Norwegian Forest Cat

Amber Norwegian Forest Cat

2012-01-28T02:24:00.001-08:00

It was thought that the amber Norwegian Forest Cat was unique amongst all the cat breeds. I am not sure if that is still the case. In other words the yellow coat color caused by the presence of a recessive gene (which used to be called "X-Colour"), was apparently not seen in other cat breeds. This is a yellow recessive mutation (symbol e).

Scientific work published in August 2009 indicates that the amber coat color in the Norwegian Forest Cat is "caused by a single MC1R allele called e, which has never been documented". I have quoted that verbatim in the interests of accuracy. The work was carried out by M. Peterschmitt et al - see link to scientific journal.

Below I publish two photographs from the Crystalfjord Cattery. I have requested permission to publish one or two of their photographs without a response so do so here while providing a link to their cattery website in exchange. If that is unsatisfactory please contact me here.

Dorian - picture copyright Crystalfjord Cattery

Crystalfjord are an American cattery located in Waldorf, Maryland, USA. Dorian's full name is: Dorian vom Trollberg. He is a superb, very impressive amber Norwegian Forest cat. Apparently he has a great personality too. Please visit the cattery website and see more of him.

Norwegian Forest Cat Clubs

2011-09-27T05:02:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of Norwegian Forest Cat clubs and I have thrown in a Yahoo Group as well. Yahoo Groups are a bit like online clubs.

Norwegian Forest Cat Club - UK based. It was created in 1987 when the first NFC's were imported from Scandinavia. It is affiliated the GCCF, the premier cat association in the UK. They have a nice welfare section (rehoming) and their own cat show. They have a Facebook page as well.

Norwegian Forest Cat Breed Club - Appears to be USA based although the site is unclear. Not a great site, sorry.

The Danish Norwegian Forest Cat Club - In Danish. I'll leave you to translate using Google Translate.

Skogkatt · "Mailing list for Norwegian Forest Cats" is the description. Looks to be reasonably active at date of this post. This is a Yahoo group.

Want to Say Something?

2011-09-27T04:31:00.001-07:00

Just a short note to say that if you would like to share your experiences with a Norwegian Forest Cat or have knowledge that you would like to share, you can use this form:

Input form for visitors

It is very easy to use. Please try and write at least 15 lines and a photo is always appreciated. You can upload them using the form controls.

Photo is copyright Helmi Flick.

Norwegian Forest Cat Gifts

2011-09-10T13:58:00.000-07:00

Some NFC gifts for people who love this cat breed.

Amazon.com Widgets

There are many Norwegian Forest Cat Gifts which proves how popular this cat breed is.

Comparison Between Maine Coon and Norwegian Forest Cat

2011-08-10T22:47:00.000-07:00

Some people search for information about the difference between the Maine Coon (MC) and Norwegian Forest Cat (NFC). In fact it is a fairly common topic of conversation because in general they do look similar and have a similar "public image". In other words I think that the general public think of them as similar cat breeds. They are, as they may have the same heritage.

To me there are certain differences in the appearance and I thought I would just focus on certain aspects of the anatomy! I make a comparion with the CFA breed standards for these two popular breeds of domestic cat. The Maine Coon is probably a better known cat.

Comparison between Maine Coon and Norwegian Forest Cat
Photos copyright Helmi Flick

Muzzle - I think this is where one of the biggest differences is apparent. The Maine Coon has a "a squareness to the muzzle"..."visibly square". While the NFC breed standard says, "part of the straight line extending toward the base of ear without pronounced whisker pads and without pinch.." - no mention of "squareness". The Maine Coon muzzle can and should be noticeably square and the NFC muzzle is quite tapered and relatively pointed, I think.

Body - The MC body is described as "..the body should be long...". We know this, in fact, as the world's longest domestic cat is an MC! The NFC body is described as "solidly muscled and well-balanced, moderate in length.." The key phrase is, "moderate in length".

Ears - The MC is well known for his or her lynx tipped ears (tufts of hair growing out the top of the ear like a lynx wildcat). They are described as, "large, well-tufted, wide at base, tapering to appear pointed.." While the NFC standard says, "medium to large, rounded at the tip..Lynx tips are desirable but not required." I think you get a feel for the difference.

Coat - The MC is well known for a semi-long shaggy coat. It is uneven, "heavy and shaggy..". While the NFC coat is more smooth, "..distinguishing double coat, consisting of a dense undercoat, covered by long, glossy and smooth water-resistant guard hairs hanging down the sides."

These are, I feel, some of the major differences in appearance. No doubt a breeder will have something more to say.

