This breed comes from the Norwegian woods, country known for it’s mountains and forests with mild summers and long rigorous winters. It was in this environment the Norwegian Forest Cat (Norsk Skogkatt as it is known in Norway) developed, in a climate so harsh that only the strong survived. So this breed is a result of a natural selection determined by the natural climate conditions.
Along the times, these felines adapted themselves to this half wild environment but due to its character, sweet and gentle, they never separated themselves from human beings, and slowly started to be part of their houses, farms, tales and folklore. It is said that they were companionship to Vikings, gods and fairies.
In the 1900`s with the urban expansion of Norway, there was a threat of the breed being extinct, which motivated some breeders to rescue it. So in 1975 a Norwegian Forest Cat Club was founded with the objective of preservation and development of this breed, making it the official national breed of this country.
It´s Standard was stipulated to the image and resemblance of a cat – Pan´s Truls. In 1976, this breed were recognized by FIFe, time at which the Norwegian Forest Cat started to conquer the world.
These cats still live as today in the Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish forests. Their introduction in our country is recent, having the first Norwegian Forest Cat reached us by 1989.
Pans’s Truls
