Videos Norwegian Forest Cat Breed Information
Alternative names -
Skaukatt,
Norsk Skogkatt
Common nickname -
Wegie
Country of origin -
Norway
Breed standards -
AACE, CFA, ACF, ACFA, CCA,
TICA, FIFe
The Norwegian Forest Cat is a breed of domestic cat
native to Northern Europe, and adapted to a very cold climate. In
Norway they are known as
Skogkatter or Skaukatter
(skog and skau being forms of the word for
'forest' in different Norwegian dialects) or more properly,
the Norsk Skogkatt (literally, Norwegian Forest
Cat).
The breed is very old, and occurred as a natural adaptation to
the cold climate of the region, but it was not regarded as anything
other than a standard house-cat until the late 1930s, when a small number of 'Skaukatts'
were shown in Germany and received very
favorably by the judges. World War II brought an abrupt end to the
fledgling Norwegian show cat industry, and the breed was forgotten
until the 1970s. The cats are now being
bred and shown in several countries including the United States.
The first international association to accept the breed was
FIFe,
in 1977. They are rumored to be the early
ancestors of the Maine Coon and the
long-haired Manx.
Norwegian Forest Cats have a thick fluffy double-layered coat,
tufted ears and a long bushy tail to protect them against the cold.
Their coat is essentially waterproof due to its coarse outer layer
and dense underlay. They are very large cats with adult males weighing 6 to 10 kg
(13 to 22 lb), while females are approximately half that size. Their
hind legs are longer than their front legs. They are very
intelligent, playful cats that enjoy human company. The nickname of
"Wegie" began in the United States and is a shortened
version of the word Norwegian.
1. Behavior
Like Maine Coons, Norwegian Forest
Cats are an intelligent, robust and playful breed. They like the
outdoors, are well suited to cold conditions and are great hunters.
Despite their great affection for the outdoors, they also enjoy the
company of humans and other pets and will sometimes go looking for
company if left alone by their owners. They are not easily stressed
and are quite patient, which makes them great for a family with
children. They appreciate high vantage points and enjoy climbing
trees, or, if they are indoor cats, climbing on appliances,
bookshelves and other elevated surfaces in the home. Norwegian
Forest Cats are very good family pets and do not need too much
maintenance only a brush every week at least.
2. Countries introduced
* Australia: First introduced in the
late 1990s
* Japan: First introduced in the early
1990s
* United States: First introduced
in 1979
* United Kingdom: First
introduced in 1986
Copyright (c) 2008 Kitt Killion Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, no Front-Cover Texts, and no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
Taken or modified, in whole or part, from Wikipedia.org
