Norwegian Forest Cat

The Norwegian Forest Cat's exploits in the forests of Norway before they became a purebred cat

2024-02-21T23:19:00.000-08:00

There is a nice insight into the exploits of domestic cats in Norway in travelling from their homes into the forests of south-eastern Norway thanks to a study conducted by the Norwegian University of Life Sciences

The study was designed to see how far into forests the domestic cat in Norway travels but it also tells us a lot about the movements and habits of domestic cats in Norway before some were selected to be show cats and before these moggies were developed through selective breeding to become purebred Norwegian Forest Cats.

NFC in the forest where they belong! 💕 Image: MikeB using Canva under license.

As you might know, it was around the post-World War II era when the Norwegian Forest Cat first became a purebred cat and when the cat fancy recognised the breed and they started to become show cats.

For centuries and perhaps a couple of thousand years, the Norwegian Forest Cat was simply a regular domestic cat albeit a handsome one living in homes in Norway and as mentioned travelling into the forests surrounding human settlements. So how far into forests did this domestic cat travel?

Journeying into the Norwegian forests

The study found that cats in Norway:

"..were present at 70% and 47% of forest sites 100 and 200 m away from their houses respectively, and cat presence only dropped below 10% more than 900 m from residential houses. The model also predicted that cats were present in 12.5% of forests in south-eastern Norway."

It's interesting to note that almost 1000 m from their homes you would have found and you probably still find domestic cats living in Norway hunting in the forests. This is not far short of one mile.

Norway is a highly forested country which I guess is why we have the 'Norwegian Forest Cat'. The precursor to this purebred cat obviously spent a lot of time in the forests adjacent to human settlements. And it is why the cat fancy gave this cat its name.

Development

People who read about purebred cat should realise that very often, the cat fancy i.e. the people who breed and show cats, take an ordinary, regular random-bread cat (a moggy) and they create from that cat a purebred, glamorous and refined show cat. They do this through selective breeding as you probably know.

That means they select good-looking foundation cats and they gradually, over the years, refine the appearance by constantly selecting attractive cats that meet the breed standard.

It is inbreeding which makes manifest recessive genes which can be mutated and which can harm the cat because they bring with them inherited illnesses.

But this is how the Norwegian Forest Cat was developed. I would like to envisage the moment before that happened with random bread cats rummaging around and exploring the forests of Norway.

The Study

Title: Determinants of domestic cat ocurrence in forests in southeastern Norway. Link: https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3012353

Huge Norwegian Forest Cat the size of a large Maine Coon

2022-12-19T01:57:00.000-08:00

On average, the Norwegian Forest Cat (NFC) is smaller than the Maine Coon but there are exceptions and this is one of them. Not all MCs are larger than NFCs. This TikTok video illustrates the point. This NFC is very classic in terms of 'type' meaning desired appearance as per the breed standard. Super appearance.

Huge Norwegian Forest Cat the size of a large Maine Coon. Image: MikeB from screenshots.

Here is the video. For me it is a bit irritating because of the soundtrack. Horrible for me. But the point is made about size. This is a great NFC. A classic in terms of coat: a grey tabby-and-white. It is his size which is untypical for this breed although they are one of the largest domestic cat breeds challenging the supremacy of the Maine Coon sometimes.

Rare amber coat color in NFCs is caused by a single MC1R allele (a version of the gene) called "e,"

2022-12-18T21:26:00.001-08:00

Below is a summary of a study which investigated the genetic cause of the rare amber coat of the Norwegian Forest Cat. It is very technical but it is hard to avoid its technicality 😢.

In a study researchers sequenced the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) gene in a group of cats with a yellow recessive coat color called amber, which is observed in Norwegian Forest Cats (NFCs) but apparently absent in other cat breeds.

The researchers identified two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the coding sequence of the gene: one that causes a change in the amino acid sequence of the protein (a non-synonymous mutation) and one that does not (a synonymous mutation). They then genotyped a larger group of cats using PCR-RFLP (a method for analyzing DNA) and found that the non-synonymous mutation (c.250G>A) was present in all of the amber cats and not in any of the other cats.

Dorian - picture copyright Crystalfjord Cattery

This mutation causes a change in the amino acid sequence of the protein, replacing an aspartic acid with an asparagine at position 84. The researchers also used 3D modeling to examine the structural changes caused by the mutation and found that it caused a modification in the electrostatic potential of the mutant protein. Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that amber coat color in NFCs is caused by a single MC1R allele (a version of the gene) called "e," which has not been previously documented.

Here is another picture of the beautiful amber NFC:

Dorian - picture copyright Crystalfjord Cattery

Glycogen Storage Disease Type IV in Norwegian Forest Cats

2022-11-18T06:22:00.001-08:00

Norwegian Forest cats are known to be predisposed to developing Glycogen Storage Disease Type IV as it is a genetically inherited disease passed down from their parents. As I understand it, if both parents carry the genetic mutation which causes the disease, the offspring have a 25% chance of being affected. If one parent doesn't have the disease but the other is a carrier the resultant offspring will not be affected but will have a 50% chance of being a carrier.

Healthy NFC kittens. Image credit as stated.

The disease affects other animals such as horses. In horses, the frequency of the diseases 8.3% in Quarter Horses and 7.1% in Paint Horses. I could not find the level of prevalence of this disease in Norwegian Forest Cats. However, it is a known inherited disease as mentioned.

Another term for Glycogen Storage Disease Type IV is "glycogen branching enzyme deficiency". This is because the affected individuals lack the enzyme necessary to store glycogen in its branched form and therefore cannot store sugar molecules needed by the heart and skeletal muscle, liver and brain which causes these organs to malfunction. Glycogen is a storage sugar molecule.

The degeneration of the muscles and heart are apparent and evident in histological analysis. In one study they did not find cirrhosis and hepatic failure which are apparently hallmarks of the human version of this disorder.

The defective gene is autosomal i.e., not sex-linked and recessive. That's why both parents have to have the disease to pass it on to their offspring. As I understand it the first report of this disease in 'inbred' Norwegian Forest cats was published in a study which I'm referring to in 1992 (see base of article for the name of the study).

The disease affects offspring before birth and causes an accumulation an abnormal glycogen in many tissues. These can manifest itself in stillbirth or the death of the kitten in the hours after birth. The cause of death is the kitten having an insufficient amount of glucose to produce energy during the birth process and in the hours afterwards.

