Wegie
History
Freya is often depicted riding
her golden chariot through the skies, the chariot pulled by two large blue cats
(thought to be Norwegian Forest Cats) who were a gift from the Norse god
Thor.
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Pans
Truls
is considered to a
'prototype'. He is the cat that was used to develop the
Norwegian Forest Cat standard.
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The Norwegian Forest
Cat is an ancient breed that has been around for centuries, but it is only
relatively recently that it has been recognized as a pedigree breed.
Norway is a large, picturesque, mountainous country with harsh forestry.
This country experiences long, dark and extremely cold winters. Their
summers are cool and short. It was in this environment that the Norwegian
Forest Cat (Norsk Skogkatt in the native country) developed. In this harsh
environment, only the strongest survived. The kittens that survived their
first winter there, were the ones that went on to produce the next generation.
Over the
centuries, the Norwegian Forest Cat adapted well to the harsh environment of the
forests and fjords of Norway. Although the 'wegie', as it is endearingly
referred to, was well equipped to live in the wild...it is not in anyway a wild
cat and grew to live, and love humans, and to be loved as well. Slowly
they made their way to the farms and hearths of the Scandinavian people, into
their beloved folklore, and finally into our modern cat fancy world, where they
continue to grow more and more popular.
Companions of Vikings, Gods, and fairy folk,
the wegie is equally at home purring in bed, helping with daily chores, hunting
dust bunnies, or climbing the highest heights! The Norwegian Forest cat is
a very lively, curious cat with a sometimes mischievous streak. They are
extremely intelligent, brave, athletic and agile as was necessary to
survive in Norway's harsh, and extreme climate. The wegie quickly becomes
and indispensable family member, adapting well to live with dogs, other cats and
can be a very gentle playmate for children.
Some characteristics of the breed are that it
is a large boned, sturdy cat. It's hind legs are higher in relation to
it's front legs, giving it an excellent advantage to jumping and leaping to the
highest advantage point. They have huge snowshoe paws, that are adapted
for climbing on rocks and walking on deep snow and ice. The head is
triangular shaped, with a straight profile and the eyes are alert, set on a
slight slant and giving them an 'all-seeing' expression. The ears are
generally well tufted, which helps to protect against the cold and typically you
will see them with elegant 'lynx-tips'. Their body is lithe and muscular
and ready to meet any challenge...with those nice strong legs and thighs for
speed and streaking away from danger. It's long bushy tail is often
carried high and proudly, and looks impressive, but it also helps the cat
balance and can be used as a muffler to keep it's nose and face warm in the
harsh climate. It is also used as a nice warm blanket for a mother cats'
kittens.
The Norwegian Forest Cat's fur is unique,
consisting of a wooly, insulating undercoat, topped by a long glossy raincoat,
that we call guard hairs. The guard hairs provide year-round weather
proofing. In full winter coat, an adult cat has an astounding ruff,
surrounding the face, and shoulders, belly fur that can nearly reach the floor,
and nice wooly 'britches' (hair that coats the back of the legs).
The wegie comes in a wide variety of colors,
ranging from solid black, blue, or white, to bi-colored, silvers, smokes, reds,
tortoise shell, calico, and the various tabby patterns. All are found with
or without white of varying amounts. Colors that are not accepted in this
breed are chocolate, fawn, cinnamon, and the color point pattern you see in
Siamese, and Ragdolls.
