Norwegian Forest Cat

Norwegian Forest Cat (Norsk Skogkatt) is one of the most spectacular cat breeds.
It is a large cat with a long body, highly developed muscle mass and a strong bone structure. Despite these characteristics, cats of this breed are very sociable, gentle and love to be in the company of people.

Top 5 features of the Norwegian Forest Cat

Large cat breed

Par semi-lung / lung

Loving cat with owners, children and strangers

Easy to train

Natural breed with no hereditary health problems

The origins of the Norwegian Forest Cat

As the name of the breed says, this cat comes from the area of ​​the Scandinavian countries, more precisely from Norway, where it is called "Norsk Skogkatt". The Norwegian Forest is a natural breed, which appeared without human intervention. The first documentation about this breed comes from 1930, going to appear at the first feline exhibition in 1938.
Until 1970, the Norwegian Forest cat breed was not exported outside of Scandinavia.

The breed is believed to have originated from the interbreeding of short-haired cats brought by the Vikings from Britain, long-haired cats brought by the Crusaders to Norway, and local, wild or farm cats. As I mentioned before, it is a "pure" race that appeared without human intervention. From natural crossings, the Norwegian Forest cat breed was born, whose structure is perfectly adapted to cold areas.

Physical characteristics and life expectancy

Forest Norwegians they are cats with long and dense fur, adapted for cold areas. They are very robust cats, of medium height and longer than ordinary cats. The weight of mature cats of this breed varies between 5 and 8 kg. These cats have strong muscle mass and a very strong bone structure with flexible joints. They are very similar to the Maine Coon breed, but due to their longer legs, the Norwegian Forest seems less robust.

Like the Siberian cat, the Norwegian Forest changes its fur according to the season, the fur being very dense during the winter. This change occurs even if the cat lives indoors or in a country with mild winters. It is a characteristic of breeds originating from Nordic countries, where winters are long and with very low temperatures. The cat sheds most of its fur in the summer, but its tail remains as bushy as in the winter. And the tufts of fur in the ears and between the pads of the paws are kept during the summer.
Despite the fact that it has fluffy and dense fur, it dries very quickly.

It is good to brush the cat every day and get used to it from a young age. As an adult, she will be very excited to be brushed.

Being a large cat, the Norwegian Forest Cat reaches maturity around the age of 4, when the cat can reach a weight of 8 kg. The life expectancy of this cat breed is between 13 – 15 years.

The colors of this breed are very varied, but most of them are in combination with white. Striped, blue, black, silver, gold, tabby or other color combinations.

Personality and character

Despite being a large and wild-looking cat, the Norwegian is a cat that loves to be petted and loved. She feels very comfortable in the presence of people and does not refuse to be petted and held. She is not a noisy cat and will only meow when something is bothering her. She purrs very loudly when petted and feels loved and safe.

It is an ideal cat both for the apartment and in order to. He prefers to climb trees and has a playful nature. She is very friendly with children and tolerant of other animals in the house.

Health and care

As a breed resulting from natural selection, the Norwegian Forest cat is not prone to many hereditary health problems, as is the case with artificial breeds. It is a robust and healthy cat, but owners must take into account the nutritional needs specific to each life stage.

In rare cases, this breed is prone to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (CMH), glycogen storage disease type IV and pyruvate kinase (PK) deficiency.

In terms of care, this cat loves its fur very much, which it washes daily. All you need to do is brush it at least once a week.

Norwegian Forest kittens

Puppies are just as playful and mischievous as other cat breeds, but after the first two weeks the first distinctive signs of the breed begin to appear. The first tufts of hair begin to grow in the ears of Norwegian Forest kittens. Likewise, the tips of the ears begin to have hairs that point upwards.