Sometimes kittens survive the neonatal period. They might appear normal until five months of age. Owners might have to watch their kitten go through months of generation of nerves and muscle. They may suffer from fever and muscle tremors, and certainly weakness. By eight months of age the affected kittens have an inability to use their limbs due to severe muscle weakness and atrophy. They may die suddenly from heart failure.

A DNA test is available to identify the gene and identify carrier cats. Clearly, they should be removed from any breeding programs.

Study: Glycogen Storage Disease Type IV: Inherited Deficiency of Branching Enzyme Activity in Cats published on the nature.com website.

'Pans Truls' the ORIGINAL Norwegian Forest tomcat born 1st of May 1973

2022-11-17T23:00:00.024-08:00

Pans Truls (Pan's Truls) is the original Norwegian Forest tomcat from which the breed standard was written, and it still applies today. I find that interesting. It is the first time that I have seen a photograph of the foundation cat of an entire cat breed. It should remind us of how the Norwegian Forest Cat (NFC) should look. Here he is.

Pans Truls the original Norwegian Forest Cats born 1st of May 1973. The photo is in the public domain (certain).

Breeders can sometimes wander from the breed standard. Pans Truls is the target. The quality of the photo is poor. I have enlarged it slightly. It is actually a photograph of a print of a photograph. This accounts for the poor quality.

Pans Truls was a brown tabby and white. He had a very copious coat. Look how full it is. A Google Scholar abstract (summary) tells us a bit about this handsome tomcat who was so crucial in the creation of the NFC.

Below is a re-writing of that summary (further summarised!):

"This passage (the abstract) discusses the history and current status of the Norwegian Forest cat breed. It mentions that the breed was recognized as an official breed in 1977 and has a breed standard based on a tomcat named Pans Truls. The Norwegian Forest Cat Breeding Club (Norsk Skogskattring) works with breeders to maintain the breed's health and appearance. The passage also mentions that the Norwegian Forest cat is not at risk of extinction and is popular around the world as a pet. However, the passage notes that there are some genetic diseases that can occur in the breed, including Glycogen storage disease IV, Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, hip dysplasia, retinal dysplasia, non-pruritic granuloma, and patellar luxation. The passage suggests that screening for these genetic diseases could improve the breed's genetic status."

Remember that the NFC is somewhat like the Maine Coon in one important respect: they were both farm cat moggies with a long history going back thousands of years it is believed until it was decided that they should become purebred, pedigree cats and join the cat fancy. Selective breeding began to achieve this.

RELATED: Origin of the breed.

The article that provides some detail is "Breed status of the Norwegian forest cat from viewpoint of Eugenics". The 'Fageraas, Ina Pernille' states:

"Pans Truls is the tomcat where the breed standard is taken from. He was born 1st of May 1973 and lived with the Nyland family outside of Oslo. It was the photographs of Pans Truls that got the breeding committee to decide that Pans Truls should be the breed standard for the Norwegian Forest Cat."

The Norsk Skogskattring (The Norwegian Forest Cat Club) is a club comprising members who are interested in preserving the breed and ensuring that it progresses. It was founded in 1975 and has today around 300 Norwegian members (188 in Norway plus others in sister organisations).

In the late 1970s a pair of NFCs were shipped to the USA. The breed achieved championship status under the CFA in 1993.

I guess there are two main objectives: health and appearance. These two objectives can clash as preserving the original appearance through inbreeding leads to inherited diseases and the NFC is no exception in this regard.

The NFC suffers from the following inherited diseases: Glycogen storage disease IV, Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, hip dysplasia, retinal dysplasia, non-pruritic granuloma and patellar luxation. There should be better screening for Glycogen storage disease IV.

Here is some more on non-puritic granuloma:

The eosinophilic granuloma complex is a group of skin disorders that affect cats and are characterized by the presence of eosinophils, a type of white blood cell, in the affected tissue. a study describes a group of Norwegian Forest cats with this condition, including six that had a linear granuloma on the caudal (tail) thigh, three that had a granuloma on the lower lip, and one that had a granuloma in combination with an indolent ulcer. The high prevalence of the disease in this population suggests that there may be a genetic component to the development of this condition. It is important for veterinarians to properly diagnose and treat cats with the eosinophilic granuloma complex, as it can cause significant discomfort and potentially lead to further complications if left untreated.

RELATED: Norwegian Forest Cat - plenty of detail.

It is sad to see this. When breeders start with a small gene pool as they must you get these diseases which you find much less often in the random bred population. In combination they shorten lifespan.

Origin of the Norwegian Forest Cat

2022-08-26T11:18:00.003-07:00

We don't know the origin of the Norwegian Forest Cat (NFC)! 😊 but that isn't the end of the story. We do know that this is a very old breed and that there is Norse mythology surrounding the breed and that the earliest references to cats that resemble today's NFC's are referred to in folktales gathered and written about between 1837 and 1852. However, the NFC has been in Norway for much longer than that.

NFC in Norwegian snow. Image: Pinterest.

Clearly, over centuries, what I imagine to be a fairly standard random bred cat imported into the country many hundreds of years ago developed into a much bigger and hardier cat with a thick coat because of an existence in a very cold climate. This cat has a heavy double coat and sturdy bones. It has the benefit of long hind legs and strong claws.

I'm going to stick my neck out and say the NFC has been in Norway for upwards of 2000 years (possibly). The British Shorthair has been in the UK for about 2000 years, perhaps a bit less because the Romans were in Britain about 200 A.D. and they brought domestic cats with them. That's the origin of the British Shorthair but did something similar happened with respect to the NFC in Norway?

There have been some rather extravagant ideas in this regard. Firstly, it was suggested, speculatively, that Viking ships brought Scottish wild cats to Norway where they gradually developed into today's NFCs. For this to be true the wild cats would have to become domesticated and then they would have to evolve in the Norwegian climate to become the cat they are today.

Another theory is that domestic cats from Europe reached Scandinavia on-board trading ships. Once they arrived in Norway they escaped and became feral and which point they were able to mate with imported Scottish wild cats. The bit about wild cats seems to be fanciful as well. The rest of it sounds true.

