[1][verification needed][2] It is named after the Arabuko Sokoke National Forest, the environment from which the foundation stock was obtained, for breed development primarily in Denmark and the United States.

The cat is long-legged, with short, coarse hair, and typically a tabby coat, though specific lineages have produced different appearances.

The forest population tend to consistently "breed true" for ticked coats in brown tones with prominent mottling with large rosette spots, which may fuse.

The town-dwelling population (presumably through crossbreeding with non-native cats) come in a wider variety of colours and patterns, including white-spotted coats, and some that are mostly black.

[3] The urban variety are very similar to an island population a few hundred kilometres north, the subject of a book called The Cats of Lamu (by Jack Couffer, 1998, Lyons Press).

[8] The group's shared DNA is derived primarily from Asian domestic cats, with ancient Arabian wildcat progenitors.

[4][10] [verification needed] Slater introduced a darker Watamu street cat specimen into the breeding programme, in 1987, for genetic diversity.

Their eyes are usually amber to light-green, set in a comparatively small head, with long ears, reminiscent of various species of wild cat, though these are traits intentionally reinforced by artificial selection.

Sokokes typically have blotched (i.e., large-spotted) tabby coats in shades of brown, broadly similar to those of the Bengal and Ocicat.

[4] The centers or "oysters" of the patterns are hollow-looking due to the agouti gene,[13] which also produces a "ticked" or "salt and pepper" look to the coat, overall.

This trait makes re-homing harder for them, with a longer adjustment period expected in adult cats and older, already-bonded kittens.

The Sokoke does best in a controlled environment, because of their limited resistance to common New World cat illnesses, often found in catteries and multi-cat homes.

However, contrary to previous reports, they can be acclimated to colder climates, and do not require special housing any more than similar short-haired, Asian-group cats.

If left together, the mother will often wait months to wean her kittens, even though their development is fairly rapid once they leave the nest box.