As to character I always say that the differences in the personalities of individual cats will supersede the differences between cat breeds. So I will leave that alone for the time being.

Norwegian Forest Cat Video

2011-07-06T07:57:00.001-07:00

This is my second Norwegian Forest Cat video. This time it is me talking about this popular cat breed plus there are some nice pics to illustrate the discussion. It is mainly me compressing this cat's profile into a few minutes, however.

One of the interesting aspects on the NFC is its history. This is always the most interesting aspects of purebred cats other than their appearance and for me their inherent health.

It is said by the CFA that this cat goes back 4,000 years. Not sure about that but I discuss it in the video.

Please note: the first photo in the video is copyright Helmi Flick.

Hypoallergenic Norwegian Forest Cat

2011-06-29T21:40:00.000-07:00

This is a story in the online press about a stray Norwegian Forest Cat (NFC) that is hypoallergenic to the person who rescued or rehomed her.

I have never heard that the NFC is hypoallergenic. Hypoallergenic means less likely to cause an allergic reaction in people. The cat breed that is often claimed to be hypoallergenic is the Siberian, which, interestingly is cousin of the NFC. Well their ancestry could be similar, put it that way.

In this story Dwayne and his wife adopted Kitty a black and white NFC. She strayed from a neighbours house and stayed. And the neighbours don't mind! I find that odd. Clearly the former "owners" were not great cat caretakers. They couldn't be.

Anyway, Kitty and Dwayne are made for each other. Sadly she has Feline Leukemia, which is a killer. She is not an old cat either.

I just liked this story. It is very positive and I am sure Dwayne's life and Kitty's life were improved by their relationship. That is the way it should be.

One last point: it more or less proves that it is not certain cat breeds that are hypoallergenic but certain individual cats. It is all about the specific cat at the end of the day.

Four Norwegian Forest Cat Kittens

2010-08-18T12:14:00.000-07:00

Here is a thumbnail picture of four Norwegian Forest Cat kittens. Please click on the photograph to see a large format version and a bit of chat about this cat:

Great photo from a great cat photographer, Helmi Flick. She has taken thousands of fine cat photographs, many of which are the equal of this one. This photo, by the way, is a thumbnail meaning if you click on it you can see it in a larger format plus some more words.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. What about these cats? Well, I find it hard to work out some of the cat coats because they are so subtly different sometimes.

Someone will no doubt correct me but the cat on the right is a dilute calico, the cat in the middle is a dilute red and white classic tabby and the other two are grey (or brown/grey) classic tabby and white cats with only the smallest area of white under the chin.

Like Norwegian Forest Cat kittens?...see an NFC family in detail plus a video...

Norwegian Forest Cats Like to Climb

2010-08-06T03:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, Norwegian Forest Cats like to climb and here is one climbing up a window! This shows strength and agility and this cat is not small.

See Cat Climbing Trees

Photo by Marianne Saueøyaeier on Flickr and published under a creative commons license - thanks.

Titran's Gabrielle d'Estrée Norwegian Forest Cat

2010-08-01T13:05:00.000-07:00

Another great looking Norwegian Forest Cat with one of those glamorous show cat names: Titran's Gabrielle d'Estrée. The photographer is Gabrielle's human companion. He is Pieter Lanser.

Pieter might correct me but Gabrielle appears to be a brown classic tabby and white Norwegian Forest Cat. She looks classy and she is holding her gaze into the camera nicely. Cats don't always do that.

Update 6th Aug: Here are two photographs, the top one of three kittens, Querida, Quasimodo and Qamra, born and raised at the Titran's Norsk Skogkatt cattery during 2010.

Quasimodo & Quizz

The photos are by Pieter Lanser again and published under a creative commons license - thanks for the license.

Silver Tabby Norwegian Forest Cat

2010-07-17T05:08:00.000-07:00

Here is a nice picture of a silver tabby Norwegian Forest Cat. The tabby pattern appears to be the classic blotched type:

Norwegian Forest Cat

Photo by Ornithorynque (Flickr)

Year Norwegian Forest Cat Introduced

2010-07-17T04:56:00.000-07:00

This list shows the year that the NFC was introduced to selected countries:

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
South Africa: First recognised in 1994

These dates are all relatively recent bearing in mind that the show cat career or career as a purebred cat, started in 1930. Before that the Norwegian Forest Cat was a moggie or random bred cat in Norway.

Indeed a vet (Dr Clark) who has assessed the genetic diseases of purebred cats says that the recent history of this breed makes it more difficult to assess genetically inherited diseases. He is based in the USA.

