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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).
The 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 favourably by the judges. World War II brought an abrupt end to the
fledgling Norwegian show cat industry, and the breed was forgotten until the
1970s. The cats 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. They
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.
Countries introduced
Australia: First introduced in the late 1990s
Japan: First introduced in the early 1990s
United States: First introduced in 1979
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