A further theory is that Angora cats were brought from the Middle East to ports in the Mediterranean and from there to Scandinavia in the 16th century. In Scandinavia they crossed with the descendants of imported wild cats and developed into the NFC.

A further theory is that Angora cats arrived by ship in Norway and gradually developed a thicker coat and became bigger in order to deal with the cold climate. There was no hybridisation with any wild cat stock from Scotland.

Another theory is that long-haired Russian cats, perhaps Siberian cats found their way to Norway on board trading ships and these cats evolved into today's NFC.

And finally, local domestic cat became feral and lived rough which allow them to become bigger and heavier.

The NFC is certainly at the top end of the scale of weight amongst all the cat breeds. They are not the largest cat breed but they are larger and heavier than most other cat breeds. And when a domestic cat lives in a cold environment they evolved to be bigger and heavier because this enables the animal to retain heat better due to the surface area being relatively smaller in relation to their size.

This is how the largest cat in the world, the Siberian tiger evolved. The Siberian tiger is much bigger than the Bengal tiger and the Sumatran tiger is the smallest because it lives in the hottest climate of these three.

It appears that the hybridisation with Scottish wildcat is too fanciful to believe and my personal choice is that standard domestic cats of various kinds were gradually imported into Norway on trading ships ultimately from the Middle East and then these gradually evolved into becoming NFCs via being semi-domesticated and then fully domesticated and then the cat fancy became involved and selectively bred random-bred cats into beautiful purebred, pedigree NFCs. This latter phase occurred between about 1930 and around the middle of 1970.

Until the 1930s this was a random bred cat.

The reason why all the theories involve the importation of cats into Norway is because the country could not have created their own domestic cat by domesticating a small wildcat because one does not exist in Norway.

Norwegian Forest cats 4-7 times more likely to have antibodies for Toxoplasma gondii than Burmese cats

2022-08-25T04:36:00.001-07:00

In technical language, scientists decide on the presence of toxoplasma gondii in a cat by the presence of immunoglobulin G antibodies. They are checking whether the cat's immune system has developed antibodies to tackle the presence of toxoplasma gondii in their bloodstream. And where the "seroprevalence" is high it means there are more antibodies and therefore the cat was exposed more to toxoplasmosis.

Image: MikeB based on an image in the public domain (assessed).

In this instance, the scientists agreed that toxoplasma gondii "is a widespread zoonotic parasite that is relevant for veterinary and public health". In other words, it can be transmitted from animal to person as for example can Covid-19. And the domestic cat is described as the "definitive host species" of this pathogen.

They studied the following breeds: Birman, British Shorthair, Burmese, Korat, Norwegian Forest Cat, Ocicat, Persian and Siamese. They took plasma samples and analysed for the presence of immunoglobulin G antibodies against T gondii.

Overall, 41.12% of the 1121 cats tested seropositive. In other words, just over 40% of the cats had antibodies to T gondii and therefore had been exposed to the disease.

The Burmese had the lowest seroprevalence at 18.82%. The Persian had the highest at 60%. That means the Persian cat is more likely to have toxoplasmosis than the Burmese cat on a simplistic interpretation of that data.

They also found that the Norwegian Forest cats were 4-7 times more likely to test positive for the disease than Burmese. The same conclusion can be drawn with regard to Birmans and Ocicats.

The older cats were more likely to test seropositive for the disease i.e. more likely to have the disease. They concluded that the prevalence of the disease among the cat breeds varies between breeds and that receiving raw meat was a risk factor for acquiring the disease.

Comment: I am reading the summary to the study which is called Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence varies by cat breed. I don't have the full text in front of me. The point I'm getting to is that this data may be affected by how the breeders operate. We don't know how they operate.

It seems a stretch of the imagination but let's presume that a number of Norwegian Forest cats were bred by breeders who believe that they should feed raw cat food to their cats for better health. Let's presume that they did not handle the food that well and therefore their cats ingested toxoplasma gondii oocysts. That would distort the results.

Other than that, you might presume that Norwegian Forest cats have a predisposition towards acquiring toxoplasmosis but I can't see that being a reasonable suggestion.

Familial cardiomyopathy (inherited heart disease) in Norwegian Forest cats

2022-08-25T03:41:00.006-07:00

A study published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery with the title of the title to this article, states that "Pedigree data analysis of 871 NFCs was supportive of a familial cardiomyopathy in this breed."

NFC. Image: quatre mains

In other words, this breed like some other breeds in the cat fancy has this devastating disease within its breeding lines leading to the inheritance of this heart disease in many Norwegian Forest cats.

The study states that the breed is "often listed as a breed predisposed to cardiomyopathy". They wanted to describe the characteristics of the disease in this breed. They examined 53 NFCs.

They found no murmur or left ventricle outflow tract obstruction in any of the screen cats. They found mild left-ventricular hypertrophy was present in 13 out of the 53 cats, representing 25%. The left ventricle is one of four heart chambers. It receives oxygenated blood from the left atrium and pumps it into the systemic circulation via the aorta. The word "hypertrophy" means the enlargement of an organ which in this case refers to the left ventricle chamber.

They conducted pathology tests and histopathological sections on eight of the cats. "Histopathological sections" refers to examining slices of tissue under the microscope. Six of these cats had died of a cardiac cause i.e. a heart disease.

In 7 out of 8 of the cats they detected myocyte hypertrophy (hypertrophy of a muscle cell known as the myocyte), myofiber disarray (this describes a non-parallel arrangement of cardiac muscle cells indicating that they are in disarray), and interstitial fibrosis which contributes to left ventricle dysfunction leading to a development of heart failure. It is a hallmark of several cardiac diseases which is linked to progression of heart failure.

In the same cats they found endomyocardial fibrosis which is "suggestive of restrictive cardiomyopathy". Interestingly, endomyocardial fibrosis is, in humans, a disease of rural poverty. The word "fibrosis" means a thickening or scarring of heart tissue in this instance.

Interestingly, also, my book on medical and inherited diseases of purebred cats does not list familial cardiomyopathy as one of those diseases for this cat breed. The book was published some time ago in 1992 and therefore this information has come to light since.

Or perhaps the breeding of the Norwegian Forest cat has deteriorated over the years to the point where this is an inherited disease and whereas it might not have been in the past.

