The Abyssinian and Somali cat

Shape

• wedge shaped
• of medium proportions
• wide at the top
• the contours are soft and graceful

Nose

• medium long
• in profile the head shows a soft curve, with neither stop nor a straight nose

Chin

• firm and well developed

Muzzle

• not sharply pointed
• a shallow indentation forming the muzzle is desirable, but a pinch is a fault

Shape

• relatively large, broad at the base
• slightly rounded at the tips with a thumb print and
• tufts of hair at the tips are desirable

Placement

• set well apart and pricked

Shape

• large, almond in shape and set well apart

Colour

• brilliant and expressive
• amber, green or yellow, pure, clear and intense colour
• outlined with the colour of the ticking

• graceful

• fairly long and tapering
• broad at the base
• Somali: The tail should be well furnished

Structure

• medium built, medium long
• firm, lithe and muscular, having a firm feeling

• slender and elegant, in proportion to body

Feet

• small and oval

Structure Somali

• extremely fine and very dense; the denser the better
• texture very soft to touch
• of medium length, except on the shoulders, where it can be a little shorter
• preference is given to those cats with well-developed frill and breeches

Structure Abyssinian

• short, fine and close
• lying flat

Colour

• 2 or 3 bands of colour on each hair with dark tips for preference
• For colour varieties refer to the following tables
• Somali: The development of the ticking is slow; the true coat is not developed until the age of 2 years; allowance for this should be made in kittens and young adults
• Remarks: White is tolerated on the chin and the nostrils.
• Silver varieties: Ground colour should be without brown or yellow tinge or patches

Head

• too deep stop
• too much marking on the face

Ears

• small or pointed ears

Eyes

• round eyes
• unclear eye colour
• absence of outline around eyes

Body

• cobby appearance

Tail

• rings on tail

Coat

• cold or sandy tone in colour
• ghost markings on stomach, chest and legs

Head

• siamese type
• round head

Legs

• bars on all four legs

Tail

• whip tail

Coat

• grey or too dark or too light undercoat
• too little or lack of ticking in parts of coat where desired
• unbroken necklaces
• markings on belly and chest
• white locket
• white extending onto the chest

• Body colour: as described in the General Part, with darker ticking according to the corresponding colour varieties.
• Ground colour: as described in the General Part
• Underside of the body, chest and inner sides of the legs uniformly coloured with the ground colour, harmonizing with the upper parts of the body, without any ticking, bars, necklaces or markings on stomach or belly.
• Darker shading along the spine
• White or off-white is only permitted above the lips, beside the nostrils and down the chin as long as it does not extend to the chest
• The tips of the ears are in the same colour as the ticking
• The back of the hind feet is dark
• Hair tufts between the toes are in the same colour as the ticking
• The colour of the tail is an extension of the darker shading along the spine and ends in a solid dark tip, coloured with the colour of the ticking, without any rings
• Silver varieties: Ground colour should be without brown or yellow tinge or patches (without rufism)