About the breed

In native Norway, they are called Skogkatt, forest cat. This breed has high popularity in Scandinavia and locals also speak of them as the fairy or singing cats. Norwegian Forest Cat is a large, powerful semi-longhaired cat which proudly lives up to its name. Despite their wild appearance, they are exceptionally good pets, who appreciate the company of other pets and especially the company of their human family.

The breed was officially recognized by FIFé in 1938, even though it belongs to the Scandinavian countryside for centuries. Clausson Peter Friis, a Danish clergyman who lived in Norway, described in 1559 three types of "lynx": the wolf lynx, the fox lynx, and the cat lynx. The so-called cat lynx could be the undomesticated Norwegian Forest Cat. You can still find semi-wild cats in the Scandinavian countryside, which strikingly resemble the officially standardized Norwegian Forest cat. The origin of the breed is not entirely known, the nowadays knows Turkish Angora like cats are commonly discussed as probable ancestors who survived the northern wilderness. According to some sources Wegies sailed with the Vikings over the ocean, among other expeditions with Leif Eriksson at the end of the 10th century AD.

Norwegian Forest Cats were part of the dowry. The Vikings and other Scandinavians have had high esteem for these cats as the protectors of the harvest and thus people gave in springtime a bowl of milk next to the fields.

King Olaf V. of Norway made Skogkatt the official cat of Kingdom of Norway.

The nature of the breed

Norwegian Forest Cats are very intelligent, adaptable, moderately active and quiet. Sometimes quietly miaow and coo (sing). They are very playful until old age. Median survival time is approximately 14 to 16 years. Wegies are generally healthy; genetic diseases are due to testing of the breeding animals almost eliminated. Breeding without pedigree comes with some risk of renal or the heart (HCM) failure.

Their nature is kind and patient. Wegies like high places; from where they easily control their territory and thus a cat tree is a necessity of the household where they live. These cats like staying close to their person and the whole family but they aren't typical lap-cats. They prefer to lie down next to you and just be a silent companion. They like children and don't like to be home alone.

Wegies could live indoors for their whole life, but their playful clever mind needs to have enough work (or fun), for example, places they may jump and climb and give them a piece of your time. They are equipped with strong claws which allow them to climb into places where other cats do not dare. Norwegians say, that they can run up bare rock. They love trees-climbing and you can often see them climb upside-down the trees. Wegies appreciate outdoor activities, whether on a secured balcony, in feliniére, or on a leash, but naturally ultimate freedom is for this breed the most natural way of enjoying themselves. But their freedom of movement should be considered concerning the proximity of busy roads or forest where they could poach. Wegies are excellent hunters, larger prey is hunted in packs as the lions do. They naturally protect their territory against intruders.

The exterior

Norwegian forest cat grows into big size - from a tip of the nose to tip of the tail it could be 100 cm long - males typically weigh about 5-9 kg (12-16 lb) and females about 2.5 to 6 kg (9-12 lb). They are shorter in a frame than the Maine Coon but rather more massive.

Typical colouring of the Wegies is a tabby ( like wildcat), other colours can be solid or tabby (agouti) in variations of black, blue, red, cream, tortie (female only), amber, light amber (also in tortie) with any amount of white (up to whole white). They could be also silver, smoked or golden coloured. The colour of eyes need to correlate to the coat colour, all eye colours are allowed, blue eyes and odd coloured eyes are permitted only by whole white cats. Amber or light amber colour is for wegies specific. Kittens are primarily born black (amber) or blue (light amber) and they change their coat colour up to the age of 12 to 18 months. In their coat, we could still find some original black or blue hair. This is the main difference between the amber/light amber cats and the red/cream cats.

Their head has a shape of an equilateral triangle (this applied on both skull and head with ears), with a straight profile and rounded forehead, a lower jaw is strong with a regular scissor bite. The ears are large, triangular, heavily furnished inside and can have lynx-like tufts on the tips. The muscular neck has a medium length. The bones are robust, a chest is typically deep and spacious with prominent forechest. The legs are long and muscular, the hind legs are longer. Paws are oval, closed, with long hair between fingers, like snowshoes. The tail is set on medium-high and extends at least to the edge of the shoulders, preferably to the ears.

Norwegian Forest Cat is covered with a thick, double layer water-repellent semi-long hair, which has an unmistakable structure. Cover hairs are longer, straight and shiny, under them is a slightly wavy undercoat. In summer, the coat is a little bit shorter and have a less woolly undercoat. Fully developed wegie (2 years or more, in winter coat) has a long hair on the sideburns, neck collars (mane) and has knickerbockers. Their tail is long and bushy.

Norwegian forest cat is a long maturing breed, up to 5 years of age. The full coat is also developing a few years.

Some myths

In Edda we can read about the chariot of the goddess of love and fertility, Freya, that is trailed by two giant cats. Elsewhere in Edda, we can find a story about the god of lightning, Thorr, who is unable to lift the huge cat's paw.

Forest Cat in Norway is something like our Puss in Boots. If she meets a troll on her night expedition, she refrains him in conversation until dawn, when the troll comes to stone in sunlight.

In Denmark they attribute these cats to forest nymphs and call them Huldrekat (dan. huldre - female forest people, the hidden folk), hence the name fairy cats. 

Standard of the breed

Overview of standards of Norwegian Forest Cat due to selected felinological organizations. Each felinological organization publishes its own standard individually, based on the process of recognizing the breed. Here is an overview of the breed standard, as defined by various organizations. 

the standard of the breed (PDF) - English, German, French

the standard of the breed (PDF) - English 

CFA 

the standard of the breed (PDF) - English 

CCCA