Likely Norwegian Forest Cat

2010-07-17T04:25:00.000-07:00

Is it important if your cat is a possible purebred cat? Of course not. Unless your heart is really set on a purebred cat. But if you really love cats you will get the same if not more fun and pleasure from being the human companion to a beautiful moggie, particularly a rescued moggie. After all they need us more. That makes a difference.

Anyway, here is a cat whose human caretaker describes as a "likely Norwegian Forest Cat". He looks like one. But we can never tell from appearance alone. You need a pedigree in writing and certified to be certain! The Siberian for one is a breed that is similar to the NFC. And sometimes a Maine Coon can look like an NFC. They do have a similar background it is said.

Norwegian Forest Cat - photo by Steph (Nikon D80)

His name is Boobear and he smiles a lot. This "smile" may be due to his mouth being slightly open and the shape of his mouth. Cats do leave their mouths slightly open fairly frequently sometimes with their tongue sticking out slightly.

This can be (1) smelling better using the sensitive glands in the roof of the mouth or (2) breathing better i.e. when purring. Although cats can purr while the mouth is closed and when drinking (e.g. mother's milk when a kitten).

Norwegian Forest Cat Adoption

2010-07-15T03:20:00.000-07:00

Norwegian forest cat adoption will nearly always be through a cat breeder. Occasionally there are rescue purebred cats at "ordinary" rescue centers but these are rare. A classic example is the story of the RagaMuffin cat and the princess. There is a list of purebred cat rescue centers on this page.

It is easy enough to find Norwegian Forest Cat breeders. Just search in Google or go to one of the major NFC cat clubs. Another option is the Cat Fanciers Association's breeders list. This, of course, applies to USA citizens.

Here are a couple of links:

CFA Breeder search - this page is hard to find. I wonder if the CFA have done that deliberately? Not sure but it is useful for Americans searching for breeders. They have just 9 breeders listed at July 2010. The CFA do not vouch for the quality of the listed breeders. This actually surprises me. If they can't check on them who can?
Norwegian Forest Cat Club - this is a UK club. They have a long list of breeders on this page.

You invariably get some individual breeders that feature very well in a Google search. These NFC breeders usually have good websites and have been around for some time. These breeders should be selected initially if they are in a convenient location.

The greatest problem in Norwegian Forest Cat adoption is finding a breeder who is good. How are people to differentiate between the good and bad? Of course most will be at least satisfactory but we don't know them and we want to avoid the bad ones.

This is a problem that I discuss in relation to the Maine Coon cat on this page: Maine Coon Cat Breeders. All, or nearly all, the purebred cats will have a propensity towards a genetic disease or two (or more). It is the nature of cat breeding for appearance.

As we are not to know the good from the bad or middling, we need to at least be armed with information about the breed and possible genetic defects. We can then ask questions and make a judgment about the breeder on the basis of the answers.

Here is a link to a long list of genetic diseases in purebred cats. As it happens the leading book (in my opinion) on genetic diseases in purebred cats states that the Norwegian Forest Cat is relatively new in the USA and "not many common medical problems are known". Dr. Clark DVM states that "a few instances of flattened chests, pectus excavatum have been reported". Flat chests are known to occur in dwarf cats (dwarf cat health issues).

On this site I have listed the common health issues associated with this breed. These should be noted in Norwegian Forest Cat adoption.

If I was adopting a Norwegian Forest Cat I would:

visit the cattery (Helmi Flick a fine cat breeder firmly recommends this and in any case it is commonsense. If buying at a distance a veterinarian independent of the breeder should be instructed to do a health check;
ask questions about breeding principles;
ask questions about inbreeding;
ask questions about the health issues referred to
seek references from other buyers;
have an independent veterinarian (or your veterinarian) do a health check on the selected cat;
reject any cat that has any sign of health issues such as a URI (upper respiratory infection);
reject the breeder is they make excuses about any signs of ill health;
be nice but firm and don't be afraid of walking away. Remember this is a purchase for the life of the cat. It is a big commitment;
read the contract completely before buying. Get the contract sent to you before visiting;
don't send money upfront, ever;
deal with the breeder in person;

A bit about character and skills. The NFC is known to be a very adept climber. I have lived with a NFC mix and she was a staggeringly good climber. That means they need something to climb. As a lot of cats in the USA are full-time indoor cats. That means some good cat furniture is required. For me a cat enclosure with trees must be the ideal.

If it all goes wrong: How to Sue on a Cat Contract!

From Norwegian Forest Cat adoption to Siberian cat (a cat with a similar appearance and origin).

