Norwegian Forest Cat: photo and description, character and tips

Historical information about the origin of the breed

There are two hypotheses for the formation of this breed. The first connects its appearance with the Viking raids. Scandinavian warriors brought Angora cats to their homeland from Turkey. Crossing with local stray animals made it possible to obtain a new breed.

According to the second version, Norwegian forest cats are the result of a mixture of domestic pets and lynx. This version is confirmed by the presence of brushes, sharp, strong claws and the ability to overcome obstacles at high altitudes.

Standardization of this breed was carried out in the last century. After the international recognition of the Norwegian forest cat, its breeding began. Now representatives of this species are popular on all continents; they take root well in all climatic conditions.

Main characteristics of the Norwegian forest cat

Representatives of this breed perfectly combine strength and agility, grace and elegance. At home, the animal had to survive in difficult conditions. Nature has endowed the cat with strong immunity, lush, thick hair that provides comfort in any weather. You can safely let your pet outside in any frost.

These cats have a powerful chest and well-developed muscles. They are slightly smaller in size than Maine Coons and Siberian cats; the height at the withers is 30-35 centimeters. Visually, the Norwegian cat looks large, but this is the visual effect provided by the fluff.

Thanks to the efforts of breeders, the character of Norwegian cats has changed dramatically. They became more affectionate and flexible. Developed hunting instincts have become significantly dulled.

Forest cats, varieties (19 photos)

Author: Yugansk

27 January 2021 20:22

Tags: Forest cats Photographs. animals interesting nature

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We are all somehow accustomed to an ordinary cat, living next to a person for centuries. Everyone knows the familiar pet purring near a saucer of milk. But not their wild counterparts living in the forests of Eurasia and the African continent. There are several representatives of the wild cat species.

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Forest cats are usually slightly larger than domestic cats and are well adapted to life in the wild. Having met a handsome wild animal in the forest, you should not think that it is Vaska who has gotten lost, but let the animal go its own way.

Decent size is the main difference between the European forest cat and once domesticated species. The length of the body can reach 80 centimeters, the weight of individual individuals, depending on the species, starts from 3 kilograms and ends at 11. The tails are also different: their length is up to 30 centimeters, “chopped off” by nature, it is quite thick and very fluffy. The longest hairs grow at the tip of the blunt tail. The paws are also larger, and the sharp claws are retracted into the “sheath” when walking. In winter, wild cats sport a thick dark coat, but by summer they change it to a lighter coat. Forest cats are usually heavily decorated with dark stripes. Their large ears are devoid of tassels, and their eyes mysteriously glow with yellow-green lights. Widely spaced ears provide the animal with excellent hearing, and the eyes are able to discern a small rodent rustling in the forest floor. Forest predators have stereoscopic vision; scientists say that these cats distinguish colors.

Whiskers, called vibrissae, are not only an ornament to a cat's face, but also a sharp sensory organ. Subtle natural sensors will tell the cat about prey approaching at a distance favorable for hunting, and will help in “calculations” about the possibility of movement in narrow places. The inhabitants of the African continent are inferior to their Eurasian counterparts in size and weight, but their skins are painted in lighter shades.

Norwegian Forest Cat The Norwegian Forest Cat is a fluffy beauty from Scandinavian myths. Legends describe a predator with the name “Forest Cat”, capable of running along steep cliffs. Similar Norwegian cats carried the beautiful goddess Freya in harness. In our time, the king took the beautiful animal under his personal protection, granting him the status of a national cat. For centuries, the Norwegian forest cat lived next to people, some individuals served as mousecatchers on merchant ships. This type of forest cat was even exhibited at the International Cat Show in Germany in the last century. Recognition of the Norwegian Forest Cat as a separate breed saved the subspecies from extinction. Cats were brought to Russia, and through human efforts they reached the United States. Professional breeders started breeding the breed. It has been proven that this is a Norwegian cat - the closest relative of the May Coon.

The Norwegian forest cat is the largest subspecies, reaching a mass of ten kilograms. Strong paws allow them to run head down from almost vertical surfaces. But as your pet ages, joint problems appear. The Norwegian forest cat living in the north is better insulated than other subspecies. There is thick fluffy fur and abundant undercoat. The ears and spaces between the fingers are covered with a warming layer.

