The hypnotic eyes of this rudy Somali cat were so mesmerizing that it was hard to look away, and one of the main reasons that I was more or less compelled to paint her portrait. Somali's are the long haired version of the Abyssinian cats and are so closely related that they are often cross bred to keep the lines fresh. when Abby's were first recognized and bred some times a long haired variant would turn up in a litter , in those days these kittens would be either euthanized or given away as pets by the breeders as they thought that they were not pour and was hushed up. thankfully some thought them beautiful and started breeding them later to be recognized as the Somali we see and love to day. these beautiful half long haired cats are found like the Abbeys in several colors Rudy being the original color there is now sorrel, blue, black silver, fawn, sorrel silver etc. the markings are striking as they are one of the few domestic cats that only have the tabby markings on the face the rest of the coat is ticked the only other single strip is down the tail ending in a black point. they carry the tufted ears of their wild ancestors with black boots and footpads, their undercoat is a rich copper red. they have a temperament much like dogs and are known to learn basic obedience, retrieve object, like water, follow you around, and are very people orientated. I have breed these cats for many years and am still astonished by their intelligence and lively practical joke nature. Emerald Hypnotist was painted on a small tile with oil based china paints in layers and fired six times to achieve the finished result. enjoy and thank you kindly for viewing . :-) nighthawk