Study: https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1098612X14553686

Sigrid, the Norwegian Forest Cat who likes to travel on her owner's bike around London

2022-07-07T21:40:00.003-07:00

NEWS AND COMMENT: Sigrid is a beautiful white, deaf Norwegian Forest cat who discovered that she likes to ride with her owner, Travis Nelson, when cycling around that great metropolis called London, UK. It started as an experiment he said. He was made redundant during the first Covid lockdown so he started to ride his bike around the city.

He thought that it might be a good idea to take Sigrid with him so he put her in his bike basket and she loved it from day one. And the video on this page clearly indicates that she is very calm and loves the view from the bike. I wonder whether her deafness helps? It cuts out all the difficult noises. She looks very calm, enjoying the activities of a large number of Londoners.

Sigrid wears a leash during her rides and Nelson videos her using a GoPro video camera which is attached is head or chest. Sigrid particularly likes the shops in Covent Garden he said. They visit shops and whenever she sees an open door, she wants to go through it because she's nosy like all domestic cats.

At one café, Chamomile's Café on England's Lane, they keep a treat behind the counter for her when they visit. When they ride through Regent's Park she likes to watch out for the squirrels and is ready to chase them.

Nelson says that she is completely fearless, "She's just completely fearless. She's not afraid of anything. She'll meet a giant dog when we're walking down the pavement and she won't even change her pace: she'll just hiss but she'll stay calm."

Nelson and Sigrid. Photo: Jess Hand.

She obviously has one of those characters which is a godsend to a cat owner; completely calm and I think this has a lot to do with her deafness. Plus, she was trained to accept the busy, noisy human outdoor activities (see below). It's a nice characteristic but it also might be a slightly dangerous one for her. But she is well cared for and supervised.

Nelson explained that the secret to leash training is to start them young. He leash-trained Sigrid when she was a kitten. When he first got her he took her down to the corner shop on a leash. This then explains how she accepts these outdoor trips on a bike and takes it all in her stride.

It isn't just Sigrid who likes these bike rides, Nelson said "Almost everyone's happy to see us. We get lots of smiles and laughter and openmouthed expressions when we ride by". I bet they do.

Another positive is that Nelson and Sigrid are together so much which is great for their relationship. A great one. For me this is top quality car caretaking.

Cat show judge awards 3rd best cat at show and talks about the Norwegian Forest Cat

2022-04-22T11:16:00.008-07:00

This is a nice little video for those who want to get a feel for cat shows and how judges assess Norwegian Forest Cats (NFCs) for awards. He is lecturing visitors to the show who are sitting around the judge's bench where the cats are assessed. The video is from TikToker bengal_lily.

Judge points out that the head should be an equilateral triangle. Screenshot.

He talks about the size and body shape of the NFC. He mentions that the breed is not cobby like the Persian or Himalayan (pointed Persian) but long in body conformation but not as long as the Maine Coon. He also mentions a major aspect of the NFC's anatomy, the equilateral triangle-shaped head! That comes up a lot and it is one major element which distinguishes the NFC from the Maine Coon which has a heavier and far squarer muzzle.

@bengal_lily Reply to @bongsucker #norweiganforestcat #cats #catsoftiktok #norwegian #tica #catshow #vikings ♬ original sound - Bengal🌺Lily

What kind of Norwegian Forest Cat wins cat shows?

2022-04-19T08:01:00.003-07:00

The picture on this page shows you the kind of Norwegian Forest Cat that wins cat shows.

What kind of Norwegian Forest Cat wins cat shows? This kind. Photo: Channan.

It is interesting to know what kind of Norwegian Forest Cat (NFC) wins cat shows. The photograph on this page is of an individual cat who is a winner. He has that classic tabby-and-white rural, natural coat which I think goes so well with this breed. And the CFA want their winning Norwegian Forest Cats to look sturdy and be solid and substantial.

This is one of the larger domestic cat breeds. It is not as large as the Maine Coon but not far behind. And they are very similar in many respects to the Maine Coon (MC) except there are two distinguishing features. The Norwegian Forest cat's ears are more 'normal' in size and also with regard to "ear furnishings" than the Maine Coon's and the muzzle of the NFC is quite pointed in comparison to that of the MC.

As you can see in the photograph, they are a very solid albeit elegant cat. And perhaps what's outstanding about this cat is the coat. It looks very lush, thick and quite long. The breed standard demands that it is a double coat "consisting of a dense undercoat, covered by long, glassy and smooth water-resistant guard hairs hanging down the sides!"

In cat fancy language they have a 'bib' which is longer hair at the front and "side mutton chops" and a "frontal ruff". And the NFC has full 'britches' on the hind legs! There's a lot of cat fancy language in describing this cat. If you want to know, what britches are you can click on the link below but I am sure that you can guess.

RELATED: What are britches on a cat?

The CFA says that the "type and quality of coat is of primary importance; colour and pattern are secondary". I'm guessing, but I think that for the CFA administrators the coat is important because it is an integral part of this cat coming from Norway. This is Norway's domestic cat. In Norway, it is colder than most other countries and therefore you expect their domestic cat to have evolved to deal with those kinds of temperatures and climate.

The CFA want their refined version of the NFC to retain that naturalness. I think that that is a good idea. It should truly reflect what the original NFC looked like.

Although the picture you see the classic tabby-and-white coat, "every colour and pattern is allowable" for this cat breed "with the exception of those showing hybridisation resulting in colours: chocolate, stable, lavender, lilac, cinnamon, form, point-restricted or those colours with white."

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the CFA say that they would disqualify NFCs at cat show competitions which, for example, have a cobby body, crossed eyes, delicate bone structure or a square muzzle. The last item is exactly what you expect to see on a Maine Coon but on the NFC, it would disqualify the cat in competition.

I feel that this is because the cat associations must ensure that the NFC is distinguishable from the MC. They are similar as mentioned and therefore there has to be some distinguishing areas which separates these two popular breeds.

Birth weight and postnatal growth of purebred kittens including Norwegian Forest Cats

2022-04-08T08:57:00.000-07:00

In general, the birthweight of the larger cat breeds such as the Maine Coon and Norwegian Forest Cat (NFC) is higher than the birthweight of kittens of cats of smaller cat breeds such as the Persian, Siamese and Birman. This is to be expected. However, the weight of newborn NFC kittens relative to the ultimate adult weight of females of that breed is lower than for the smaller cat breeds. The same applies to Maine Coons (MC). The MC adult is larger than the NFC but not by a lot.