Caucasian forest cat The Caucasian forest cat is a subspecies protected by the Red Book; it was hunted too much in the last century. Lives in the highlands of the Caucasus and Turkey. They live alone, hunt small rodents and birds, but can feast on a hare or a weakened roe deer. Typically, the Caucasian forest cat is gray in color with pronounced dark stripes, but there are also black specimens. This subspecies of the forest cat has changed the least; it does not interbreed with domestic cats. The subspecies is distinguished by its large size; the male Caucasian forest cat often reaches ten kilograms. By winter it acquires insulated fur, which allows it to hunt in mountain winter conditions.

In Dagestan, cats have taken a liking to the river banks; the inhabitants of Georgia often go down to the sea beaches. And in the area of Batumi and Poti, the Caucasian forest cat lives in the “wet” conditions, hunting every day in rivers and walking on wet dirty grass. The local forest cats even swim in streams when hunting for fish.

Far Eastern forest cat The Far Eastern forest cat “disguises” itself as a small tawny leopard. His light coat is evenly covered with red “leopard” spots.” This is a skilled nocturnal predator that lives in hard-to-reach places. The Far Eastern forest cat is a close relative of the Amur forest cat; sometimes they, descendants of the Bengal cat, are combined into one subspecies. The Amur forest cat is distinguished by three dark stripes stretching along its back and light sides. The body is strewn with coin spots, for which the Chinese nicknamed this subspecies “money cat.”

Amur forest cat The Amur forest cat has inhabited the forest expanses of the Far East, its habitat extends to the Amur, the coast of the Sea of Japan, reaches Hindustan, the Malay Archipelago. Many forest cats of this subspecies live in the lands of China. Leads a nomadic lifestyle, swims remarkably well, and sometimes lives in pairs. In cold weather, predators move to lowlands not blown by the wind to escape drifts near human habitation. This forest cat gets used to humans better than others; it can be kept in an enclosure, away from strangers. The European wild cat is the most similar to the domestic cat. The same gray skin and stripes, only the fur is tall and thick. Lives in the Caucasus regions, in low mountains, in the forests of Ukraine, in European countries. Selects an area with dense forest.

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Habitats The forest cat has more than twenty subspecies living in European countries, on the territory of the Russian Federation, and is found in the Middle and Far East. The cat population lives in the forests of Ukraine, Moldova, Lithuania, the Caucasus, Norway, and some species have chosen the expanses of Scotland.

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The main habitat is beech and hornbeam forests; it can live in floodplains. Prefers lands with a temperate climate, although winter wool provides good warmth in the frosty months. Sometimes it settles on the banks of rivers and seas. Sometimes cats make a safe lair on miniature islands. But the wild cat does not like regions characterized by heavy snow drifts. You won’t find it in places with extremely low winter temperatures. If there are prolonged snowfalls that cover the forest, then free animals migrate closer to human habitation.

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However, the twentieth century significantly reduced the species number and population size of European forest cats. These animals have taken a place in the Red Books of Belarus, Moldova, and the Russian Federation. The reason was the reduction of forests, cold weather, and traps set by hunters. Sixty years ago in the North Caucasus, industrial production of animals was carried out, shot for their fur. The subspecies that lived in Dagestan have almost disappeared, due to cold winters and a reduction in the number of rodents. Now the population of the local species is being restored in the Teberdinsky and Caucasian nature reserves. Representatives of the species that lived en masse in Polesie (Ukraine) have almost disappeared, but a decent number of cats live in the highlands of the Carpathians and in the Danube floodplain.

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Lifestyle and habits The forest cat is a sybarite of the wild, preferring to hunt in the most comfortable conditions. It goes out for food in the evening or pre-dawn twilight, when the sun is about to set or rise, and the forest falls asleep or peacefully dozes before the morning awakening. The cat will not leave his shelter if it is too cold outside, it is raining or it is simply slushy and unpleasant. He will wait out the bad weather in comfort, and will go for prey when the weather clears up in the forest. The cat is the sole owner of his hunting grounds; he carefully marks the entire territory (a couple of hectares of floodplains or 60 hectares of forest), informing his brothers about the occupancy of the area. It makes regular rounds of the land, walking up to ten kilometers a day, but moves far from the borders only during the mating season. Housing for a forest cat can be a hollow, a crevice in the rocks, or a hole left by the previous occupant. The predator often changes its roosting location, choosing the most abundant food supply. In summer, animals are driven away from their favorite corner by fleas; in winter, they often change their location due to problems with hunting in conditions of high snow cover.

