Editing Norwegian Forest Cat

{{short description|Breed of cat}}
{{good article}}
{{Use British English|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox cat breed
|name=Norwegian Forest Cat 
|image=Norwegian Forest Cat in snow.jpg
|imagecaption=Red tabby blotched and white
|nickname={{BSsplit|{{langx|no|skogkatt}}|{{langx|no|skaukatt}}}}
|country={{NOR}}
|landrace=landrace|cfastd=https://cfa.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/norwegian-forest-cat-presentation.pdf
|fifestd=https://fifeweb.org/app/uploads/2023/10/NFO.pdf
|ticastd=https://tica.org/phocadownload/nf.pdf
|wcfstd=https://wcf.de/pdf-en/breed/NFO_en_2021-12-08.pdf|acfstd=https://www.acf.asn.au/notices/notices/standards/Group%20One/NorwegianForestCat-2023.pdf
|ccastd=https://www.cca-afc.com/documents/BreedStandards/norwegianforestcat.pdf
|gccfstd=https://www.gccfcats.org/Cat-Breeds/Norwegian-Forest-Cat
|acfastd1=http://www.acfacat.com/Breed%20Standards/NORWEGIAN%20FOREST%20CAT.pdf
}} 

The '''Norwegian Forest Cat''' ({{langx|no|Norsk skogkatt}} or {{lang|no|Norsk skaukatt}}) is a [[cat breeds|breed]] of domestic [[cat]] originating in Northern [[Europe]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cfa.org/Breeds/BreedsKthruR/NorwegianForestCat.aspx|title=Breed Profile: The Norwegian Forest Cat|website=cfa.org|language=en-US|access-date=25 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121085531/http://cfa.org/Breeds/BreedsKthruR/NorwegianForestCat.aspx|archive-date=21 November 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref> This [[landrace breed]] is adapted to a very cold climate, with a top coat of long, glossy hair and a woolly undercoat for insulation. The breed's ancestors may have been a landrace breed of short-haired cats brought to [[Norway]] about A.D. 1000 by the [[Viking]]s, who may also have brought with them long-haired cats, like those ancestral to the modern [[Siberian cat|Siberian]] and [[Turkish Angora]].

During [[World War II]], the Norwegian Forest Cat was nearly extinct; then the Norwegian Forest Cat Club's breeding program increased the cat's number. It was registered as a breed with the European [[Fédération Internationale Féline]] in the 1970s, when a cat fancier, Carl-Fredrik Nordane, took notice of the breed and made efforts to register it. The breed is very popular in Norway, [[Denmark]], [[Sweden]], [[Iceland]], and [[France]].

It is a large breed with a strong body, similar to the [[Siberian cat|Siberian]] and [[Maine Coon]] cat breeds, with long legs, a bushy tail, and a sturdy body. It is very good at climbing, partly because of its strong claws.

==History and adaption==
[[File:Dalaja Doll-norvegien ambre-blotched-tabby-blanc-neige2009b (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Amber tabby and white adult female in snow]]
The Norwegian Forest Cat is adapted to survive [[Norway]]'s cold weather.<ref>{{cite web|title=Accueil - chat norvegien - chat des forets norvegiennes|url=http://skogkatt-norvegien.org/entree.php|publisher=Kogkatt-norvegien.org|access-date=5 March 2011|language=fr|quote=D'un aspect mi-chat, mi-lynx. Contrairement à d'autres races, le "Norvégien" n'est pas le résultat d'une reproduction planifiée mais la conséquence de l'évolution d'un chat placé dans des conditions de survie particulièrement difficiles: le rigoureux climat de la Norvège.|archive-date=7 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141207221654/http://skogkatt-norvegien.org/entree.php|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Rousselet-Blanc|first=Pie|title=Encyclopedie Active Le Cha|year=1992|publisher=Larousse Kingfisher Chambers|isbn=2-03-517402-3|page=174}}</ref> Its ancestors may include cold-adapted black and white [[British Shorthair]] cats brought to Norway from Great Britain some time after 1000 AD by the [[Viking]]s, and [[Turkish Angora|longhaired]] cats brought to Norway by [[Crusaders]] around the 14th century. These cats could have reproduced with farm and feral stock and may have eventually evolved into the modern-day Norwegian Forest breed.<ref name=ASPCA>{{cite book|last=Richards|first=James|title=ASPCA Complete Guide to Cats: Everything You Need to Know About Choosing and Caring for Your Pet|year=1999|publisher=[[Chronicle Books]]|location=[[San Francisco]]|isbn=978-0-8118-1929-9|pages=[https://archive.org/details/aspcacompletegui00rich/page/128 128–129]|url=https://archive.org/details/aspcacompletegui00rich/page/128}}</ref><ref name="The Cat: Its Behavior, Nutrition and Health">{{cite book|last=Case|first=Linda|title=The Cat: Its Behavior, Nutrition and Health|year=2003|publisher=[[Wiley-Blackwell]]|location=[[Ames, Iowa]]|isbn=978-0-8138-0331-9|edition=1|page=26}}</ref><ref name="ultimate">{{cite book|last=Taylor|first=David|title=Ultimate Cat Book: A Unique Photographic Guide to More Than 100 International Breeds and Variations|url=https://archive.org/details/ultimatecatbook00tayl|url-access=limited|year=1989|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|location=[[New York City]]|isbn=978-0-671-68649-9|pages=[https://archive.org/details/ultimatecatbook00tayl/page/76 76]–77|edition=1|author-link=David Taylor (veterinarian)}}</ref> The Siberian and the Turkish Angora, longhaired cats from Russia and Turkey, respectively, are also possible ancestors of the breed.<ref name=ASPCA/>