NFC kittens.

The other words there is a bigger difference in weight between the newborn kitten and the adult cat in respect of the larger cat breeds such as the NFC and MC.

And what happens is that the kittens grow faster in the bigger cat breeds such as the NFC. And the scientists say that the, "Absolute growth was faster in larger breeds than in smaller breeds. They also state, to use their words, "Relative birthweight was lower than that described in the literature for colony cats".

This means, on my understanding, that the newborn kittens a purebred cats had a weight relative to adult cats of that breed which was smaller than for colony cats. In other words, in colony cats, by which I presume they mean feral cat colonies, the kittens have less growing to do before they become adult compared to purebred cats. Is this to do with enhancing the chances of survival of newborn kittens?

The relative birthweight of the breeds studied are as below. As a reminder, "relative birthweight" means the difference of the weight of a kitten when born compared to the weight of a mature female in percentage terms.

MC newborn kittens, in the study, weighed 115 g which is 2.3% of the mature female weight of this cat breed;
NFC newborn kittens weighed 106 g which is 2.7% of the weight of a mature female;
Birman newborn kittens weighed 97 g representing 2.8% of female adult weight;
Siamese newborn kittens weighed 92 g representing 2.8% of female adult weight and;
Persian newborn kittens weighed 82 g which represented 3.2% of the adult weight of a female cat of this breed.

My reading of this study is that the bigger cat breeds such as the NFC have newborn kittens which are larger than those of other breeds because the NFC is one of the biggest cat breeds. However, in relation to the size of the adult cats of this breed the newborn kittens are relatively smaller than normal. Which leads to the next conclusion namely that they grow up faster than for other breeds which has to be the conclusion otherwise they would not end up at the size that they are when adult!

I hope some people find this useful. The information comes from breeders. And the study is called: Birth weight and postnatal growth of pure-bred kittens. It was published on 12 October 2011.

Most frequent cancerous tumours for the Norwegian Forest Cat

2022-04-01T10:02:00.002-07:00

This is a 10-year retrospective study on the most frequent cancerous tumours suffered by a range of cat breeds. I am going to focus on the Norwegian Forest Cat (NFC) as this is a website for that breed of cat.

Norwegian Forest cat kitten. Photo: Helmi Flick

By a 10-year retrospective study I am going to presume that this means they looked at previous studies over a 10-year period and came up with the following information regarding the NFC.

To quote, "The Norwegian Forest Cat had 35.7% (n=10) epithelial and melanocytic tumours of the skin and soft tissues and 28.6% (n=8) mesenchymal tumours of the skin and soft tissues."

This means that of the Norwegian Forest Cats that they studied, 35.7% of them, which amounted to 10 individual cats, suffered from epithelial and melanocytic tumours. The word "epithelial" means the top layer of the skin and the word "melanocytic" means those cells in the skin which produce pigment in the hair. The word "mesenchymal" means, as I understand it, multipotent stem cells in the bone marrow. They are important for repairing skeletal tissues like cartilage.

So, from this study we can conclude that the most likely cancer that the Norwegian Forest Cat will suffer from will be skin cancer of two different kinds. That is my interpretation.

By comparison, the Persian cat most often suffered from tumours of the mammary gland at 42.4% of the cats studied which represented 66 individual cats. The next most common cancer for Persian cats is epithelial and melanocytic tumours of the skin at 18.4% or 28 individual cats in the study.

I believe that the study was published in 2019. They don't say or speculate the cause of these cancers. I wonder is some of these tumours were caused by vaccinations. Just a guess. The incidence of cancer from vaccines is at its worst 1:1000 apparently (Wikipedia).

Neutered Norwegian Forest cats tend to be more overweight than other purebred cats

2022-03-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

There is a rather disturbing study on the Internet published October 12, 2011 which looked at the body weight of purebred cats, mainly, and also non-pedigree cats. In all there were a total of 539 purebred and 75 non-purebred cats in the study.

They found that intact cats i.e. cats that had not been sterilised were nearly always of the correct weight. There were only 7% of intact males and 3% of intact females that were overweight.

Overweight NFC? It is desirable that the NFC is large but where is the line between being large because they are overweight and large because they are big boned?

Conversely, among the neutered cats they found that 50% of the males were overweight and 38% of the females were overweight. This to me indicates that males are more prone to become overweight after sterilisation than females.

And further, it is disappointing to see this high figure of overweight neutered cats. It indicates that owners are not adjusting downwards their cat's diet after neutering which, as I understand it, lowers the metabolism rate.

Further, the Norwegian Forest cat, in this study, had the worst record in terms of being overweight when neutered. They found that 75% i.e. three quarters of neutered, male Norwegian Forest cats were overweight. They also found that 50% i.e. half of spayed, female Norwegian Forest cats were overweight.

The incidence of overweight sterilised purebred cats was low in respect of Siamese and Oriental shorthairs with 25% of males and 1% of females being overweight after sterilisation.

The authors of the report stated that, "The high incidence of overweight in neutered Norwegian Forest cats in comparison with cats without a pedigree but also in comparison with Siamese and Oriental shorthair cats is remarkable."

They decided that the difference between Norwegian Forest cats and the Siamese family of cats in terms of being overweight after neutering was sufficiently large to "suggest a cat breed disposition to overweight and leanness". What they mean is that Norwegian Forest cat might be predisposed to becoming overweight.

Alternatively, I would like to suggest that a more likely conclusion would be that owners of Norwegian Forest cats are more predisposed to overfeeding their cats because they consider them to be large cats.

Norwegian Forest cats are at the very top end of the weight scale for purebred cats. The biggest domestic cat is the Maine Coon but the Norwegian Forest cat is not far behind. And the slender Siamese cats encourage owners to keep them slender. Therefore, they are unlikely to overfeed them. Slenderness is part of their appearance. Whereas a robust and substantial appearance is part of the Norwegian Forest cat's image.

Note: the study is called: A pilot study of the body weight of pure-bred client-owned adult cats, and it is published by the Cambridge University Press: 12 October 2011.

Norwegian Forest Cats 4-7 times more likely to get toxoplasmosis than Burmese cats. Discuss.

