History of Norwegian forest cats

In course of time they have been developed and adapted to severe and cool climate of the northern Scandinavia. The above has resulted in surviving the greatest, brawniest, strongest and healthiest representatives of this population.
Inhabitants of Norway spoke that this breed had appeared due to snow, chill, rain, Norwegian woods, underpopulated territories, hunger and fear.
Though a Norwegian forest cat was wild, it had been searching its way to a man. People named him"goblincat".

FodnaheiaТs Hedda
Unni R. Iversen, av Sandrabben, Norway

EC S* Tassajara's Christa

They spoke this cat had enormous claws which awfully gnashed when it stole up to their houses. Some people thought goblincat is hybrid of a lynx and a domestic cat. First, its ears with long brushes look like lynx's ones; second, it looks more powerful than it is in reality. This impression is reinforced with a way of cat's moving during hunt. Even domestic Norwegian forest cats have ability in climbing up and down a tree. Powerful and strong extremities with hard claws help skogkatt to jump from one branch to other or cling to rocky surfaces. Hunt, plays are an integral part of a full-fledged life of a Norwegian forest cat.

The Norwegian forest cats recognized as wild but useful animals have got official protection. In Norwegian forest reserves forest-guards had responsibility for these local fauna representatives and were to trace and stop poachers who caught and took these cats from the country.

As a result of crossbreeding with European shorthaired cats Norwegian forest cats have begun to disappear as a type. To avoid complete their disappearance, people began to breed the species in the thirties. In 1938 in Oslo a first Norwegian forest cat took part in a cat exhibition where Knud Hansen - the expert from Denmark, valued it. He called the cat as a national cat of Norway. Then the World War II has broken.

Gr IntCh SilverwoodТs Dark Disney Design
Jane Christensen, УSilverwoodФ, Denmark

And only in 1963 the Norwegian National Association of Pedigree or Norske Rasekattklubbers Riksforbund (NRR) was founded and the program on the conservation of national breed was renewed only in 1972. The breeders, who had presented these cats in 1938 for the first time and had got positive reviews, collected associates and continued breeding of Norwegian forest cats.

One year later in Norway this breed was acknowledged and a unified standard was accepted. Cats got experimental pedigrees and there were about 100 registered animals in Norway in 1976. This year annual FIFE meeting was held in Vesbaden (Germany) where the breed of "Norwegian forest cat" was recognized as experimental and this breed began to spread all round the world. The first couple was sold into Sweden and on the 29th of November, 1979 the first representatives of this breed arrived in USA. Sheila Gir bought Pans Tigris (male, brown tabby, the breeder of Else Nylund) and Mjavo's Sala Palmer (female, black with white, the breeder of Solveig Stenersroad) for the nursery of Maincoon (Michigan, USA). These cats were registered in the Department of trading of Norway as export goods. All this time Norwegian phelinologists have been working with this breed. And when in Paris in 1977 a meeting of FIFE took place, Frederick Nordan (president of NRR) and other Norwegian phefinologists demonstrated to the presents a great number of photo materials and pedigrees with three generations in them. This time they have achieved a success and the breed of Norwegian forest cat was officially recognized. Litter class (i.e. cats non-registered in NRR and not having a complete pedigree) was closed except Finland where litter class was open up to 1992.
All Norwegian forest cats registered in NRR had been descended from wild cats inhabited in woods of Norway and they were not subject to export beyond the bound of the country.

Nowadays this breed is one of the most popular in Scandinavia and spreads all over the world. On cats exhibitions it always causes delight and interest and it is predicted the greater future.
Norwegian forest cats are clever animals and very attached to a house. But still there is something wild in their vigilant, watchful and all-seeing glance; triangular head with the direct profile; graceful ears with long lynx-like tufts - a typical inhabitant of wild impenetrable woods; a lissome and brawny body ready meet any danger; graceful strong legs that enable these cats to move fast and climb up on the top of the highest tree with lightning speed; feathery tail, triumphally waving over everything.

These cats possess one characteristic, acquired during their life in the wild nature, - they feel anxiety under the premonition of appearance of someone else. And they will calm down only when they will see him and realize that there is no danger. Young skogkatts like to play very much but only if they want. Besides they like to be caressed, they need your attention; they dislike a long solitude, but herewith they stay independent.
These cats possess one characteristic, acquired during their life in the wild nature, - they feel anxiety under the premonition of appearance of someone else. And they will calm down only when they will see him and realize that there is no danger.

Int Ch Bjork av Borgund
Unni R. Iversen, av Sandrabben, Norway

Pandora
Bjarn Arvesen, Stavanger, Norway

Young skogkatts like to play very much but only if they want. Besides they like to be caressed, they need your attention; they dislike a long solitude, but herewith they stay independent.

Inhabitants of Norway are proud of their national cat breed. Many breeders can tell us about their cats for hours, they impart any information and show pictures with great pleasure.
They would like people in Russia to get to know, like and appreciate these wonderful cats at its true value.