Norwegian Forest Cat Breed Description & History

Temperament

The Norwegian Forest Cat is intelligent. They enjoy close relationships with humans, love to be made a fuss of and enjoy lots of attention. Through my experiences with Norwegians I know that they also love water and the coldness of a sink or bath tub.

Norwegian Forest cats always want to climb. You’ll find that they like to sit on their activity centres or in their climbing frames in outdoor enclosures, surveying their domain from on high.

However, all cats vary; they all have there own personalities just like humans. But a kitten that has had lots of human contact and loving care will be much more friendly then a kitten that has none of that.

Originating from Norway, ‘Wegies are well suited to cold weather. They enjoy being outside in there enclosure watching the world (and the birds) go by, sunbathing in summer, playing and climbing in the frosts and snows of winter. However, they are equally happy indoors if they have lots of attentions and room to play.

And like many cats, they also love to roam and hunt. But behind the large, wild appearance they are sociable with a loving nature; Norwegian Forest Cats are known to get along well with other animals too.

Physical Characteristics

In my opinion, the Norwegian Forest Cat is both a magnificent but elegant semi long haired cat. With their magnificent double coat and lion-like ruff, which is at its fullest during the cold winter months, they can look almost regal. The thick woolly undercoat acts like an insulating coat which protects the cat from the cold weather, whilst the coarser, glossy top coat is water repellent, keeping the worst of the wind and rain out.

Their coats change considerably from winter to summer, following the annual spring moult. The main difference will be in the heaviness of the neck ruff, which will shorten in summertime with the onset of the warmer temperatures.

Typically, Norwegian Forest Cats have a thick, bushy tail which is also water proof and well insulated. This tail often reaches to their shoulder blades, and sometimes may even reach to the neck. Also, they often have ‘Lynx Tips’ the small projections of long fur at the top of their ears, so named due to their string similarity to the ears of the Lynx. These tufts are thought to protect the cats’ ears from the wind and rain. However, not all ‘Wegies have this feature. The base of the ears should have a good width at the base and be large in general.

Paws should be large and also have tufts between the toes. A clue to the considerable size of the mature Norwegian Forest cat can be seen by the ‘out of scale’ appearance of the kittens’ paws, which appear to be too big for the cat. Don’t worry; the kittens do grow into them in time!

Leg-wise, the cats are longer at the back then the front. The legs should be sturdy and strong for climbing and hunting, and to keep the cats’ long, elegant, muscular and heavily boned body away from the cold ground.

A great facet of the Norwegian Forest Cat’s striking appearance is its head, which should be triangular. The nose should have a straight profile and the chin should be full and strong. Eyes should be almond shaped and slightly oblique.

History

The Norwegian forest cat is an old breed which is thought to have originated in the forests of northern Scandinavia; accounts suggest that the breed was known as long ago as 1599.

The Norwegian Forest cat had long ago been mentioned in Norse legend and folk tales as the fairy cat (Huldrekat in Norwegian). Such tales are thought to go back as far as the Vikings. They were further mentioned several times in the famous children’s fairy tale books written by Asbjornsen and Moes, and also in a book published in 1912 by Gabriel Scott who wrote a children’s book named after its main character, a Norwegian Forest Cat called Sølvfaks.

As a breed the Norwegian Forest Cat was first recognized in Norway (I should hope so too) in 1930 and made its cat show debut in 1938. Following the overturning of an initial ban on their export from Norway, the breed has achieved international recognition. In Norway the Norwegian Forest Cats were known as ‘norsk skoggkatt‘. In honour of this we now have a UK cat club of the same name.

However, the exact origin of the Norwegian Forest cat has not been exactly established. It is thought that the breed is a mixture of British shorthair and longhair cats brought by the Vikings and the crusaders from Great Britain to Scandinavia, which then mated with local farm and feral cats. Friends to the Vikings, it is thought that the Norwegian Forest cat was used to protect their grain stores, both on land and on the Viking long ships during their travels across the seas.

Norse mythology refers to two large cats drawing a chariot for Freya, the Scandinavian goddess of love, on her trips through the skies; the cats being a gift from her husband Thor (discerning chap eh)? Apparently these cats were so heavy that Thor could not lift them off the ground. Various accounts suggests that these mythological Norwegians were silver, blue, black or white. Although their original colour remains unknown, this wonderful Norse mythology may provide us with a good indicator as to the colour of early Norwegians.

The breed’s origin in the cold North of Scandinavia has ensured its association with cold northern winters, the breed being both rugged and hardy, a fact well exemplified by the thick double coat which defies the elements. This heritage has also ensured that Norwegian Forest Cats are excellent climbers.

The Norwegian Forest cat was also renowned for being an accomplished angler, effortlessly plucking fish from streams and lakes. I suppose this is were they get their liking for water.

They also became known for their great liking for human companionship; apparently they would snick into farmers houses for the warm by the fire or a little company.

As Norway became more developed and the population grew through the early 20th century the Norwegian Forest Cat faced extinction. Fortunately for us, in the 1930’s a breeding program was set up by some kindly Norwegians to re-establish the breed. But the path to success for the breed was interrupted when the onset of WWII and Norway’s subsequent occupation by Germany in 1940 resulted in the breeding program being put on hold. Once again the Norwegian forest cat was in danger of slipping back into obscurity.

After a couple of relatively low key decades, the 1970s saw the commencement of another Norwegian Forest Cat breeding program designed to help this national treasure. The result of this program was the recognition of the breed as a pedigree cat by Felis Britannica in 1977 and the publication of its breed standard.

Today the future of the breed appears to be in good hands; there are many breeders worldwide. In the UK, the Norwegian Forest’s growing popularity is proven by this beautiful breed’s increasing presence at both FIFE and GCCF cat shows nationwide.

Notwithstanding this, outside of cat showing circles the breed remains relatively unknown. But the dedication to the breed shown by my breeding colleagues proves that becoming hooked on Norwegian‘s is easy. The Norwegian Forest Cat’s amazing history only adds to this dedication.

In my opinion the Norwegian Forest cat is a very intelligent, personable and beautiful cat. A house is not a home without a Norwegian Forest Cat.