[[Norsemen|Norse]] [[Norse mythology|legends]] refer to the {{lang|no|skogkatt}} as a "mountain-dwelling fairy cat with an ability to climb sheer rock faces that other cats could not manage."<ref name="Complete Guide to the Cat"/> Since the Norwegian Forest Cat is a very adept climber,<ref>{{cite book|last=Caravan|first=Jill|title=An Identification Guide to Cat Breeds|year=1998|publisher=Hertfordshire: Eagle Editions|isbn=978-1-902328-00-3|pages=[https://archive.org/details/identificationgu0000cara_i5q3/page/88 88–89]|url=https://archive.org/details/identificationgu0000cara_i5q3/page/88}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.vetstreet.com/cats/norwegian-forest-cat|title=Norwegian Forest Cat Breed Information|work=Vetstreet|access-date=25 September 2017|language=en-US}}</ref> author Claire Bessant believes that the {{lang|no|skogkatt}} folktale could be about the ancestor of the modern Norwegian Forest breed.<ref name="Complete Guide to the Cat">{{cite book|last=Bessant|first=Claire|title=The Complete Guide to the Cat (Complete Animal Guides)|year=1999|publisher=[[Barron's Educational Series]]|location=[[Hauppauge, New York]]|isbn=978-0-7641-5203-0|edition=1 (US & CA)|author2=Cutts, Paddy |page=181}}</ref> The name ''Norse'' {{lang|no|skogkatt}} is used by some breeders and fancier organizations for the modern breed.

The ancestors of the Norwegian Forest Cat most likely served as [[ships' cats]] (mousers) on [[Viking ship]]s.<ref name=cfainc>{{cite web|title=Breed Profile: The Norwegian Forest Cat|url=http://www.cfainc.org/Breeds/BreedsKthruR/NorwegianForestCat.aspx|work=[[Cat Fanciers' Association]]|access-date=10 September 2014}}</ref> The original [[landrace]] lived in the Norwegian forests for many centuries, but were later prized for their hunting skills and were used on Norwegian farms,<ref name="Furstinger">{{cite book|last=Furstinger|first=Nancy|title=Norwegian Forest Cats|year=2005|location=Edina, Minnesota|publisher=Abdo Publishing|isbn=978-1-59679-267-8|page=6}}</ref> until they were discovered in the early 20th century by cat enthusiasts.<ref>{{cite book|last=Duno|first=Steve|title=Be the Cat: Secrets of the Natural Cat Owner|year=2008|publisher=[[Sterling Publishing]]|location=New York City|isbn=978-1-4027-5278-0|page=22}}</ref>
[[File:Gaïa (17381345).jpeg|thumb|right|Blue tabby female kitten]]
In 1938 the first organization devoted to the breed, the Norwegian Forest Cat Club, was formed in [[Oslo]], Norway.<ref name="oslo">{{cite web|title=Lost Woods Norwegian Forest Cats|url=http://www.lostwoodswegies.com/breed_info.htm|access-date=10 September 2014|year=2009}}</ref> The club's movement to preserve the breed was interrupted by [[World War II]]. Owing to [[Crossbreed|cross-breeding]] with free-ranging domestic cats during the war, the Norwegian Forest Cat became endangered and nearly extinct until the Norwegian Forest Cat Club helped the breed make a comeback by developing an official breeding program.<ref>{{cite book|last=Richards|first=Dorothy Silkstone|title=Cat: Selection, Care, Training, Nutrition, Health, Breeding, Showing|year=1996|location=London|publisher=Salamander Books|isbn=978-0-86101-703-4|page=56|edition=2}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Robinson's Genetics for Cat Breeders and Veterinarians|year=1999|publisher=[[Butterworth–Heinemann]]|location=[[Oxford]]|isbn=978-0-7506-4069-5|pages=xi–xii|author1=Carolyn M. Vella |author2=Lorraine M. Shelton |author3=John J. McGonagle |author4=Terry W. Stanglein |edition=4th|type=Hardcover}}</ref> 

