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Norvégien |
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TranslationFrancis Vandersteen |
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OriginThe Norvégien, also known as the Norwegian Forest Cat or Norsk skogkatt, is a semi-long-haired cat breed from Norway. |
| This large cat is characterized by its very thick semi-long-haired coat and its wild look. |
A brief historical overview |
| Cats are thought to have arrived from southern Europe and were naturally selected by Norway's harsh climatic conditions: only those with the best ability to adapt and develop the thickest fur survived. What sets the Norvégien apart from other breeds is that it is not the product of extensive selection, but rather the result of natural evolution that breeders are content to regulate, resulting in a certain harmony in its type. The Norvégien is part of Scandinavian history. Some authors speculate that the Norvégien was brought back from the Caspian Sea by the Vikings around the 8th century, for deratting purposes. In 1938, the Norvégien was shown for the first time at an exhibition; the same year, the first purebred cat club was founded in Norway. Breeders set up a selection program to safeguard the cat's hardy characteristics. The survival of this natural breed was in jeopardy at the time, as the movement of cats closer to rural areas considerably increased the chances of survival for shorthairs. In Oslo, a number of cats were exhibited to promote the breed. It wasn't until 1972 that the breed was recognized. Three years later, the first breed club and standard were created, based on Pan's Truls, which served as a model for the first physical standards. In 1976, the Fédération Internationale Féline (FIFé) recognized the Norvégien. |
General appearance |
| In the United States, the Norvégien ranks fourteenth among the most popular breeds according to the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) in 2014. In the UK, according to the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF), the Norvégien was the eleventh most popular breed in 2014, also with a slight drop in breed popularity, since it was the ninth most popular breed in 2005. However, the Norvégien faces two types of problem: firstly, it is often confused with the American Maine coon, and it was to avoid this that Norwegian Forest Cat breeders modified the standard in 1987, specifying the differences that distinguish their breed. On the other hand, European semi-long-haired cats are sometimes sold as Norvégiens. For this reason, the novice class has been banned, and only pedigree cats are accepted for competition. |
Behavior / characteristics |
| A cat's character traits are not defined in the standard, so they remain at the breeder's discretion. Character, however, is completely individual and depends on the history of each cat. The Norvégien is generally described as a hardy, self-confident and very level-headed cat. To keep him happy, his sporty nature requires a suitable infrastructure, such as a garden or, failing that, a cat tree. The breed's imposing size enables them to master large prey without difficulty, such as adult hares or large domestic birds like geese and turkeys. It may sometimes be necessary to control daytime or nocturnal walks. |
Health |
| Norvégien can be affected by glycogenosis type IV (en) (GSD IV), a fatal hereditary disease that disrupts glucose metabolism. The disease is autosomal recessive and caused by a mutation in the GBE1 gene. The percentage of cats affected is low. The mutation was first described in 1992 as GDS IV. It was responsible for the death of Norvégiens under particular and misunderstood conditions. The disease has now been identified and appears to be linked to the inbreeding required to produce American lines from a very small domestic gene pool. It was then noticed that the affected cats were all related and descended from a German male, Jarls av Trollsfjord present in the offspring on both maternal and paternal sides. This prompted Professor Fyfe to suspect a hereditary origin. The mutation was then identified and a genetic screening test was developed in 1996. This disease inevitably leads to death at between 10 and 14 months of age, either through sudden cardiac arrest or after a comatose stage. Apart from this hereditary disease, the Norvégien is not predisposed to other pathologies. However, veterinary researchers are working on hereditary hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the Norvégien cat, and on the transmission of hereditary kidney diseases such as PKD. These two subjects are prompting more and more breeders to carry out regular ultrasound scans on their breeding cats to detect the presence of heart or kidney problems. Like all long-haired cats, the Norvégien needs weekly brushing. |
Head |
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Cranial region |
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Head |
The Norvégien should have a head in the shape of an equilateral triangle; a round or square head is considered a fault. The profile must be perfectly straight and without stop. | |
Facial region |
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Nose |
The nose is of medium length. | |
Eyes |
Almond-shaped, set at an angle, with alert, alert expression. A broken profile, receding chin and round eyes are penalizing faults at shows. | |
Ears |
The ears are large, broad at the base and set in the prolongation of the triangle formed by the head. They may end in a tuft of hair like a lynx's ears, which is appreciated but not obligatory. Ears that are too small or too close together are considered a penalizing (but not eliminatory) defect. | |
Body |
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Generality |
The Norvégien cat is a long, powerful breed, large and solidly built with strong bones. They give an impression of robustness and power. | |
Tail |
| The tail is long (must touch the neck), bushy and carried erect. Too short a tail is considered a fault. |
Limbs |
| The legs are moderately high, with strong bones and powerful muscles. Too short and badly proportioned legs are penalized in competition. | ||
Forequarters |
Hindquarters |
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Generality |
Hindquarters are higher than front legs. | |
Feet |
| The feet are large and round with large tufts of hair between the toes. |
Coat |
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Coat and texture |
The coat is an important characteristic. It must be double, made up of a woolly undercoat covered by a mid-length topcoat, falling back on the flanks, glossy and waterproof. The undercoat forms knickers on the back of the thighs, and the topcoat forms a full collar on the throat. Defects include a lack of undercoat and topcoat in winter, and a coat that is too silky or brittle. | |
Color and ticking |
All colors are accepted except chocolate, lilac, fawn and cinnamon. Colorpoint patterns are also forbidden. All eye colors are also accepted. Silver and smoke cats are characterized by a silvery undercoat. The amber color was first recognized in France by the LOOF on March 12, 2009. Amber color Amber comes in many shades, from orange to honey blond and caramel. Kittens, which don't yet have their definitive color, can be born very dark, almost black. This color develops rather slowly and variably from one individual to another. The definitive color can be acquired as early as five months, but sometimes it takes one to two years and two to three years to stabilize. Amber is a very recent color specific to this breed. The first amber kittens were born in Sweden in 1992. For several years, there was much controversy, and the color was given the mysterious name X-Color. No one could agree on the classification of these kittens with their strange color. They were registered as golden, chocolate, lilac or cinnamon, the latter three being forbidden by Norvégien standards. The color is highly controversial. In a survey carried out in January 2004 by the LOOF-recognized AID Skogkatt association, while half the breeders polled were undecided, 38% thought the color was the result of cross-breeding with another breed and the rest thought it was a spontaneous mutation. The appearance of the amber color has also launched a debate on the possibility of introducing new colors into the standard. The same survey revealed that a small majority of French breeders were opposed. It wasn't until 2004 that the FIFé first recognized the color, and then March 2009 that the LOOF recognized it in France, despite the rarity of the color. The latter was made possible by a veterinary thesis proving the existence of a genetic mutation at the origin of this new color, and also by the arrival of the first Norvégiens ambre in France in 2006 by breeder Clarisse Vinot, chatterie du Gang des Burgondes, who played an active role in its recognition. |
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English (United Kingdom) 
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