Norwegian Forest Cats in Southern Africa

The Norwegian Forest Cat is a large, muscular cat with medium length hair. It has a weather-resistant coat to allow it to survive the harsh Scandinavian winters. Despite it's size, the Norwegian is surprisingly gentle and is a very intelligent animal, making it an ideal companion.

The origin of the Norwegian Forrest Cat is not known. It is not of Persian descent as Persians were first introduced to Norway long after the first forest cats were documented. Zoologists also agree that it is not descended from a wild cat, as there were no small wild cats in Scandinavia.

Norse Mythology mentions the cats in a few stories, suggesting that the Norwegian is a natural adaptation of the ordinary cat to survive in the wilds of Norway.

They have a water-resistant coat to enable them to survive in the snow and to swim for fish. This is still evident in our forest cats today. The coat of the Norwegian is thick with raincoat textured hair which repels water and a dense undercoat for warmth. The coat should not Matt! Any cat with a coat which mats would not have survived in the wild, but would have frozen as soon as the mat got wet. Norwegians are bred for coat texture and structure and not for colour or pattern. This means that they can, and do, come in all patterns except for t he Siamese points and the Burmese and Somali colours.

The Norwegian Forest Cat Development Group, the official breed group in South Africa have decided not to import entirely white cats, or cats with white on the nose or ears, because of the skin cancer risk. We do however have the generic capability in our cats to produce any other colours except red or cream females.

The Norwegian should be a large, imposing looking cat - especially in winter when the males develop a ruff! They should be strong and well muscled and have strong bones. Their hind legs should be slightly longer than the front legs, but the overall appearance should be that of a well balanced cat.

The squirrel like tail should be as long as the back and fluffy and full especially in winter. The females and breeding males lose a hit of tail fluff during the, breeding season. The tail is generally carried high and in the shape of a question mark when the cat is confident and happy.

The face is triangular making an equilateral triangle across the base of the ears and down to the tip of the nose. The profile should be straight. Kitten’s profiles take some time to straighten depending on the line from which they were bred. If their profile is going to be straight, they will have a straight profile at birth, this disappears as soon as they suckle and then straightens out as they get older.

Ears should be large and pricked with tufts coming out of them and tip tufts on top of the ear are desirable. They often have a lot of fur around the base of the ear in winter, which is to protect the ear from the cold.

The eyes are, like the coat, any colour and almond shaped to fit into the line of the triangle that the face makes. They should have a cheeky, naughty expression .

In summer the cat will lose the spectacular winter coat and look like a shorthaired cat with a bushy tail from a distance, as the medium length fur lies against the body. This will happen in a fairly short space of time. It is advisable to assist the cat and brush it often in this week or so. For the rest of the year, the Norwegian should be brushed and combed as a pleasurable experience to share with your cat. This too will train the cat to tolerate grooming well for those early morning show preparations or when they drop their winter coat.

Although Norwegians do enjoy water it is advisable not to over bath them, in order to maintain the correct texture of coat. The breeder of your cat will advise you on the best way to prepare your cat for show.

Temperament.

The Norwegian Forest Cat is a very intelligent cat! They are extremely playful and make up their own games. You have to be quick to keep up with their antics. Along with this, they are very active and agile. Vertical walls do not keep them in and they walk easily along curtain rails and shower doors, turn and return the way they came, even when heavily pregnant.

These energies need to be channeled with firm, loving discipline. They need to know who is the TOP CAT in the house and if you do not take that role then your Norwegian will!

Toys are essential but more important than toys is your own involvement with the cat. Play with it and have a special time daily for your cat. It is much like a child in that respect. Once they have played they will still want to be near you even if it is on their terms! It is not uncommon for a Norwegian to grab your hand and pull it closer for more attention. They will also like some other breeds bump heads in affection. Some Norwegians will gently swish their tails when they are enjoying something. A good guideline for those who handle strange cats is to watch the whisker position. A cat with it’s whiskers forward is a happy cat. There are also some lines where a content cat will nibble your fingers in affection

They NEED a scratching post otherwise they will decide find their own! Part of the motion of using a scratching post is to exercise the muscles in the legs While they do this they strip the old sheath off the nail and thereby keep the nails sharp and in good condition. Their nails are different to those of other domestic cats, they turn at a different angle. This is probably an adaptation for climbing rocks and trees in the forests. We do not clip a Norwegians claws, ever! They co�e down tree trunks head first and can fall badly if their claws do not grip. Show cats may sometimes have the very sharp point filed off with a fine nail file.

Health

The Norwegian is generally speaking a healthy breed. They are not associated with the ailments which seem prevalent in some pedigreed cats. They give birth easily and rear their kittens with ease and little, if any, loss of condition.

Neutering and Spaying.

If your cat is not specifically sold to you for breeding, then you should have it neutered! Some individual catteries will only sell you an already neutered male and follow up closely whether the females are spayed. Breeding is not something to take on lightly - have a chat with the breeder of either your cat or any breeder for that matter and get some inside information if you are considering breeding. it is a tremendous responsibility

This information was supplied by the:

Norwegian Forest Cat Development Group of South Africa

Promoting responsible selective breeding of the
Norwegian Forest Cat of Norse Mythology.

The aim of the group is to preserve
the natural integrity of this unique
breed as a beautiful, intelligent
companion cat.

Membership secretary : Lara Redelinghuys Tel: +27 21 697 3276
Email: [email protected]