Like
a graceful vase,
a cat, even when
motionless,
seems to flow.
George F. Will
About Us
My daughter
came home one day and asked her dad and I if she could bring a baby kitten
home. Her dad said absolutely not. She let us know that if the kitten
couldn't move in, she was moving out. :)
Needless to say, we had a
new member of the family, named "Bear". He added so much joy to our
lives, that when he left one night and never came home, I was
devastated. I couldn't get over him being gone, and knew I needed to
get another cat. So I began researching the internet, went to the
Library and checked out numerous cat books and magazines, and was amazed at
all the breeds available in the Cat World. I really had no idea.
After thoroughly
studying the different breeds, their appearance and characteristics, I
decided the Norwegian Forest Cat most appealed to me. And now,
six cats later, with babies on the way, the fascination with this breed just
continues to grow.
Below find some of
the history, appearance, and characteristics of these wonderful cats.
Norwegian Forest Cat Profile
The
Norwegian Forest Cats for me are a continuation of my
Isabella's Realm journey, which
is "A Page Out of the Past."
The NFC is truly a page out of the past, emerging centuries ago from
Scandinavia.
In their early history they roamed the rugged
Norwegian hills and forests,
exploring their world with the Vikings.
Early mythology speaks of a cat so large and heavy
even the god Thor
couldn't lift it.
This reminds me of my Gandalf.
The cats we see today spring out of this rich history.
These are
large, heavy boned cats, the males weighing from 12 to 20 pounds, with the
females usually weighing less, though sometimes they can achieve the same
size.
In order to
survive the harshest of winters, they developed
thick, wooly undercoats, with an outer "raincoat" called guard hairs,
which protects them from the rain and snow.
The ears and feet are
well- tufted, for further insulation from the elements.
The heavily muscled
rear legs, longer than the front legs, fit them for
climbing the tallest
trees, and leaping high off the ground.
(This also reminds me of
Gandalf).
I hope to get some good pictures and maybe even
a video of
Gandalf and his high leaps.
Wegies have a
reputation for bonding with one person, and all of my cats
have bonded with me, but their hearts are also big enough
for other family members, or frequent guests.
They are also
not known as "lap cats", but I have six cats,
and all six are lap cats in
the first degree. They take turns.
They also like to be very
close. When I lay on my bed to read,
I will have 3 or 4 or 5 of them
all snuggled up to me,
as close to my face as they can get. Alasse perches
on my hip.
I am never cold anymore. :)
They get along
superbly with each other as well,
and don't seem the least threatened by
other dogs or cats, just interested.
They love and need attention, and
if you are a person
who works all day outside your home,
I would recommend
more than one cat so they will have company.
Having a Wegie
is almost like
having two cats
in one.
From Fall to
Springtime,
their coats are
heavy, with
their beautiful
manes and
abundant
accessories.
Sometime in late
Spring, they
drop
their wooly
undercoat,
usually shed
their manes, and
look very sleek
and elegant.
You would hardly
know they were
the same cat.
The perfect Norwegian Forest Cat,
for which we all aim as breeders,
has a triangular head, with large, heavily
tufted ears and paws.
The wooly, thick undercoat, with long, fully
developed knickers and ruff,
and the sleek and soft outer guard hairs make
for a double coat.
Their tail is the icing on the cake for me...very
long (at least as long as the body)
and fully plumed. The open, expressive eyes are almond shaped,
gold, green,
or hazel, (sometimes blue and odd-eyed in white cats),
slanting upward toward the ears slightly. The profile is
long and straight.
Add to this heavy boning, and a firm chin,
and we have the ideal Norwegian Forest Cat.
Actually, very few cats meet the breed standard perfectly.
Our goal is to take the best we have, and breed to the best we have,
and hope for the best. By utilizing the raw food diet, over a period
of generations, we are hoping to produce, larger, healthier, and more
beautiful cats as time goes on.
Cats thrive on
consistency and
familiarity,
and are often
confused and
distressed by
changes in their
little worlds.
Norwegian Forest Cats...bet you can't
have just one!
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