In the 1950s, [[Olav V of Norway|King Olav V]] declared them the official cat of Norway.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Origami Chess: Cats Vs. Dogs|last=Diaz|first=Roman|publisher=Thunder Bay Press|year=2015|isbn=978-1626861718}}</ref> Since the cat did not leave Norway until the 1970s, it was not registered as a breed in the [[Fédération Internationale Féline]] (FIFe), the pan-European federation of [[Cat registry|cat registries]], until Carl-Fredrik Nordane, a Norwegian cat fancier, took notice of the breed, and made efforts to register it.<ref name="oslo" /> The breed was registered in Europe by the 1970s, and in the [[American Cat Fanciers Association]] in 1994.<ref name="Cat Lover's Daily Companion">{{cite book|title=Cat Lover's Daily Companion: 365 Days of Insight and Guidance for Living a Joyful Life with Your Cat|year=2009|location=Beverly, Mass.|publisher=Quarry Books|isbn=978-1-59253-591-0|author1=Kristen Hampshire |author2=Iris Bass |author3=Lori Paximadis |edition=1  }}</ref> In 1978, it was recognized in [[Sweden]] as an official breed,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sverak.se/SVERAK/Om_katt/index_raser.htm |title=Kattförbundet Sverak |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090415145128/http://www.sverak.se/SVERAK/Om_katt/index_raser.htm |archive-date=15 April 2009 }} (in French). Sverak. Retrieved 20 March 2011.</ref> In 1989, they were accepted as a breed in the [[United Kingdom]] by the Norwegian Cat Club of Britain.<ref>{{cite book|last=McGreevy|first=Paul|title=Cats (Home Reference Library)|year=2002|publisher=Fog City Press|location=[[San Francisco]]|isbn=978-1-876778-75-0|page=249|type=Hardcover}}</ref>

The Norwegian Forest breed is very popular in Norway and Sweden. Since 2003, it has been the fifth most popular cat breed in France, where there are about 400 to 500 births per year.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aniwa.com/fr/chat/document/fr/chat/magazine/tendances/le-chat-de-race-en-angleterre---les-grandes-evolutions/index.htm |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110223150518/http://www.aniwa.com/fr/chat/document/fr/chat/magazine/tendances/le-chat-de-race-en-angleterre---les-grandes-evolutions/index.htm |url-status=dead |archive-date=23 February 2011 |title=Pour l'Angleterre |publisher=Aniwa.com |language=fr |access-date=5 March 2011}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.aniwa.com/fr/chat/document/fr/chat/magazine/tendances/le-sphynx---haut-dans-les-c-urs-du-classement-cfa-/index.htm |title=Le Sphynx: Haut dans les cœurs du classement CFA |language=French |website=Aniwa |access-date=6 December 2010 |archive-date=23 February 2011 |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110223150518/http://www.aniwa.com/fr/chat/document/fr/chat/magazine/tendances/le-sphynx---haut-dans-les-c-urs-du-classement-cfa-/index.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070306122657/http://www.umes-enva.com/ |title=Bienvenue sur le site de l'Unité de Médecine de l'Elevage et du Sport de l'Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire d'Alfort |language=French |website=UMES |url=http://www.umes-enva.com/ |access-date=12 March 2011|archive-date=2007-03-06 }}</ref>

==Description==
===Appearance===
{{Multiple image|align=right|direction=vertical|image1=Norskskogkatt Evita 3.JPG|alt1=|caption1=Adult female showing typical body conformation|image2=Norwegian Forest Cat face profile.jpg|alt2=|caption2=Characteristic straight face profile}}
The Norwegian Forest Cat is strongly built and larger than an average cat. Adult females weigh {{cvt|3.6–8|kg}}; males, {{cvt|4.5–9|kg}}. The breed has a long, sturdy body; long legs; and a bushy tail. The coat consists of a long, thick, glossy, water-repellent top layer and a woolly undercoat and is thickest at the legs, chest, and head.<ref name="Complete Guide to the Cat" /> The undercoat appears as a ruff. The profile of the breed is generally straight.<ref name="cfainc" /> Their water-resistant coat with a dense undercoat developed to help the cat survive in the harsh [[Scandinavia|Scandinavian]] climate.<ref name="Norwegian Forest Breed">{{Cite web|url=https://tica.org/norwegian-forest-breeders?view=article&id=860:norwegian-forest-breed&catid=79|title=Norwegian Forest Breed|website=tica.org|date=13 August 2018 |language=en-GB|access-date=5 February 2020}}</ref>

