Introduction from Michael

I love to see domestic cats from places other than in the West. It broadens the website and our knowledge. We need to read more about domestic cats in countries in Africa, Asia and South and Central America. Joyce emailed me with pictures and text of two cats she adopted which have been imported from Kenya, Africa. The Sokoke forest is in Kenya and that is where the rare Sokoke cat comes from. The Sokoke is a registered purebred, pedigree cat in the USA. The breed looks somewhat like a wild cat hybrid.

Kenyan cats. Photo by Joyce. For me the cat on the right is a black tortoiseshell – lmost all black. The cat on the left looks like a black cat. Click on the picture to see a larger version.

This is what Joyce says about these Kenyan cats.

By Joyce

Hello…I found your blog. I wanted to share my cats with you. They are from Kenya, given to a local person by his cousin, who is an American teacher in Kenya, who brings kittens back to USA when she comes home for a visit. This local person posted on Craigslist that he had them and DIDN’T WANT NOR NEED THEM…well I phoned him and went to rescue them.

Kenyan cats. Photo by Joyce. For me the cat on the right is a black tortoiseshell – almost all black and the cat on the left is a black cat. Click on the picture to see a larger version.

After I got them home, and looked at them I realized they were rare…different than house cats I was used to. I believe them to be a cousin to the Sokoke. They are not Sokoke. I had DNA (UC Davis) done on the male: NO KNOWN BREED…DNA does put them from Kenya but blood line is western Europe and not from the islands like Sokoke from central Kenya. They have web feet, no whisker pouch, thin fur, stiff tail, chirp and they are small.

When they are scared they puddle down…don’t really climb much, strong muscles on these cat – the fore legs – you can’t hold them in they want to go. The male is black and the female is black with bark on her and a slash of orange down her nose. Ee are blessed with 8 week old kittens.

Joyce