Norwegian Forest Cats: House Cat of the Vikings

The Norwegian Forest cat hails for Northern Europe and is perfectly fitted to live in a very cold climate. The Norwegian Forest Cat is a specific breed of domestic cat that originates from Northren Europe, and enjoys a very cold climate. In Norway they are known as skogkatter or Norsk skogkatter which means, Norwegian Forest Cat.

This breed has been around many centuries in the norse region. The breed is a result of natural adaption of the domestic cat to a very cold region. Officially, the Norwegian Forest Cat was nothing more than a Norse house cat. Then in the 1930's a number of skogkatters were shown in cat shows in Germany and the judges liked the breed. During the chaos of World War II drew attention away from cat breeding and the breed was not officially recognized at all until the 1970's . The international organization FIFE officially accepted the breed of Norwegian Forest cats in 1977. The breed is thought to be ancestors of the Maine Coon and the long haired Manx cat.

Norwegian Forest cats have a layered coat and are very fluffy looking. They also have tufts of fur in their ears, between their toes and a long Maine Coon like tail. Their fur makes them water repellant. Norwegian Forest cats are a large cat breed. The males weigh between 13 and 22 lbs and the females are only slightly smaller. On the breed both sexes have hind legs that are larger than their front legs. Sometimes in the United States this breed is referred to as a "Wegie "cat .This is thought to be a shortened version of Norwegian.

Personality wise the Norwegian Forest cat is a cat that tolerates children and other pets rather well. They are estimated to have been domesticated in one form or another for close to 4,000 years. They are a very social breed and will seek out the company of others if left alone for long periods of time. They are well suited and enjoy the outdoors.

If kept indoors, Norwegian Forest cats should be provided plenty of places to climb, as they a noted for enjoying elevated places. They are not an overly sensitive breed and tolerate change relatively well. Their long coat should ideally be brushed daily, but they can go without grooming for a week or longer. In the summer the breed sports a shorter version of their winter coat. Regular brushing should happen during times the Norwegian Forest cat sheds.

http://www.cfainc.org/breeds/profiles/norwegian.html

http://www.forestcats.net/