A breed of domestic cat, the longer-haired cousin of the Abyssinian. They are medium-sized, with dense, soft coats which are ticked in a manner associated with wild cats. They tend to have great big bushy tails, large ears, and a full ruff. Most of them are ruddy in color, which sometimes leads people to compare them to foxes. Other colors are blue, fawn, and red (or sorrel).

They are challenging cats to breed for show because intense color in their coats tends to interfere with clarity (lack of stripes on the neck and legs), and both color and clarity are important features when a Somali cat is being judged for its looks.

As physically beautiful as these cats are, their personalities are even more captivating. In general, they are active, inquisitive, and very social beasts. It is not unusual for them to enjoy a game of fetch. Many of them also like to play with water. They thrive on human attention.

The Somali breed first originated as the "undesirable" product of a recessive gene in the Abyssinian cat sometime after World War II. Many breeders refused to admit having them, but some proceeded to produce more. They weren't really bred much until the 1970s, though, and weren't accepted by the Cat Fancier's Association until 1979. The breed was named "Somalia" because Somalia forms the eastern and southeastern borders of Ethiopia (which until 1955 was called Abyssinia).

On the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, Commander Data's cat Spot was sometimes a red Somali (and other times a marmalade tabby).

The Somali is apparently a very popular breed in Japan.

See also: monkey in a cat suit, spring-loaded spice weasel.


Sources:
www.breedlist.com
www.catsandkittens.com
www.cfainc.org
personal experience