The Norwegian Forest Cat is a breed of domestic cat native to Northern Europe. It is a natural breed adapted to a very cold climate, with a top coat of glossy, long, water-shedding hairs, and a woolly undercoat for insulation. Although this is uncertain, this breed's ancestors may have been a landrace of short-haired cats brought to Norway by the Vikings around 1000AD, who may also have brought with them long-haired cats, like those ancestral to the modern Siberian and Turkish Angora breeds. Many people believe that the ancestors of these cats served as mousers on Viking ships. They lived in the Norwegian forests for many centuries but were later prized for their hunting skills and were used on Norwegian farms. They would continue acting as mousers on farms until they were discovered in the early twentieth century by cat enthusiasts.
During World War 2, the breed became nearly extinct until efforts by the Norwegian Forest Cat Club helped the breed by creating an official breeding programme. It was not registered as a breed with the Federation Internationale Feline until the 1970s, when a local cat fancier Carl-Fredrik Nordane, took notice of the breed and made efforts to register it. Currently the Norwegian Forest Cat is very popular in Norway, Sweden, Iceland and France.
It is a big, strong cat, larger than an average cat and similar to the American Maine Coon breed, with long legs, a bushy tail and a sturdy body. It is every good at climbing since they have strong claws. Their lifespan is usually 14 to 16 years, though kidney and heart diseases have been reported in the breed. It is well adapted to survive Norway's cold weather.
Norwegian Forest Cats have a quiet voice but can develop a loud voice if kept in a house with a dog. They are friendly, intelligent, and are generally good with people. They have lots of energy and can be very demanding of attention. Those that live outdoors become swift and effective hunters, but they can adapt to indoor life. If bought from a registered breed in the USA they tend to cost from $550 to $800. As they are heavy-boned and tall they require more food than most other domestic breeds. Males are considerably heavier and larger-boned than females.
These kittens range in age from 1 week to 18 months.
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Thanks once again to Wikipedia for the information and beautiful photographs.
Drat you Mimsie. I have been yearning for rather a lot of the cats you have featured (these included) despite knowing that a) two is enough and b) Jazz n Jewel would not welcome an intruder.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous things aren't they? Your featured cats I mean, not my spoilt beasties (who are also gorgeous).
EC I can understand just what you are saying. Not that I could afford any of these beautiful cats but it does make you want so many of them. What fantastic creatures they are.
ReplyDeleteI have loved all my cats, some perhaps a tad more than others, but if I had the money I'd live somewhere that I was allowed to have dozens of them to share my life and to care for. Ah! cats!! : )
Gorgeous cats......still, I prefer a shorthair.
ReplyDeleteYes they certainly are. I've had both and don't really have a preference. Precious has much more hair in winter than in summer.
DeleteHari OM
ReplyDeleteInteresting breed - wasn't familiar with this one!! YAM xx
Like the Maine Coon, this breed has always fascinated me. They are very lovely. xx
DeleteStriking cats, I once had a longhair she was very beautiful but so much hair and always she had lots of bits of the garden in her fur, she would sit on my lap and when she got up shake it all out.
ReplyDeleteMerle...................
Yes they are. Precious (12 years old now) has long hair although not a persian. She brings bits in on her fur and also loves to have a sand bath and that really brings a lot of rubbish inside. We have to be quick to brush her before she distributes it in the house but sometimes we are too late. : )
DeleteThat last black one almost looks like a lion, all he needs is a ruff of hair around the top of his head. He's gorgeous. My daughter's cat has the long hair with the fluffy undercoat, but she is very small, so definitely not one of these, but a superb hunter when she was younger.
ReplyDeleteYes, that black one is quite something.
DeletePrecious is strange as she grows extra hair, much longer, in winter and then gradually sheds it. She still has quite long hair but much less of it during the summer months. She was a fantastic mouser when young but these days she stays mostly indoors except on very hot days, and that we just can't work out.