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Hunts with sharp jumps, instantly grabbing the prey. Excellent vision and hearing, plus signals picked up by the vibrissae, help them hunt in poor lighting, but wild cats have difficulty discerning odors. It can wait for prey near the lair or in “fishy” places. They never stock up, preferring to dine on freshly caught prey. Cats living near ponds hunt from branches overhanging the water and hide in the reeds. From such an ambush, a predator can even overtake a waterfowl. Fortunately, he knows how to swim, although he really doesn’t like getting his fluffy fur wet. He overtakes rodents running freely in trees by quickly climbing the trunk and running across the branches. In the excitement of the chase, in a dense forest, it can even jump from tree to tree. It grabs small animals with its paws, holds it tightly and bites the back of the skull with sharp teeth. The prey, which is superior in mass, tries to “mount” it and inflict a fatal wound in the neck area. The character of a wild cat is radically different from the usual cute cats. These are proud, aggressive loners, accustomed to surviving in the wild. They do not allow people to approach and do not invade the boundaries of settlements unless absolutely necessary. By nature, these cats are silent. But an aggressive attack will be accompanied by a dissatisfied hiss and howl, and courtship play will be accompanied by an inviting meow.

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Sometimes they try to place a forest cat at home, making it a cute pet. You can try to house a predator like an exotic toy in the enclosure of a country mansion, but it will simply destroy the apartment. Plus, we must take into account that this is a nocturnal resident, marking its territory. In captivity, it will live a long time (up to 30 years), especially if the usual diet is provided. But he won’t become a fluffy, loving ball. Individuals taken as kittens partially lose their natural talents as hunters. But people are still distrustful. He will get used to the family (having first tried to take the main place in the house), but he absolutely cannot stand strangers. He will also not tolerate other representatives of the fauna near him; domestic cats will become his first rivals.

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Diet In terms of food, the forest cat is also a gourmet and a glutton: he prefers to eat fresh prey; his daily diet can consist of a dozen small rodents. An adult can consume up to a kilogram of food daily. The victims of cats are: voles dormouse partridges pheasants coots gray rats muskrats trout nutria rabbits moles squirrels shrews weasels martens lizards Once upon a time, cats living in the steppe regions caught bustards and even eagles; sometimes a large individual can defeat a small roe deer. Predators living on the banks of rivers and the inhabitants of floodplains hunt for fish and aquatic animals. When approaching human habitation, cats free the surrounding area from the rodents that have settled there. While helping people in this way, they are doing harm at the same time by eating poultry. They cause harm to wildlife by destroying rare birds in protected areas (for example, in the Caucasus).

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The meal process resembles that of an ordinary cat, but the front paws do not fall to the ground. It chews its prey, biting off one piece at a time, starting from the side of the carcass.

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Reproduction In this regard, the forest cat can be safely called a March cat. This month marks the height of the mating season for the feline inhabitants of the forest. Only during this period do cats move away from carefully marked personal areas in search of a mate. A couple is sought for one season; a potential partner is attracted by screams and meows. After parting, the male returns to his lands and is not at all interested in the offspring. The expectant mother looks for a secluded place and prepares for childbirth, lining it with the gifts of the forest. The female gives birth two months after communicating with the cat. Usually this is the end of April or the beginning of May. A litter can have from two to seven kittens, with three or four kittens being the norm. Blind and deaf helpless lumps need maternal care (the eyes open from the ninth to the twelfth day). The female takes care of the kittens for a whole month, not being able to move far from the den. Babies drink milk for four whole months, but after the first month they are already trying to look out of the house in order to begin exploring the world. The most curious and careless kittens often get caught in the teeth of martens and birds of prey.

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Babies get rid of their baby teeth between the fifth and eighth months of life. In the second month of life, the mother begins to teach the important science of survival. Teaches how to hunt. And they become sexually mature before they are one year old. The forest cat is a beautiful and graceful predator. Accustomed to living in splendid isolation in the wilderness, high in the mountains or on the banks of rivers. He does not like people, approaching housing only during the difficult months of complete lack of food. For relaxation and reproduction of offspring, he chooses a ready-made living space, slightly arranging it. Depending on its habitat, it has a varied diet: from trout to roe deer. It deftly attacks prey, lies in wait for rodents, and runs along branches after squirrels. The beautiful animal occasionally finds itself in the role of a pet, but it copes with this mission very poorly, its instincts and habit of a twilight lifestyle take its toll. Coupled with a bad disposition, they make him not the friendliest animal. So it is better to leave it alone in its natural habitat. An exception can be considered the Norwegian forest cat, raised by breeders, and the well-tamed Amur forest cat.

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