The head is long with an overall shape similar to an equilateral triangle, a strong chin, and a muzzle of medium length; a square or round-shaped head is considered to be a defect.<ref name="Encyclopedie Active Le Chat">{{cite book|last=Rousselet-Blanc|first=Pie|title=Encyclopedie Active Le Chat|year=1992|publisher=Larousse Kingfisher Chambers|location=[[New York City]]|isbn=978-2-03-517402-4|editor=Hardcover|page=175|language=fr}}</ref> The eyes are almond-shaped and oblique, and may be of any color.<ref name="Complete Guide to the Cat" /><ref>[http://www.tica.org/members/publications/standards/nf.pdf Norwegian Forest Breed Standard] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728095136/http://www.tica.org/members/publications/standards/nf.pdf |date=28 July 2011 }}. [[The International Cat Association]]. Published 1 May 2004. Accessed 26 March 2011.</ref> The ears are large, wide at the base, and high set, have a tufted top, are placed in the extension of the triangle formed by the head, and end with a tuft of hair like the ears of the [[lynx]].<ref name="Encyclopedie Active Le Chat" />

All coat colors and divisions in the traditional, sepia, and mink categories are accepted.<ref name="Encyclopedie Active Le Chat" /> Since the cats have very strong claws, they are very good climbers, and can even climb rocks.<ref name="Cat Lover's Daily Companion" />

===Behaviour===
[[File:Bosque de noruega gatos.jpg|thumb|Black blotched tabby and white adult in a tree]]
They are friendly, intelligent, and generally good with people.<ref name="ASPCA" /> The Norwegian Forest Cat has a lot of energy.<ref name="ASPCA" /> Fanciers note that these cats produce a variety of high-pitched "chirping" vocalizations.{{cn|date=January 2024}}

Norwegian Forest Cats that live primarily outdoors become swift and effective hunters, but the breed can also adapt to indoor life.<ref name="ultimate" />

A study comparing Norwegian Forest Cat kittens to [[Siamese cat|Siamese]], [[Oriental cat|Oriental]], and [[Abyssinian cat|Abyssinian]] kittens found the Norwegian Forest Cat to be more likely to explore and try to escape.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Marchei |first1=P. |last2=Diverio |first2=S. |last3=Falloci |first3=N. |last4=Fatjó |first4=J. |last5=Ruiz-de-la-Torre |first5=J. L. |last6=Manteca |first6=X. |title=Breed differences in behavioural development in kittens |journal=Physiology & Behavior |date=23 March 2009 |volume=96 |issue=4–5 |pages=522–531 |doi=10.1016/j.physbeh.2008.11.015 |pmid=19101579 |s2cid=12358514 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0031938408003764 |access-date=6 January 2024}}</ref>

==Health==
In an experiment directed by John C. Fyfea, Rebeccah L. Kurzhals, and others, it was concluded that a complex rearrangement in the breed's [[Glycogen branching enzyme]] (GBE1) can cause both a perinatal hypoglycemic collapse and a late-juvenile-onset neuromuscular degeneration in [[glycogen storage disease type IV]] in the breed.<ref>{{Cite journal | last1 = Fyfe | first1 = J. C. | last2 = Kurzhals | first2 = R. L. | last3 = Hawkins | first3 = M. G. | last4 = Wang | first4 = P. | last5 = Yuhki | first5 = N. | last6 = Giger | first6 = U. | last7 = Van Winkle | first7 = T. J. | last8 = Haskins | first8 = M. E. | last9 = Patterson | first9 = D. F. | doi = 10.1016/j.ymgme.2006.12.003 | last10 = Henthorn | first10 = P. S. | title = A complex rearrangement in GBE1 causes both perinatal hypoglycemic collapse and late-juvenile-onset neuromuscular degeneration in glycogen storage disease type IV of Norwegian forest cats | journal = Molecular Genetics and Metabolism | volume = 90 | issue = 4 | pages = 383–392 | year = 2007 | pmid =  17257876| pmc =2063609 |quote=Deficiency of glycogen branching enzyme (GBE) activity causes glycogen storage disease type IV (GSD IV), an autosomal recessive error of metabolism. Abnormal glycogen accumulates in myocytes, hepatocytes, and neurons, causing variably progressive, benign to lethal organ dysfunctions. A naturally occurring orthologue of human GSD IV was described previously in Norwegian Forest cats (NFC).}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook, Fully Revised and Updated|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons|Howell Book House]]|isbn=978-0-470-09530-0|author1=Eldredge, Debra |author2=Carlson, Delbert DVM |author3=Carlson, Liisa |author4=Griffin, James |edition=3rd|page=403|date=10 December 2007}}</ref> This disorder, while rare, can prove fatal to cats that have it.<ref name=ASPCA/> Glycogen storage disease type IV due to branching enzyme deficiency was found in an inbred family of Norwegian Forest Cats.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Fyfe|first1=John C.|last2=Giger|first2=Urs|last3=Van Winkle|first3=Thomas J.|last4=Haskins|first4=Mark E.|last5=Steinberg|first5=Sheldon A.|last6=Wang|first6=Ping|last7=Patterson|first7=Donald F.|date=December 1992|title=Glycogen Storage Disease Type IV: Inherited Deficiency of Branching Enzyme Activity in Cats|journal=Pediatric Research|language=en|volume=32|issue=6|pages=719–725|doi=10.1203/00006450-199212000-00020|pmid=1337588|issn=1530-0447|doi-access=free}}</ref> 

