Norwegian Forest

Head
When viewed from the front the outside bottom of the years to the chin form the shape of an equilateral triangle. The forehead is slightly rounded. When viewed from the side the head has a long straight profile. The neck is short and muscular.

Eyes
The large expressive eyes are almond shaped set at an oblique angle. Eye colour range from emerald green through a range of golds and sometimes blue.

Ears
Large with a broad base. They have Lynx like tufts and long hairs growing out of the ears sometimes upto 3 inches (7.5 cm) long.

Body
The Norwegian Forest cat has a large Deep chested muscular body with solid bone structure But well-balanced males are large and imposing while females are usually small and slightly more refined.

Legs & Paws
Walks high on legs with back legs longer than the front. Legs are strong and muscular with large round paws with thick tufts of hair between the toes. Perfect for the snowy terrain of it’s native homeland.

Tail
Long and bushy reaches along the length of the body up to the shoulders

Coat
One of the distinguishing features of this breed is the thick double coat, consisting of a thick woolly undercoat covered by long, smooth, and glossy water-resistant overcoat guard hairs to protect it throughout the winter months.

This slow maturing breed builds up this amazing coat over a period of 5 years it takes to reach maturity. The mature wegie also has a thick ruff about its neck. All in all this combination is perfect protection against the often harsh Scandinavian winters.

During the warmer months they loose this thick undercoat and some of the guard hairs although the coat will maintain most of it’s length.

Colour
All colours are possible in this breed although some countries breed governing bodies may not accept colours that are the result of hybridization such as chocolate, sabel, lilac, cinnamon or fawn.

The Norwegian Forest cat, unlike many pedigree breeds, is an ancient natural breed which has evolved in the cold harsh climate of Norway. The exact origins of this breed will never truly be determined but one suggestion is that their ancestors were probably a mix of short-hairs from northern Europe and long-haired cats from Byzantium brought back to Scandinavia by the vikings and traders.

They probably spent a lot of their time around the Norwegian costal towns and villages but were driven into the forest by the advancement of the plague into Norway in the middle of the 1300’s. The development of their strong bodies, thick woolly undercoat and long waterproof overcoat a necessity for surviving the harsh environment of the Norwegian Winter.

These resourceful animals soon became companions of isolated farmers and homesteads in a mutually beneficial relationship which has survived over hundreds of years. These Forest cats have been tolerated and even welcomed for much longer in Scandinavia than cats have generally in other parts of northern Europe. This long standing relationship may form the origins of why this breed enjoys human company today.

The Norwegian Forest cat is found in Norwegian folklore, referred to as “huldrekatter” or “trollkatter” which is often translated as fairy cats in English but Nymph cats as in Wood or Water Nymph might be more accurate. The tales tell of them catching fish in lakes and climbing steep rocky cliffs. The cat has very strong claws and is quite an accomplished climber so this does have a ring of truth about it. The Wegie as been mentioned in both Norwegian and Swedish literature many times over the years since the 16th century.

At the start of the 20th century the wegie was becoming a bit of a rarity so plans were put in place to ensure the future of this national breed. In Oslo in the late 1930’s the first organisation devoted to the breed “The Norwegian Forest Cat Club” was formed.Then came World War 2 which disrupted their work and further risks of extinction came from cross-breeding with free-roaming domestic cats. The Norwegian Forest Cat Club developed an official breeding program which helped the breed make a comeback.

The Forest cat received royal recognition when the late King Olav V declared it the National Cat of Norway.

The Forest Cat was not exported from Norway until the late 1970’s but has become popular all over Europe and the first breeding pair were imported into the US in 1979.

The Norwegian Forest cat, as a natural breed, is fairly low-maintenance requiring minimal grooming as their natural coats are largely self-maintaining.

In the winter months the coat while long and thick does not require the same daily care as other long or semi-long haired breeds however, in late spring for a short period of time things change.

The thick woolly winter coat is subject to a major moult and the whole undercoat comes out within 2 to 3 weeks so a little extra combing might be useful at this time to make housekeeping a little easier if nothing else. This undercoat comes out in little clumps so at least it is much easier to remove from the home furnishings than single hairs.

After this moulting period the overcoat (guard hairs) lie closer to the body making the cat look a lot leaner and the coat thus appears shorter. 

Norwegian Forest Cats are generally a healthy breed but as with many pedigree breeds they can be predisposed or sometimes inherit certain health conditions which is important to be aware of and watchful for. This does not necessarily mean you're Norwegian Forest will develop any of these conditions just that there may be an increased risk and worth keeping an eye out for and to be aware of.

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy may be a problem with the Norwegian Forest cat as it is known to affect larger cats although at this stage it hasn't been proven to be hereditary in the Norwegian Forest breed.

Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency Pyruvate kinase deficiency is a fairly rare disease that causes a form of anaemia which is often mild and it is possible that some of the signs, being intermittent, may not be noticed until the cat is older.

Glycogen Storage Disease type IV Norwegian Forest cats can have a predisposition to Glycogen Storage Disease, an inherited abnormality of glucose metabolism leading to a build of of glycogen in body tissues.

There are genetic tests available for some of the above. Research these conditions and ask the breeder if their cats/kittens have been tested where applicable. In many country’s lines, the genetic conditions have all but been bred out and seldom seen.