The Norwegian Forest Cat has been around for centuries; featuring in ancient Norwegian folk tales and it is said to have accompanied the Vikings on their sea-faring travels to distant parts to help reduce the rodent population on board their ships. It is believed that Lief Ericksen and his companions may have accidentally left some behind in North America during their travels there. However, it was not until 1977 that it was officially recognised by FIFé for Championship status.
"Freyja", painted in 1852 by N. J .O. Blommer.
Freyja, a fertility goddess, is driving a chariot drawn
by fairy cats very similar to modern Norwegian Forest Cats |
Breeders in Norway first started to take notice of the Forest Cat in the 1930's and realised that the native population of these cats was diminishing because of the indiscriminate breeding of the Forest Cat with the local short-haired domestic cats. In the late 1930's an attempt was made to set up a breeding program to save the breed from extinction but this was interrupted by the outbreak of World War two. It wasn't until the 1950's that this breeding program was taken up and formalised by a group of people including Karl Eggum, Liv Loose, and Egil Nyland who also, in 1975, established the first Forest Cat Breed Club, Norsk Skogkattring. Egil and Else Nyland bred Pan's Truls the magnificent male Forest Cat who served as a model for FIFé Norwegian Forest Cat standard and they, together with the group working with them, were rewarded in 1977 by FIFé acceptance of the Norwegian Forest Cat for Championship status. Since then the Norwegian Forest Cat's popularity has gone from strength to strength and it is now seen on show benches and at firesides in many countries throughout the World.
Sincere thanks to Paula Swepston, La Maison Forte Norsk Skogkatt, Switzerland for much of this information. We strongly recommend that you visit the La Maison Forte website for much more excellent information about the Norwegian Forest Cat.
Is this a large breed? Yes, medium to large. They are a very solid cat but do not get as big as a Maine Coon with males weighing from 6 to 10Kgs and females about half that.
What is their temperament like? The Forest cat is intelligent and brave with a sense of fun. They have no natural enemies so are friendly, love to play, interact well with people and adapt well to new situations.
Are they really a natural breed? Yes. Although cats were originally brought to Norway from warmer parts of Europe the Norwegian Forest Cat evolved to suit the conditions in which it had to survive. The aim of most Norwegian Forest Cat breeders is to preserve all the natural traits in this wonderful natural breed.
Do they need much grooming? No. The Norwegian Forest Cat's coat was designed in such a way that during spring, when it loses its thick woolly undercoat, this could be helped by the cat brushing against rough bark and bushes which it would do in its normal pursuit of prey. When the cats are living with us we can help with this by combing out the loose hair. If you want to show your Norwegian Forest Cat it will benefit from being groomed with an occasional bath prior to a show. Apart from that they are well able to maintain their own coats.
Jamaica up a tree |
Can my Forest Cat go outdoors? The Norwegian Forest Cat is very well adapted to cope with the outdoors but because of the dangers to cats in the outside world we advise that no cat be allowed outside unless under supervision. Because the Norwegian Forest Cat is such an active and intelligent cat it is wise to provide it with challenging toys and games to satisfy the hunting instinct as well as scratching posts and climbing trees for exercise. |
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