2022-03-24T22:24:00.003-07:00

A rather strange study on the Plos One website came to the conclusion that Norwegian Forest Cats were 4-7 times more likely to contract toxoplasmosis than Burmese cats. In fact, they found that three other breeds were also far more likely to suffer from this condition. These breeds are Birmans, Ocicats and Persians.

In the words of the scientists, they said that: "According to the final multivariable logistic regression model, the odds to test seropositive were four to seven times higher in Birmans, Ocicats, Norwegian Forest cats and Persians when compared to the Burmese, while older age and receiving raw meat were also risk factors for T. gondii seropositivity". 'Seropositivity' means testing positive for the protozoan parasite in the blood.

Norwegian Forest Cat. Photo: copyright Helmi Flick.

They were basically comparing these cat breeds: Birman, British Shorthair, Burmese, Korat, Norwegian Forest Cat, Ocicat, Persian, and Siamese, in terms of whether they were infected with the Toxoplasma gondii zoonotic parasite.

Incidentally, toxoplasmosis in cats is quite commonplace but there are normally no symptoms so you wouldn't know. As you know the domestic cat is the primary vector for the disease. It's a great burden for the domestic cat to be the primary vector to this protozoan parasite because it concerns some people as it can be transmitted from cat to person being zoonotic. Anyway, that's another big story which is constantly brought up on the Internet.

In this article I want to confine myself to the rather unusual conclusion that Norwegian Forest Cats carry the disease more often than some other cat breeds. The study is quite narrow, as you can see, by the very small number of purebred cat breeds that they tested.

Anyway, it's worth reporting on it for no other reason than it is quite interesting. The question is why were Norwegian Forest cats in this study more predisposed to contracting this disease?

Before I suggest the reason for this finding, the scientists also state that "longhaired cats had higher odds to test seropositive is intriguing". They state that they don't know the reasons for the differences in the breeds. They suggest that it might be due to genetic susceptibility or differences in the type, strength, or length of the measurable humoral response (the antibody immune response, as I understand it).

The most common way for a cat to get toxoplasmosis is by eating raw meat containing T. gondii oocysts. That's my personal opinion. Perhaps, therefore, owners of the Norwegian Forest cat are more predisposed to feeding a raw diet to their cats. It may simply be the case that the owner(s) of the Norwegian Forest Cat or cats in the study fed their cats with a raw diet for health reasons. This may be a trend with NFC breeders.

A lot of highly competent cat caregivers and breeders learn how to create a highly nutritious and balanced raw diet which can be useful in treating gastrointestinal health issues such as IBD. I wonder whether this study is distorted by this fact? I am speculating rather wildly but I think you have to go back to diet as a primary cause of potential concern.

The scientists also stated that the prevalence of toxoplasmosis appears to vary with the age of the cat. However, I returned to my original thought namely that the biggest factor by far is whether the cat concerned was receiving raw meat albeit with supplements no doubt to make it more balanced.

Study title: Toxoplasma gondii seroprevalence varies by cat breed.

Norwegian Forest cats are predisposed to familial cardiomyopathy

2022-03-23T12:09:00.001-07:00

There is a study on the Internet, published on October 30, 2014 on Sage Journals and another scientific journals, which is called Familial cardiomyopathy in Norwegian Forest cats. In their summary they start by saying that the NFC is often listed as a breed which is predisposed to cardiomyopathy. I interpret that as meaning hypertrophic cardiomyopathy which is commonly referred to as HCM. It is a very common heart disease in domestic cats, particularly certain cat breeds. The Maine Coon is also affected.

Norwegian Forest cats are predisposed to inherit familial cardiomyopathy. This is a beautiful NFC. The picture is here to illustrate the page and I have no evidence of a link between HCM and this individual cat. Pic in the public domain.

They concluded with the statement "Pedigree data analysis from 871 NFCs was supportive of familial cardiomyopathy in this breed."

The other words, they confirm that the NFC is predisposed to developing HCM. A health insurance website mentions HCM in the context of this breed so it will obviously affect the insurance premiums if you want to take out a health insurance policy for your NFC.

The insurance company (Embrace Pet Insurance) states that some people say that HCM is caused by a bad diet but this is not the case as it is caused by inheriting a genetic mutation.

If your veterinarian detects a heart murmur in your NFC, an echocardiogram carried out by a veterinary cardiologist will confirm whether or not he has HCM.

RELATED: a full page on the NFC.

You may think about ways to avoid this if you want to adopt an NFC. When you buy an NFC from a breeder can you insist that they confirm in writing that the kitten that you are buying is not predisposed to HCM?

A breeder might state that they can, to reassure you. But to the best of my knowledge nobody can guarantee that NFC kittens will not develop HCM. I could be wrong on that and no doubt a responsible breeder will have tests carried on their breeding cats.

The International Cat Association (TICA) state that there are no DNA detection tests specifically for HCM in NFCs. The disease has been diagnosed in cats as young as four months old and as old as 16. They say that regular echocardiogram screening is the best defence against HCM. That would appear to be the only defence against HCM.

On this basis a breeder cannot confirm in writing through DNA testing that their breeding cats are not going to give birth to kittens that are predisposed to the disease.

P.S. In the USA, UC Davis can DNA test for Erythrocyte Pyruvate Kinase Deficiency (PK Deficiency) and Glycogen Storage Disease type IV (GSD IV) in Norwegian Forest Cats.

Why are Norwegian Forest Cats large?

2022-03-22T07:29:00.001-07:00

There are two reasons why the Norwegian Forest Cat (NFC) is large. Their size is just behind that of the Maine Coon which is the largest domestic cat breed excluding the F1 wild cat hybrids.

The NFC can weight up to around 20 pounds. The typical (not extreme) Maine Coon can weigh around 22 pounds.

NFC Grand Champion. Photo: unassigned.

For the first reason we have to go back perhaps a thousand years to Norway. A relatively cold country. We all know that.

A thousand years ago the NFC was not the NFC. It was a free-breeding random-bred cat like any other moggy. And free-breeding domestic and semi-domestic cats in cold climates such as Scandinavia, Russia, Canada and northern United States have larger and heavier skeletons.

This is natural evolution. It is nature's way of improving the survival of cats living in cold climates. The heavier and bigger the cat, the less the cat suffers from heat loss through their skin. Larger cats loss less heat than smaller cats because larger cats have smaller surface area to weight ratios than smaller cats.

