Norwegian Forest Cat
The above is a picture of a Norwegian Forest Cat these cats are a rare breed but we are now starting to see more of them, in Norway they are called Skogkatter, skog meaning forest.
The breed is very old, and has over the years adapted itself to the cold climate of its native country. Its adaptations include a thick fluffy double-layered coat, tufted ears and a long bushy tail, they also have lots of fur between their pads to enable them to walk on snow more easily.They were not regarded as anything other than a standard house cat or farm cat until the 1930s when they were recognised as a separate breed and they started to be shown. The war put an end to the show aspect of this breed and they were forgotten until the 1970s when they started to be shown again, however the late King Olaf designated them the official cat of Norway and so their future was secured.
Exotic dog and cat breeds normally have some stories associated with them and this breed in no exception. Norwegian folk tales, described them as the “Fairy Cat” and they were believed to be the house cats of the Vikings.These then are the cats that explored the world with the Vikings on their long ships protecting the grain stores on land and at sea. Legend says they settled on the shores of North America during Viking epic voyages and they then became the ancestors of the American Maine Coon cat to which the breed is very similar to this day.
The Norwegian Forest Cat is said to be very friendly, and so makes a good family pet though it is very fond of climbing trees so provision must be made for them to have high vantage points. The owner of this one says she is more like a dog than a cat and follows him everywhere in the house at all times. The coat does not require more than a weekly comb, so even though they are long haired they are easy to look after.
As far as I can find out the Norwegian Forest Cats have no specific health problems and should live a long and active life, but of course that is what you would expect in a breed which has had 4000 years of natural selection to weed out any major defects.
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