Six Norwegian Forest Cat Kittens

2010-03-22T13:27:00.000-07:00

Here is another one of Helmi Flick's fine cat photographs. The photograph is if a litter of six Norwegian Forest Cat Kittens, from the ForestKatz Cattery. They were photographed at Helmi Flick's studio which is at her home in Bedford, Dallas.

The set up at her home is permanent and very similar to the mobile set up that she uses when travelling to cat shows.

Photo is copyright Helmi Flick - please respect copyright

You can see how this photo is carefully wrangled by Ken Flick. Just out of frame Ken is working pretty hard and fast to get these kittens together and looking the cat tease. I would expect the cattery owner or a representative to assist too. It takes a lot to get six kittens together in the correct positions and all working in harmony!

The picture below shows the travelling table/platform set up (see cat photography with Ken and Helmi Flick:

Norwegian Forest Cat Sparky

2010-03-19T13:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a very beautiful - a special sort of old fashioned beauty (for me) - female Norwegian Forest cat whose name is Sparky. Personally (and this is not a criticism) I am not sure that the name Sparky is that good for this cat. I would prefer something more old fashioned and female.

The photograph is by alexanderino (Flickr photographer) and I love this photograph. It has an old fashioned feel to it to match this very natural looking purebred cat. The photographer is very much in tune with this cat. NFCs are popular, just outside the top ten most popular cat breeds on my reckoning.

So what of the Sparky? I think that she is a dilute tabby and white cat. The white is caused by the presence of the piebald gene or white spotting gene. I think Norwegian Forest cats look best in this pattern.

The photographer recounts a lovely tender story of their meeting, when shy Sparky immediately felt at ease with the photographer, which was unusual. These two were made for each other. You can read the story here.

From Norwegian Forest Cat Sparky to Home page

Norwegian Forest Cat Rescue

2010-03-14T09:09:00.000-07:00

I would like to refer to one service concerning Norwegian Forest Cat rescue or perhaps a better term is rehoming. (see lots more on NFC rescue here).

The Norwegian Forest Cat Club in the UK provide a welfare service. This is a service that is managed by the club's welfare officer whose role it is to place unwanted cats (for whatever reason and some reasons are good or acceptable reasons) with new homes.

You cannot expect a procession of NFCs from this service as the supply, for obvious reasons, is unpredictable but it is certainly worth a try if you are thinking of adopting an NFC. In fact it should be the first port of call in a search in the UK.

Take a look at this page:

http://www.nfcc.co.uk/welfare.html

Norwegian Forest Cat Charming Kitten

2010-03-14T06:43:00.000-07:00

Well, this is pure charm. This little charmer is a brown tabby and white NFC looking all perky and pesky:

The picture comes from Flickr. The best source of creative commons photographs in my view. But please always give credits and links to the author's page or the original Flickr page:

Photo by sakuraquiet
Link to original page

Norwegian Forest Cat running down a tree head first

2010-03-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

Here is a great Wikimedia Commons photo of an NFC running down a vertical tree head first. How can they do that?

As the claws face backwards there can be little grip to slow down the descent. However, the claws must be used and the little gained must be enough to slow the descent sufficiently to make it manageable.

This is what the NFC is famed for. Mine could do the same and I watched so this is no fake.

Photo: Original uploader was Guni Abel at de.wikipedia

Share Your Norwegian Forest Cat Experiences

2010-03-14T04:06:00.000-07:00

If you have any experiences or a Norwegian Forest Cat, I would love to hear from you. In fact, I would love to hear from you even if you just have opinions or ideas or stories - the possibilities are almost endless.

So if you would like to share, please click on the link below and you will be taken to a form, which is easy to fill in and a photo can be uploaded too.

The form is on the main Pictures of cats org website and your post will be seen by many of the visitors to the site.

It is a great way to get heard if you want to! The post is also sent out on an RSS feed to spread the word. These feeds are picked up by services such as Google Alerts etc.

The link: Share Your Experiences

Norwegian Forest Cat at a cat show

2010-03-07T11:22:00.000-08:00

Well, this is an ordinary looking photo in terms of artistic excellence and interest but it is nonetheless interesting in terms of the calmness of this show cat amid the hustle, bustle and noise of a cat show.

This is obviously a seasoned show cat as is the breeder! You can see on the board behind him that he has said that he has been in the business of breeding and showing cats for 30 years. He knows NFCs.

When I have been at cat shows I have found some cats to be incredibly calm and accepting. Nothing phases them. But I have seen some stressed cats who dive into the cover of their blankets in their cages, which are dressed up like little furnished rooms. Some cats breeds, though, are more placid anyway. One is the British Shorthair. The NFC as far as I remember is also a pretty laid back cat. There will be differences from cat to cat too, of course.

