Choosing a Norwegian Forest Cat

Called Wegies (Wee-jees) by those who know and love them, Norwegian forest cats have
been found in their native land of Norway for hundreds of years, perhaps thousands. Large,
longhaired and lovable, Wegies are one of the biggest purebreds, so it's a good thing that
they have gentle temperaments. According to some accounts, Norwegian forest cats were
companions to the Vikings and traveled the world with Leif Erickson to keep his ships free of
rodents.
History and Origin
Despite its large size and feral appearance, the Wegie is not a descendant or a hybrid of any
wild cat species. Called the Norsk Skogkatt (Norwegian forest cat) in Norway, Wegies
probably arrived in northern Europe hundreds of years ago, descendants of domestic cats
introduced to Europe by the Romans. Mentions of large, longhaired cats exist in Norse
mythology.
Since the Norse myths were passed down by oral tradition for hundreds of years before
being recorded in the Edda Poems sometime between 800 A.D. and 1100 A.D., it's clear that
longhaired domestic cats have existed in Norway for a very long time.
The climate of Northern Norway proved a harsh test for these cats. Only the largest and
most hardy survived, and over the centuries the cats developed long, water resistant coats,
hardy constitutions, quick wits and well-honed instincts.
The first Norwegian cat club was founded in 1934, and in 1938 the first forest cat was
exhibited at a show in Oslo, Norway. During World War II, however, the breed came close to
extinction, and crossbreeding with Norway's shorthaired domestic cat (called the hauskatt),
threatened the Wegie's existence as a pure breed. After the war, Norway's cat fanciers
began a breeding program to save the breed from extinction. Their efforts were successful,
and the breed was named the official cat of Norway by the late King Olaf.
Norwegian forest cats arrived in the United States in November 1979. In 1980, a small
group of American fanciers began working to get the breed recognized by the North
American cat registries. Today, the Wegie is recognized by all major associations and is the
fourth most popular longhair, according to CFA's registration totals.
Appearance
Although the Wegie does bear some resemblance to the Maine coon, they are separate
breeds. Maine coons are larger than Norwegians (adult male MCs weigh 13 to 20 pounds
while adult male Wegies weigh 10 to 16 pounds), and the breeds' body and head types are
distinctly different.
The Wegie is a powerful cat with long, strong back legs and a solidly muscled, wellbalanced, moderately long body with a broad chest and substantial bone structure. The
head shape resembles an equilateral triangle. The large, expressive eyes positively glow

with intelligence and personality; the Wegie's sweet expression is particularly prized by
Wegie lovers. Medium large, rounded ears follow the line of the triangle from chin tip to
base of ear.
The feature that really sets the Wegie apart from other breeds, however, is its magnificent
fur. The heavy, double coat and regal mane make the Wegie appear larger than it actually
is. The coat's naturally oily, water-resistant guard hairs protect the insulating downy
undercoat. Lavish furnishings and tufts decorate the ears, and heavily tufted paws protect
the feet from ice and snow. Wegies are slow to develop, reaching full size and weight at
about five years.
Although tabby with white is the most common pattern, Wegies come in every conceivable
pattern and color except those that would indicate hybridization such as the Siamese
pattern or the colors chocolate and lilac. Eye colors include shades of green, gold, and
green-gold, although white cats may have blue or odd eyes.
Personality
Don't be fooled by the breed's impressive muscles and rugged exterior. Despite their wild
years in Norwegian forests - or perhaps because of it - Wegies would rather cuddle than
carouse. Sweet, friendly and family-oriented, they form close bonds of affection with their
human companions. Nothing fazes them much, either. They take new people and situations
in stride and adapt to most situations with philosophical ease. Not vocal cats, Wegies prefer
to get their thoughts across through body language. They will speak up only if something is
terribly wrong, like an empty food bowl. They do, however, have loud rumbling purrs you
can hear across the room. They are not lap cats, preferring to perch beside their favorite
humans rather than on them. Since the average Wegie is a hefty cat, this is not such a bad
thing.
Wegies are active and playful and retain their fun-loving spirit well into adulthood. Natural
athletes, Wegies love to investigate counters, the tops of bookcases, and the loftiest peaks
of their cat trees. They make very good indoor-only pets as long as they are provided with
enough room, climbing equipment, and lots of love and attention.
Grooming
The coat length varies depending upon the season. In spring, the Wegie sheds its longer,
heavier winter coat, and in fall the cat sheds its lighter, shorter summer coat. This molt is so
apparent that a summer Wegie almost looks like a completely different cat, with only the tail
plume and ear and toe tufts to remind you of the winter Wegie. During the molts, thorough
and daily combing with a good quality steel comb is necessary to prevent matting and limit
the amount of cat hair covering everything you own. During the rest of the year, however,
the Wegie requires minimal grooming. A once a week combing is usually enough to prevent
mats.
Cost

You can expect to pay from $400 to $600 for pet quality. For show quality, expect to pay
$600 to $1,000 and sometimes more, depending upon the bloodline, gender, color and
pattern, geographical location and breeder. Retired show or breeder quality Wegies are
occasionally placed for a low cost, sometimes just the cost of the spaying or neutering
surgery.

