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If you love the Abyssinian cat breed, but prefer longhair cats, then you may want to take a close look at the striking Somali. This cat breed is a descendant of the Abyssinian and has many of the same traits.

While longhair cats occasionally were born in Abyssinian litters for many generations, it was not until the nineteen sixties that a Canadian breeder decided to develop a cat breed from these longhair kittens. The Somali was soon quite popular and rapidly spread to the United States and Europe. Because these cats were developed without using any breed but the Abyssinian, they are also known as Longhair Abyssinians.

The Somali’s most striking characteristic is its facial markings. Many cat fanciers say that these markings look like heavily applied stage makeup. The breed’s eyes are especially striking, since the cats appear to be wearing kohl around their eyes. Right outside these dark rims, this breed has light colored hair. All together, these markings make the Somali look a bit like he is wearing eye makeup and glasses. This breed has a wedge shaped head, big ears, large, expressive eyes, and a well muscled body. The tail is quite long and bushy. These lovely cats come in Ruddy, Chocolate, Sorrel, Red, Blue, Lilac, Fawn, or Cream colors, with tabby, Tortoiseshell tabby, or Silver tabby patterns.

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By Kevin Lampard

Kittens are often the best cats to start out with. With a newborn kitten you are starting with a clean slate and you will have a friend that will quickly bond with you. Kittens are excellent because they don’t have any bad habits yet and you can begin training them your rules right away. Older cats are often best if you are a low energy person and you don’t have time to constantly be looking after a kitten to ensure they are not getting in any mischief. Older cats have usually been spayed or neutered, may be declawed and their maintenance is much easier in terms of feeding and vaccinations. Ultimately, it will be up to you to determine if your lifestyle fits a kitten or an older cat.

There are numerous cat breeds and it is important to choose one that is right for you and your family.

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By George Adams

The Somali is an intelligent playful cat and for those who like longhaired cats, this may be the breed for you. Somalis are descendants of the Abyssinian cat breed, and have a lot of similar traits. Abyssinian litters have seen the birth of longhair cats for many generations and in the 1960s, a Canadian breeder thought of coming up with a new breed from these kittens. He called it the Somali and their popularity spread fast to the United States and Europe. This breed was developed from the Abyssinian and they were known as the longhair Abyssinian.

A very distinguishing feature of these cats is the markings on the face which are often described as heavy stage makeup. The eyes look like they have been outlined with kohl and around the dark ring there is a ring of light hair. So the effect is that of a cat with glasses. The body has a wedge shaped head with large ears, a well muscled body, a long bushy tail and very expressive eyes. This is one breed that can be found in colors like chocolate, red, blue, lilac, ruddy, sorrel, cream colors, fawn, with silver tabby patterns or tortoiseshell tabby.

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