This cat seems to be a brown tabby and white Norwegian Forest cat. At first glance it can be a bit tricky to tell the difference between an NFC and an MC but there is an unmistakable difference in the shape of the face provided the face and head is to type (per the breed standard).

See the original photo on the Flickr site

From Norwegian Forest Cat at a cat show to Home Page

Links to other pages and pictures

2010-02-28T13:07:00.000-08:00

I have actually built several pages on the Norwegian Forest Cat as I wasn't sure which way was the best to get Google to find it! This is a subdomain website built on a Google Blogger template as you no doubt guessed.

At the moment it is winning the race to be seen and found.

But if you want to see some more photographs you can go here:

Norwegian Forest Cat Family

This is the family:

The above collage is a thumbnail. Please click the image for a large version. The photos are copyright Helmi Flick. Please respect copyright.

and here:

Norwegian Forest Cat

Best

Brown Norwegian Forest Cat

2010-01-29T12:39:00.000-08:00

Have you seen a more distinguished cat that this glorious Norwegian Forest cat:

The statuesque Norwegian Forest cat. Photo by KouK's

I don't know much about this cat except what I see and what I see is stunning. The presence, the colour and the ruff.

Perhaps this cat was or is a champion I don't know. Perhaps this cat's human companion will pop by and tell us all about him - I think he is a him.

Michael

Norwegian forest cat personality

2008-10-08T04:17:00.000-07:00

The Norwegian Forest Cat personality is to a large extent like any other cat's personality but it is said that the Norwegian Forest cat is reserved with strangers but confident and loyal with people it knows¹. It will defend its territory vigorously¹. I guess that is obvious but we do tend to like to separate out breeds by character, which can be difficult. They are also considered to be suited to outdoor life. Perhaps this thought comes from its natural and long history as a farm cat in Norway. One thing for sure is that they like to climb, the higher the better and they climb fearlessly and come down the same way unlike most cats who shimmy down backwards.

Photo above: Norwegian Forest cats - mother at rear and daughter at front. The daughter died in March 2007. Photo by Gunnsi

The Norwegian Forest cat personality is excellent for family life as they are not easily stressed and patient (it is said). This makes them suitable around children. I do think though that breeders tend to exaggerate breed characteristics. Personality differences between individual cats will be greater than between breeds in my opinion.

Perhaps one of the best ways to talk about this cat's personality is to refer to comments made by Norwegian Forest Cat owners/keepers to my video on my YouTube channel. You can see the video on this website:

http://norwegian-forest-cat.pictures-of-cats.org/2008/10/norwegian-forest-cat-video.html

or go to my YouTube channel and see it and other videos there:

http://uk.youtube.com/user/broadsurf

________________________________________

Here are some comments made on the Norwegian Forest Cat personality. These are not taken verbatim as I do not have copyright. They are summarized and reworked but the meaning is exactly the same:

"They are the best cat breed. They are very friendly, funny and kind cats. Mine loved the snow and he liked to be cradled like a baby. He would meow for food and showed great persistence. He was a very sweet cat."

"Such beautiful cats"

"The Norwegian Forest cat prefers to be in the warm and anyway most of Norway is not covered by snow! A powerful jaw is important in the appearance of this cat breed."

"Despite being rude, biting me on my heels, destroying my leather sofa he was my favorite animal ever."

"A Norwegian Forest Cat's personality means that this cat needs to be outdoors preferably in a forest."

"These cats are not only special because of their looks, their personality is much more special."

"They are awesome!"

This is my comment about living with a half-Norwegian Forest cat:

"I still love her. I still cry for her. She was very loving and immensely athletic. She had a very quiet voice. She died in an car accident 14 years ago aged 4."

Note: a cat's personality will depend largely on how we behave. If our home is calm and loving our cat will be. We are the mother and father of our cats. They look to us for food and care and leadership on behavior.

Source:

1. Encyclopedia of the Cat by Dr Bruce Fogle

Norwegian forest cat personality to Siberian cat, a similar cat who may have similar ancestors.

Norwegian Forest Cat Video

2008-10-08T03:52:00.000-07:00

Here is the best Norwegian Forest Cat Video on the Internet. Well I would say that as I had a hand in making it. Helmi Flick's photographs are by far the most important element obviously.

It is essential a short educational or informational video. But it still works pretty well I think:

OK that's it for now. Norwegian Forest Cat Video to Norwegian FC history.