While the Norwegian Forest Cat's thick, long coat looks beautiful, you should
be prepared to do a bit of grooming to keep it that way.
You will have to brush this cat's coat out once a week or your cat may end
up with a matted and tangled coat that will need to be shaved off. Since
clipping a cat can be quite stressful for him, try to keep his coat free of
tangles.
If you are looking for a playful, active cat that loves family interaction, then
the Norwegian Forest Cat is probably the breed for you. Most are quite
happy to accept and play with strangers as well as their own people.

The Norwegian Forest cat evolved, by necessity, as a very efficient and

resourceful hunter. That instinct is still there so they have to given some sort
of activity or entertainment to take the place of that drive.
If she were left alone in the home for long periods, the owners definitely
need to set aside time for play or walks on a lead. Because they love activity
and interaction, they may not be the best companion for busy professionals.
They aren't terribly demanding, but someone with this lifestyle should be
prepared to spend some serious one-on-one time with their Norwegian when
they return from work.

A great companion cat

Norwegians are great as a companion cat for people living on their own.
They love spending time with you and are also great helpers. They add
interest and style to any normally dull painting chore. The Norwegian
becomes very attached to his family and is very devoted and loving.
After all, if these beautiful cats were loved by the legendary Vikings, they
have to be special.

It is not known when this cat decided to step out of the forest and become a beloved companion to the
people of Norway, but we do know that it did. The Norwegian Forest Cat is a cat that still possesses that
wild ability to take care of himself, he is a great hunter, and it is said that if you let him, he will do all the
hunting required to keep himself in shape, he absolutely loves the outdoors, and will spend all his time out
there if you give him the chance.
The Norwegian Forest Cat has been around for a long time, there are tales of him dating back to the early
1900s and there is a drawing of one that was made in 1910. Recognition of the breed did not really start
in Norway until the 1930s and by then, the war was coming on; the cat nearly went extinct during World
War II, but thanks to some dedicated breeders, the cat was brought back to the land of the living.It was in
the 1970s when the Norwegian Forest cat had again a strong foothold (or pawhold) in the hearts and
lives of all the people who met it.
This is a natural breed which means that they do not have as many health concerns as other breeds
might, it is thought that they are related to the Main Coon breed but there is no evidence to support this, it
is a breed that developed in Norway, they lived on farms as outside cats and probably used whatever
shelter they could find. This had developed some interesting characteristics in the breed, such as their
coat loosing a lot of its fullness during the summer, and then growing it all back in during the wintertheir
coats are supposedly water proof, the top coat is evidently oily, and that makes it hard to get the cat wet
to the skin, good luck giving him a bath.
Another thing that developed in the Norwegian Forest cat is its love of the outdoors, also it has been
noticed the fact that different lines have different sizes, a purebred cat from one line can be noticeably
bigger then a purebred cat from another line. This is all a direct result of the cat being so close to its
ancestors, and it being such a natural breed.
This is a friendly breed that likes to be petted, they are gentle affectionate cats, that get along well not
only with the humans of the household but also with all the animals in the house as well. This is one of the
few breeds that can climb down a tree head first due to their large paws and excellent sense of balance.
This is a large heavy cat so careful consideration is needed before going out and buying one.
These are cats that need little coat care, as compared to the other long haired breeds, depending on who
you listen to, some people will tell you that this cat needs to be brushed twice a week, and others are
going to tell you that it only needs to be really brushed to any extent in the spring, one thing is certain
though, mats and twigs that get caught in the fur, do need to be removed immediately to prevent any
undue discomfort to the cat.

It has been reported that these cats are easily trained, something that is always a plus when considering
a new pet; they are quiet indoors and they do not need as much attention as other breeds would demand
of you. There are little health concerns for this cat although some hip dysplasia has been reported,
probably a result of the big size of the animal. One thing that has happened because of the animals size
is the fact that some have been shot, mistaken for Lynx, so you will have to keep an eye on him, when he
is outside.
This is a cat that can fit into almost any situation, given that he has enough room to run around; he is a
cat after all and they do need exercise. Take care of him and he will give you in return much love and
devotion plus constant joy and laughs!