NORWEGIAN FOREST CAT

With its some reserved way to strangers but with calm self-confidence to people it knows the Norwegian Forest Cat is rather alike Maine Coon and Siberian Cat.
The big size and the high hind legs give the Norwegian Forest Cat a dominating look.
Norwegian breeders usually want to see this "nature-cat" like their little lynx. It's a friendly housecat, but its territory it defends persistent. It's a superior climber and hunter, and owners who lives near water, declares that their cats are fishing. Norwegian Forest Cat is by nature active, talkative and social. It is happiest together with some other cats. The breed is on the whole sound, even if you have to be on the alert on breeding for longer body and nose, because that can give back- and teeth problems.

Breed History

The cats came to Norway about 1000 e.Kr, during a time when Vikings had commercial connections with Bysan. Proof that cats were brought direct from Bysan to Norway is that the fact that there is Norwegian cat populations with coat colours that are usual in Turkey but rare in the rest of Europe. It is possible that the ancestry of Norwegian Forest Cat goes back to Turkish longhair cats.
People in Norway didn't care especially much about what kind of coat the cat had, as long as it was nice and a well functioning rat hunter. But the hard Scandinavian winters favour the well grown cats with long hair coat, and they became popular among farmers.
A cat club that was started in 1935 began to note the longhair, native cats. In the end of 1930:s some efforts were done to take charge of these cats and make breed them, but the second World War came between. Therefore nothing happened until 1960: s when planned breeding began. An association were formed who arranged inspections and they succeeded then get together some typical cats, which were registered. Finally they had such a big stock so they apply on an acceptance about the breed to FIFe. On a cat show in Oslo 1975 two representatives of the judge-committee of FIFe made a examining, which it came positively to. But it took additional two years before the general assembly formally accepted the breed. The first examples came to Sweden 1977, to USA 1979 and to Great Britan in the 1980:s.

Silver blotched tabby

The breed standard for Norwegian Forest Cat says that the look shall reflect the natural background for the breed as a "farmer-cat". The most important properties are type and coat-quality. There are a no points states for coat colour. Blotched (classic tabby), which has the "natural" look, are popular.

Black Smoke and White

The Norwegian Forest Cat will always be elegant. It shall be big and robust built, but it will not appear clumsy and the face shall have angled forms which give the impression "alertness", not rounded and "pretty".

Svart

Black

Enwrapped in their thick, black winter coat the Norwegian Forest Cat could fit in some of the Nordic cat-mythologies. The eye colour is not depended of the colour of the coat and black cats can have witchlike green eyes or glowing gold yellow. If a black cat not is kept away from sunlight the coat can get a "rusty" tone.

Sköldpaddsfärgad

Blacktortie and white

Both tabbies and two-coloured are usual in the population of "farmer-cats" who the Norwegian Forest Cat comes from. Without interest to breed selective can colour reflect this division in the breed.

FACTS*

Appearence-time: 1930: s
Origin country: Norway
Ancestors: Farmercats
Incrosses: None
Other names: Forest Cat, Shaucat or Wegie
Weight: 3-9 kg
Temperament: Reserved and prudent

BREEDCOLOURS

Solid and Tortiecolours:
Black, Red, Blue, Creme, White(blue-,green-, orange-, oddeyed), Tortie, blue-creme
Smoke-Colours:
Same colours as in solid and tortie, except white
Shaded and Tipped colours:
Same colours as in solid and tortie, except white
Tabbycolours (blotched, mackarel, spotted):
Brown, Red, Blue, Creme, Tortie, Bluetortie
Silvertabbycolours:
Same colours and markings as in standard
Twocoloured:
All accepted colours and markings with white.

SOURCE
The Encyclopedia of the Cat, Bruce Fogle, 1998 Albert Bonniers Förlag, Falkenberg Kattraser A-Ö, Rina Matthiessen, 2000 Bra Böcker, Italien	© Grafik & Layout Webmaster: Jennie Blomgren