Cats living in hot climates need to lose heat and they do this through their skin. They might pant like dogs too but evolution has endowed them with a better method to lose heat than bigger cats in cold climates. This effect is best seen in the Siberian tiger in comparison to the Sumatran tiger. The former is the biggest while the latter is the smallest.

So, the first reason why NFCs are relatively big is because they come from Norway, a cold country.

The second is selective breeding. Once the moggy NFC was selected to become a purebred, pedigree cat in the 1930s breeders set about refining and enhancing their appearance. They enhance appearance by taking the cat's attributes and exaggerating them. This means making a big cat bigger.

The Cat Fanciers' Association encourages breeders to breed big and solid. The standard has phrases such as 'solidly muscled and 'substantial bone structure' and 'powerful appearance'. They say that males should be 'large and imposing'.

There you have it: at first nature made NFCs relatively large and then humans intervened to finish off the task.

Norwegian Forest cat in America's south with a lion cut

2022-02-02T09:39:00.000-08:00

Screenshot.

Not much to add except that this is the first time I have seen an NFC (Norwegian Forest Cat) with a lion cut. I think they (the cat and owner) live in Southern America which can get damned hot. Lion cuts are useful under those circumstances if you don't want to run the air conditioning all the time or don't have it. Not all Americans living in hot states have air cond. as far as I am aware although as a whole America has by far the largest carbon footprint per capita of all the nations. And air cond. is a major contributor to that unwelcome award.

RELATED: The lion cut: no, it’s not cruel.

Is a lion cut a bad thing? Not always. If the cat has to be sedated which carries a small risk a lion cut would seem frivolous. But the NFC's coat is designed for Norway not Texas or Alabama so the lion cut makes sense for this cat breed in those states. In truth the NFC is not really suited to the American south. They are out of place.

Huge Norwegian Forest Cat from itsy-bitsy kitten

2022-01-22T23:50:00.006-08:00

Norwegian Forest Cats are known to be substantial or larger than the average domestic cat. However, this individual is larger than the average Norwegian Forest Cat. And, as normal, he started off as a tiny, cute kitten.

RELATED: Cat body types.

I suppose, sometimes, the adopters of small kittens are not prepared for it. They sort of keep growing and they don't know when they're going to stop.

NFC muzzle is more pointed than for the Maine Coon. Image: MikeB

The big difference between the Norwegian Forest Cat (NFC) and the more popular Maine Coon is the shape of the muzzle. The NFC muzzle is triangular whereas the Maine Coon muzzle is box-like. It's quite noticeable and if you want to distinguish between the two breeds first look at their muzzle.

Very big 18-pound NFC. Screenshot from above video.

Then you should look at their ears. The Maine Coon ears are bigger and sit more erect on the head with long hairs protruding from the tip of the ear flaps (lynx-tipped).

RELATED: Comparison Maine Coon and NFC.

The ears of the NFC are pretty standard for regular domestic cats. Once again you will see a big difference in this aspect of their anatomy.

Norwegian Forest Cat's head should be an 'equilateral triangle'

2021-11-15T20:48:00.002-08:00

The terminology of the breed standards of the purebred cats can be slightly mystifying to outsiders. I know that when I first read the cat association breed standards they looked a bit odd to me. I'm now used to reading them. The breed standard of the Norwegian Forest Cat (NFC) states quite unequivocally that the head should be an equilateral triangle "where all sides are of equal length as measured from the outside of the base of the ear to the point of the chin".

In that vein, I have superimposed a red equilateral triangle over the face of an NFC to illustrate what this means.

Norwegian Forest Cat head should be an equilateral triangle. Illustration: MikeB based on an image in the public domain.

In case you were wondering, an "equilateral triangle" means a triangle in which all three sides are of equal length.

I think this aspect of this cat's face is very important. It is a factor which distinguishes it from a similar-looking purebred cat, the Maine Coon. If you want to distinguish these two cat breeds from each other, look to their muzzles. The equilateral triangle definition points to a muzzle in the NFC which is more pointed than the square, pronounced muzzle of the Maine Coon. See below:

Maine Coon's square muzzle as per the CFA breed standard. Illustration: MikeB based on an image in the public domain.

Are Norwegian Forest Cats vocal?

2021-11-01T04:13:00.002-07:00

This, I believe, is a difficult question to answer with precision because even within a cat breed there will naturally be variations between individual cats as to their character and behaviour and temperament et cetera. My reference work which I go to on this kind of topic is Legacy of the Cat by Gloria Stephens who is a former show judge and who knows the business very well. She is clearly imbued with all aspects of the cat fancy. And I will, therefore, quote her verbatim if I may as follows:

"They are by nature free thinking, yet because they have been domesticated, they remain extraordinarily astute, affectionate and loving. They are usually very quiet, so it may be difficult to know when the female is in season. Most are not interested in playing games but will quietly watch other cats at play. These cats are intelligent, dependable and sensible."

On that appraisal, I cannot say that the Norwegian Forest Cat is vocal. Quite the opposite in fact according to Gloria Stephens. They are quiet and reserved but smart and excellent companion cats.

ASSOCIATED: Norwegian Forest Cat for Kids.

Norwegian Forest Cat. Montage by MikeB

You will see them in all colours and patterns so you will have a very wide choice if you decide to buy one from a cat breeder.

They are larger than the average domestic cat ("substantial build") and became pedigree, purebred cats of the cat fancy in the 1930s in Norway for the first time. Before that they were standard moggies but beautiful moggies nonetheless which is exactly why somebody decided to turn them into purebred cats through selective breeeding.

If you go to Norway today you will see moggies and some of them should be like the purebred variety. Their history is a mystery! But they were for a long time random bred cats in Norway. I'm going to guess and say that the first domestic cats in Norway were probably imported with traders perhaps a thousand or more years ago.

The domestic cat spread out from the Middle East where they were first domesticated around 9,500 years ago (Fertile Crescent which is now where Syria is) with the help of traders on boats.

Are Norwegian Forest Cats hypoallergenic?

2021-11-01T03:54:00.000-07:00

I'm afraid not. First things first. The word "hypoallergenic" means in this context a cat which is less likely to produce an allergic reaction in a person. The word does not mean that a cat will produce no reaction at all times. It is more nuanced than that.

Norwegian Forest Cat kittens.

