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Norwegian
Forrest Cat
The Norwegian Forest Cat is a breed
of domestic cat native to Northern Europe, and adapted to a very cold
climate.
In Norway they are known as Skaukatts or more properly, the Norsk
Skogkatt (literally, Norwegian Forest Cat).
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Norwegian
Forrest Cat
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The Norwegian Forest Cat breed is a
very old one which occurred as a natural adaptation to the cold climate of
the region, but it was not regarded as anything other than a standard
house-cat until the late 1930s, when a small number of 'Skaukatts' were
shown in Germany and received very favorably by the judges.
World War II brought an abrupt end to the
fledgling Norwegian show cat industry, and the Norwegian Forest Cat breed was forgotten until the
1970s.
The Norwegian Forest Cat are now being bred and shown in several countries including
the United States. The first international association to accept the breed
was FIFe, in
1977.
Norwegian Forest cats have a thick fluffy
double-layered coat, tufted ears and a long bushy tail to protect them
against the cold.
Their coat is essentially waterproof due to its coarse
outer layer and dense underlay.
Norwegian Forest Cats are very large cats with adult males
weighing 6 to 10 kg (13 to 22 lb), while females are approximately half that
size.
Their hind legs are longer than their front legs. They are
intelligent, playful cats that enjoy human company.
The nickname of "Wegie"
began in the United States and is a shortened version of the word Norwegian.
The Norwegian Forest cat breed was first
introduced into Australia the late 1990s, Japan early
1990s and the United States 1979.
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