CAT BREED INDEX

The Sokoke is the breed in focus.

Originally known as the African Shorthair and then the Sokoke

Forest Cat, the Sokoke as we know it today is a natural breed and was developed by horse breeder and wildlife artist Jeni Slater, who lived on a coconut plantation in Watamu, Kenya.

The feral cats known as khadzonzo by the native people of the area could be found living in the streets and in the Arabuko Sokoke national forest, very near to Mombasa. A litter of these cats was found in a hollow tree in Jeni Slater’s garden in 1978 and, intrigued by their unique coat pattern, she kept a pair of the kittens and hand reared them.

The feral khadzonzo, which means ‘looks like tree bark,’ were becoming very scarce due to human encroachment on their forest environment. It was once thought that these cats were a hybrid variety of domestic X wildcat. However, genetic investigation has disproved this theory but they are closely related to cats living on the island of Lamu, an archipelago off the coast of Kenya.

A friend of Jeni Slater, Gloria

Moeldrop, brought a pair of the cats to Demark in 1983; they were then shown in Copenhagen in

1984. In 1989, a further three more Sokoke were imported to establish a foundation breeding programme. Additional cats were imported into Europe from Kenya in the early 1990s to extend the genetic diversity.

By 1984, the Sokoke breed was officially recognised in Denmark and by 1992 they were to be found in other European countries. In addition, Englishwoman Jeannie Knocker, also living in Kenya, obtained feral cats near the forest and produced litters that were subsequently exported to the US and Europe.

The breed was officially recognised by the International Feline Federation (FIFe) in 1993 and Preliminary Recognition was granted by the UK’s Governing Council of the Cat Fancy in 2015.The breed is also registered by The International Cat Association (TICA) as a Preliminary New Breed and the Canadian Cat Association as an Experimental Breed. Feral Sokoke continue to live among the Giriama people in Kenya.

Rosemary Fisher entered the cat fancy in 1974 when she purchased her first pedigree cat — a Chinchilla called Brylou Moonstone. She breeds Persians and Exotics, and judges in several sections. She is currently a GCCF Board member and also serves on the genetics committee. Sokoke are a rare breed in the UK.