And secondly, you probably know that the allergen which causes the allergic reaction in people is called Fel D1 and it is contained in the saliva of the cat. All domestic cats have it. It is highly unfortunate that they have because about 10% of the human population are predisposed to an allergic reaction to the domestic cat.

ASSOCIATED PAGE: Some individual cats are hypoallergenic for Fel d1

However, the Norwegian Forest Cat is just like any other domestic cat in this regard. And why not? There has been a lot of discussion about preventing an allergic reaction in people because it stops good people adopting a cat. Although, many people who are allergic to domestic cats live with one. They find ways around the problem. Also, I believe that you can become adapted to the presence of domestic cats even when you are allergic to them to the point where the allergy fades.

Even the hairless cats create an allergic reaction in people because as mentioned, the problem is in the saliva which is then deposited on the fur or in the case of a hairless cat on the skin.

There is one cat breed which people claim is hypoallergenic which is the Siberian. I did some work on that. Particularly, it is claimed that the pointed version of the Siberian cat called the Neva Masquarade secretes less of the Fel d1 allergen and therefore is hypoallergenic at least to a certain extent. Please click on this link if that topic interests you.

But back to the NFC as I call the cat. I'm afraid this cat breed is not known to be hypoallergenic. If you are allergic to domestic cats you might consider a cat food manufactured by Purina called LiveClear which may work for you. It appears to have some success. In addition, you can take certain steps as highlighted in the following article: How I control my allergy to cats.

Good luck in your search for a remedy to the cat allergy.

Beautiful Norwegian Forest Cat but is the muzzle triangular enough?

2021-10-31T07:42:00.006-07:00

The TICA breed standard requires that the Norwegian Forest Cat has large, wide-set, almond eyes. The head should fit into an equilateral triangle. You'll have to visualise that. The muzzle should be pleasingly round but fit into the straight lines of a wedge. Hence the term 'Wegi' or 'Wegie' to describe this breed. I have seen this nickname spelled in other ways.

I have a slight problem with the beautiful cat on this page in that I think the muzzle is perhaps too big and square. Too much like the muzzle of a Maine Coon. It does not fit neatly into a wedge. My knowledge of the Norwegian Forest Cat is that the distinguishing feature of this cat in comparison to, for example, the Maine Coon is that the muzzle is quite pointed. The muzzle of this beautiful cat is not pointed therefore I don't really think it actually meets the breed standard that well. I'm sure that the breeder would strongly disagree with me.

ASSOCIATED: About the NFC muzzle an important feature of this cat breed.

Photo: the cattery mentioned above. Great photo.

The cat's name is IC PRINCE MRAU*PL. The cattery is Bukowa Dolina PL. This is a European or Russian breeder. This is certainly not American. They may not be operating under the TICA breed standard. Although, I would expect all the breed standards to be quite similar for this breed.

All Norwegian Forest Cats (NFCs) are powerfully built with long hair and a full ruff with tufted ears and a bushy tail. Their long outer coat is glossy and water-resistant while the thick undercoat as protection against the cold. There winter coat is even thicker than the summer one. This means that they moult heavily once per year. This cat is a bicolour; black-and-white. The NFC is recognised in all traditional colours and divisions.

Here is a classic NFC:

Amber NFC.

Are Norwegian Forest cats meant to be big?

2021-10-03T23:59:00.001-07:00

NFC in the snow. Image: Reddit.com

Some people think that Norwegian Forest cats are big and that they're meant to be big. They are, in general, bigger than the average domestic cat. But they are not as big as Maine Coons. People sometimes take them for Maine Coons and vice versa but they do look different. The biggest difference is the muzzle which is quite square for the Maine Coon and quite pointed for a genuine Norwegian Forest Cat.

Norwegian Forest Cat. Photo: Pinterest.

The answer as to whether Norwegian Forest cats should be big can be found in any cat association breed standard. In this instance I have selected the CFA breed standard. The introduction to the breed standard states that this is a "sturdy cat" with a recognisable body shape. But no mention of the cat being large.

However, under the section "body" they say that this breed should be:

"Solidly muscled and well-balanced, moderate in length, substantial bone structure, with powerful appearance showing a broad chest and considerable girth without being fat. Flank has great depth. Males should be large and imposing; females may be more refined and may be smaller.".

It's quite clear in the description that this should be a substantial cat if it is going to win cat shows and be "to type" meaning in line with the breed standard.

So you should expect a male Norwegian Forest Cat to be big and some of them will be large cats in a similar league to the Maine Coon. The female might, on occasion, be similar in size to standard cats. Their coat makes them look larger.

ASSOCIATED PAGE: Comparing Maine Coon, Norwegian Forest and Siberian Cats

Can Norwegian Forest Cats go outside?

2021-10-03T03:33:00.002-07:00

It's a perfectly valid question. Can Norwegian Forest Cats go outside? What the questioner is asking is: should I allow my Norwegian Forest Cat to go outside? And the answer is a qualified yes. It is qualified by the fact that you will have to supervise your cat or allow her out to an enclosure of some sort. The better option which requires more input is as per the video below.

And one of the best ways to supervise your cat is to leash train her. In addition, you should be training her to go outside with you in a supervisory role at a very young age.

Can Norwegian Forest Cats go outside? Yes, on a leash and supervised (video)!. Screenshot.

This way they get used to it. And the same goes for leash training. Or indeed any other training such as clipping their nails. You start from an early age and they won't complain. This is exactly what this person did. It's a nice little video which, to me, explains how you allow your valuable purebred cat to go outside safely.

Can Norwegian Forest Cats go outside? Yes, on a leash and supervised (video)! Screenshot.

And to go outside safely is very important to expensive purebred cats because they need the stimulation and the excitement. I guess you've got to keep them indoors normally. However, a full-time indoor life, no matter how good the environment, is not fully satisfying in my view. People will disagree with me on that. I think cat caregivers can do a bit more to give an expensive purebred cat the best possible life. You go outside but you have got to put some effort into it.

Can Norwegian Forest Cats go outside? Yes, on a leash and supervised (video)! Screenshot.

Also, let's remember that this guy videoed everything he did with his cat from a young age to adulthood. He made a record. He archived the whole thing. That took effort too. I think the video is very instructional. And the beautiful cat as well. The cat is made to go outside. The NFC is a former barn moggie in Norway. That's their inheritance.