I have a cattery with Norwegian Forest cats. I now have 12 cats and they are various ages, the youngest is just over one year old and the eldest is almost 13 years old. Once in a while I have a litter of this wonderfull breed and I enjoy that imensly. Every kitten is a little miracle!

The Norwegian Forest cat is an old breed originating from the forests in Norway, even nowadays they can still be found there in the wild! The Norwegian forest cat is what people call a natural breed, developed in the harsh climate of Norway to survive the cold. It is a fairly big cat, especially the ones decending from ancient Norwegian lines. It's nice to know, the Norwegian Forest cat has played many importand roles in the old Norwegian Myths.

The Norwegian Forest cat has a double coat of which the undercoat is short, warm and woolly and the surcoat long, little creasy and tough . This double coat, or variety in lenght of the coat, is what we call semi long haired. In the summer the Norwegian Forest cat may look like a short haired cat, only its bushy tail will tell you it is in fact a semi long haired cat. The advantage of a semi long haired cat is, that they look like long haired cats but don't need the care and attention a long haired cat needs. They can take care of themselves perfectly fine, only in the moulting periods they need more combing. All natural colors are allowed, only the new and pointed colors are not acknowledged.

Males can be quite big and look impressive, the average weight of a tomcat is about 7 kilo's, but there are males who easily reach 10 kilo's and even some who exceed that. Females are a lot smaller, their average weight is about 4 kilo's.

The Norwegian Forest cat has a very recognizable appearance. A clear triangle in the head, the distance of its eartips must be the same as the distance between its nose and an eartip. The nose is long and straight. The eyes a slightly almond shaped and placed slightly slantingly with a very clear expression. All colors are allowed, but more appreciated if they match the coat color. Another inportant feature are the longer hindlegs, because of this the Norwegian Forest cat can jump very high and it likes to sit on a high place.

The Norwegian Forest cat has a wonderful nature, wants to be around you and isn't easily frightened. It is also a very clever cat who likes to learn. By playing with them, you can learn the Norwegian Forest cat some funny or nice tricks like fetching a toy. The Norwegian Forest cat is also known as the dog among the cats.

More information can be found on the official Metal Miauw's Cattery site (Dutch only, sorry)
Metal Miauw's