Mohawk Valley Cat Fanciers - Breed Gallery

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The Norwegian Forest Cat

by Colleen McGrady

My name is Naturskat Guinevere of Finnishline - what a strange name, but you can just call me Gwen. Naturskat is the name of my breeder's cattery and Finnishline is the name my owner has registered with the Cat Fanciers' Association. I live in Eagle Mills, a small village in the town of Brunswick, with my owner Colleen McGrady and her mom, Lucille McGrady.

I also share my home with my half-sister CFA Grand Premier Naturskat Heidi of Finnishline, and my littermate sister, CFA Grand Premier Naturskat Victoria of Finnishline, who has also earned a high regional win in premiership in CFA!! We were all shown as alters in the premiership class in CFA. CFA Champion Epona Aine of Finnishline and her daugher, CFA Champion Finnishline Alannah, are whole breeding females. Lucille has one of Alannah's babies from her F-Litter, CFA Champion Finnishline Finian; and Brady, a Domestic Long-Haired Brown Mackerel Tabby that Colleen rescued as a kitten. Colleen just imported her first male, Morgan av Skara Brae, as a future stud for Aine & Alannah.

Here is a history of my breed:
The Norwegian Forest Cat is considered a "new breed" in the United States, however, the "Skogkatt" is centuries old in it's native homeland. There is speculation that they may be descendants of the short-haired cats brought to Norway by the Vikings and the long-haired cats brought to Norway by the Crusaders. The adverse Norwegian climate and "Mother Nature's Survival of the Fittest" have played a factor in the evolution of this special breed. Their dense undercoat is covered by long guard hairs which act as protection against the snow and rain. The coarse texture of the coat requires less grooming than many of the other long-haired breeds.

Norwegian Forest Cats are active, inquisitive, and intelligent. Designed by Mother Nature, they are available in most colors except for the colorpoint patterns seen on Siamese and Himalayans. A Norwegian Forest Cat is a heavily-boned cat with a medium length body and hind legs that are taller than the front legs. The head is an equilateral triangle -- all three sides are equal. The eyes are oblique and extremely expressive. The ears are tufted and some of the cats have lynx-like ear tips. The males average 12 to 15 lbs while the females are considerably smaller and average 8 to 10 lbs.

The first breeding pair was imported into the United States on November 01, 1979. The breed was presented to the CFA Board for registration acceptance in Feb ruary 1987 and the Cat Fanciers' Association accepted the breed in 1993 for full Championship status -- a result of many years of hard work and dedication by many original US breeders of the Norwegian Forest Cat.

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