Featured image by Steve Iodice, Pixabay; A Norwegian Forest cat in all its fluffy glory
Last month’s post was all about the mischief makers of the cat world; Cornish and Devon Rexes, the tiny terrors with pixie faces and neat curly coats. This month I’ll take you to the other end of the cat scale. The largest cats you can get, with fierce expressions and gentle natures.
The Norwegian Forest cat
This breed evolved in Norway from cats brought back by Viking traders from all over the world – Abyssinian cats, Persian cats, plain old dockside moggies. The best survivors of their descendants had all the traits they needed to cope with cold, wet weather and snow every winter – long, thick water-proof top coat over a warm and fluffy undercoat, big ‘snow-shoe’ paws and a big chunky body. Adults weigh around four to nine kilogrammes. Norwegian Forest cats are strong climbers; they can run vertically up a tree almost as fast as they can run across flat ground. That’s useful if a less agile predator like a wolf is chasing you through a forest.
Norway is proud of its Skogkatt. The Norwegian Forest Cat Club was founded in 1938, just 33 years after Norway gained independence. King Olav V named the Norwegian Forest as the official cat of Norway in 1950. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that an owner registered his Norwegian Forest as a distinct breed with the Federation Internationale Feline (FIFe), the European cat breed registry. Britain was even slower to notice, acknowledging the breed in 1989.
These days, Norwegian Forests are popular in Britain. Their fur is fluffiest at the head, chest and neck, giving them the look of lions – but very calm lions, with large eyes and an affectionate, gentle nature. Almost like having a heraldic beast snoozing on your sofa.
The Maine Coon cat
Maine Coon cats are similar to Norwegian Forests at first glance. Large, long-haired and perfectly adapted to cold climates but with a calm and affectionate nature. Their breed name refers to one of the legends as to how they originated – as a cross-breed between a raccoon and a domestic cat in Maine, a state in the north-eastern coast of the USA. Another origin story claims they are the descendants of escaped Viking ship cats – cousins of the Norwegian Forests? But DNA analysis has proved that there is no clear genetic link to Norwegian Forest cats and in fact, the closest relatives are found in the British domestic cat population. It’s likely that these cats are the hardiest survivors of local felines and the ship’s cats and domestic pets of early English settlers, evolved to withstand harsh Maine winters.
Maines have fur that is short on the head and chest, long and fluffy on the body and tail. Their outermost fur is fine and glossy to shake off water, while their undercoat is light. They have magnificent tufts on their big broad ears, just as lynxes do, and huge tufted paws that let them pad through deep snow without forming ice chunks between their toes.
The main thing you will notice about a Maine Coon cat is its face. Take a look at that photo below. Like an angry panther, with a broad nose and intense stare. Trust me, they are generally placid and good-natured creatures. They could be the largest domestic cats you’ll ever meet – the average adult Maine weighs up to ten kilos. In 2010, the Guinness World Records committee named a Maine called Stewie as the largest domestic cat in the world after measuring him as 123cm from nose to tail tip and weighing in at 15.7 kg.
The breed has had its ups and downs over the last century, from a tabby Maine called Cosey winning Best in Show at a New York cat contest in 1895 to being refused recognition as a breed in 1973. But things are looking up. Last year, FIFe announced that almost a quarter of its registrations were Maine Coon kittens, making it the most popular breed by a long way. They are certainly in demand in Britain.
A tabby Maine Coon cat. Photo by Aleksandr Tarlokov, Pixabay
Occasionally, one of these beauties ends up in a rescue pen. If you go to a shelter and find yourself face to face with a Norwegian lion or a Maine glare, don’t be put off. They definitely won’t eat you.
Huge or tiny, we offer a space to any domestic cat needing to be pampered while you’re away. Contact us to book a holiday for your cat.
