Shorthair Somali x Abyssinian = Abyssinian.....? 
or, is it more important to show than to breed?
In the European Fifé the local clubs can make the decision for each country if a cat you breed from a Somali and an Abyssinian is registered as an Abyssinian or an Abyssinian variant (var. add on). Unfortunately they never registered this cats as a shorthair Somali. Since March 2007 the German Fifé has this add on again in the pedigree file. But in 1999 this was for a long time a big black hole.
Therefore, if you didn’t have any restrictions you will find a backyard breeder which will against all education advertising that this cat out of a shorthaired Somali and an Abyssinian has only to breed to Somalis use this gap for himself.
Did you remember the big trouble in early 2008 as Australian breeders asked for help because the cat fancy in Australia likes to allow crossing the Somali breed into the Abyssinians without asking the Abyssinian breeders? Lots of reputable breeders have had sign the petition to don't allow this. I think this was a big success for breeders who breed the older breed. Moreover you will find Somali breeder witch didn’t likes this too. You like to see this? You can do it here.
Some new breeders in Europe and not very new ones in the US forgot this very fast because some of European breeders have had this “breeding practice” recently. I didn’t write here about the beginning of breeding Abyssinians in the middle of the last Century or at the beginning as the Abyssinian breed was in her children’s shoes.
I write about the crossing of short hair Somalis since 1999, the continuing breeding of shorthair Somalis and offering them as Abyssinians since now. Purebred Abyssinians for an outcross, a very good marketing and very(!) intimate personal contacts to judges helped them to grow since now. The actual problem is, that these cats which looks like Abyssinians but shows shorthair Somalis from the 5th generation and before should swap with purebred CFA registered Abyssinian from the states.
The plan is very clever. Some generations later the offspring can be registered in CFA under the new breeders prefix in the CFA as purebred Abyssinians for a good show success. And, because in the U.S. most breeders register for showing and breeding only, they didn't check the background because the greenslip shows only the parents.
You have to know that a really serious breeder in Europe will never buy or sell a kitten from or into these wellknown catteries. They are different reasons for an absolut “no go!”.
Anyway, this “breeders” are highly active and very consequent in their marketing. No wonder about this because it is theirs profession. They are active in showing and have send kittens for breeding to Canada, the Netherlands, Belgium, California, Switzerland, Poland, Denmark, Russia, US and so on. It's like a pest and a shame for this "breeders" wich cannot read a pedigree.
But breeders which have take a look behind the visible pedigree and interested to breed purebreed Abyssinians and not only to show cats or have litters to sell them have retired this cats and stopped work with this lines from that time they know what “kind” of (hy)breed they have.
If I look at these cats so I have to say that they are nice cats. But what I ask is: will you breed the phenotype or the genotype? If you like to breed the phenotype so please go out for showing only but never sell cats in another Abyssinian cattery from now on. Here you can find the beginning.
One part of the actual pedigree from the litter you find here and if you like to have a look at the somalis you find them here.
I will clap my hands for your success in showing. But you have to know that I personally will do my best that this kind of "breeders" never gets a cat from the lines I work with. My conclusion is: Sell them only to Somali breeders!
Some actual Hybrids you will find here.
A genetic test can show, if cat carries the lh gene. But a cat can't be defined via a gen test :-))) So, be careful, if a breeder offered you a cat with a 0358 / 0359 number!
You can sign a petition online to save the Abyssinian breed.