown. The underside and inner legs should have a tint harmonizing with the ground color. The nose leather is rosy pink, and paw pads are pink with chocolate-brown between the toes extending slightly beyond the paws.
- Blue: Characterized by a warm beige ground color, ticked with slate blue, the extreme outer tip being the darkest. The tail is tipped with slate blue. The underside and inner legs should have a tint harmonizing with the ground color. The nose leather is old rose, and paw pads are mauve with slate blue between the toes extending slightly beyond the paws.
- Fawn: This color has a warm rose-beige ground color, ticked with light cocoa-brown, the extreme outer tip being the darkest. The tail is tipped with light cocoa-brown. The underside and inner legs should have a tint harmonizing with the ground color. The nose leather is salmon, and paw pads are pink with light cocoa-brown between the toes extending slightly beyond the paws.
It is important to note that Somalis mature slowly, and allowances should be made for kittens and young cats regarding their ticking development.
Penalties and Disqualifications
Certain faults can incur penalties or lead to disqualification in the show ring:
- Penalize: Color faults include cold grey or sandy tones to the coat color, and mottling or speckling on unticked areas. Pattern faults include necklaces, leg bars, tabby stripes, or bars on the body, and a lack of desired markings on the head and tail. Black roots on the body are also penalized.
- Disqualify: White lockets or groin spots, or white anywhere on the body except the upper throat, chin, and nostril area, are disqualifications. Any skeletal abnormality, incorrect color paw pads or nose leather, any colors other than the four accepted, unbroken necklaces, an incorrect number of toes, and kinks in the tail will also result in disqualification.
Somali Color Class Numbers
The following color class numbers are provided for reference and are not an official part of the CFA Show Standard: Ruddy (1380, 1381), Cinnamon (1381, 1382), Blue (1383, 1384), Fawn (1385, 1386), and All Other Varieties (AOV) (1398, 1399).