The breed has also been known to suffer from [[Hip dysplasia#Other animals|hip dysplasia]],<ref>{{cite book|last=Eldredge|first=Debra|title=Pills For Pets: The A to Z Guide to Drugs and Medications for Your Animal Companion|year=2003|publisher=[[Kensington Books|Citadel Press]]|isbn=978-0-8065-2436-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/pillsforpetsthet0000eldr/page/63 63]|chapter=17: Preventative Health Care for Your Pet|quote=An example here is the Norwegian Forest Cat. Dedicated owners learned that their cats have the possibility of suffering from hip dysplasia.|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/pillsforpetsthet0000eldr/page/63}}</ref> which is a rare, partially hereditary disease of the hip joint.<ref>{{cite book|title=What Your Cat Is Trying To Tell You|year=2000|publisher=[[St. Martin's Press]]|isbn=978-0-312-97288-2|author1=Simon, John|author2=Pederson, Stephanie|edition=1st|page=[https://archive.org/details/whatyourcatistry00simo/page/168 168]|type=Mass Market Paperback|url=https://archive.org/details/whatyourcatistry00simo/page/168}}</ref>

An analysis of pedigree records of cats in England found evidence of hereditary [[cardiomyopathy]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=März|first1=Imke|last2=Wilkie|first2=Lois J|last3=Harrington|first3=Norelene|last4=Payne|first4=Jessie R|last5=Muzzi|first5=Ruthnea A L|last6=Häggström|first6=Jens|last7=Smith|first7=Ken|last8=Luis Fuentes|first8=Virginia|date=30 October 2014|title=Familial cardiomyopathy in Norwegian Forest cats|journal=Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery|language=en-US|volume=17|issue=8|pages=681–691|doi=10.1177/1098612x14553686|pmid=25359788|pmc=11104058 |s2cid=28958322|issn=1098-612X|url=https://researchonline.rvc.ac.uk/id/eprint/8726/1/8726.pdf }}</ref> A 2005 study looking at 17 cases of [[Eosinophilic granuloma|eosinophilic granuloma complex]] in Norwegian Forest Cats found a link between the cats after reviewing pedigree analysis, suggesting a hereditary nature of the condition.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Leistra|first1=W. H. G.|last2=Oost|first2=B. A. van|last3=Willemse|first3=T.|date=30 April 2005|title=Non-pruritic granuloma in Norwegian forest cats|url=https://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/156/18/575|journal=Veterinary Record|language=en|volume=156|issue=18|pages=575–577|doi=10.1136/vr.156.18.575|issn=0042-4900|pmid=15866902|s2cid=1377327|access-date=9 March 2020|archive-date=19 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319181408/https://veterinaryrecord.bmj.com/content/156/18/575|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Maine Coon]]
* [[Siberian cat]]
* [[Norwegian Elkhound]]
* [[Norwegian Lundehund]]
* [[Spælsau|Norwegian sheep landrace]]
* [[Jærhøns|Norwegian chicken landrace]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
{{commons category|Norwegian Forest Cats}}
{{Cat nav}}
{{portalbar|Cats|Norway}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Cat breeds originating in Norway]]
[[Category:Linebred animals]]
[[Category:Natural cat breeds]]