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Although the Norwegian Forest Cat is a relatively new breed in the United States, it is a very old breed in Norway. They have been featured in folk tales and mythology for centuries and the Norwegians claim that the cat has been around forever. The Forest Cat was, in all probability, the cat the Viking explorers took with them to keep their ships clear of rodents. Some people believe that these well-traveled cats may have been the early ancestors of the Maine Coon Cat and the long-haired Manx. Their first arrival on the East Coast of North America was probably in ancient times with Lief Erickson or his contemporaries; their modern day arrival was in 1979. Norwegian Forest Cats were almost lost as a distinct breed through hybridization with the free-roaming domestic shorthairs in Norway. Interest was aroused among Norwegian cat fanciers when they realized that they were in real danger of losing the breed; but World War II put a hold on their efforts. It wasn't until after the war that a group of cat lovers began working to save the skogkatt, as it is known in Norway. (The term skogkatt literally means "forest cat.") Their efforts were successful, resulting in the Forest Cat being not only welcomed into the show ring in Europe, but also designated the official cat of Norway by the late King Olaf. The Forest Cat was not exported from Norway until the late 1970s and the first pair arrived in the United States in November of 1979. They were first introduced to CFA in the Midwest. A third cat, GP Mjavos Sangueetah of Zazzara, arrived in March of 1980 and was the first to be shown in CFA on the East Coast. This cat was one of CFA's first Norwegian Forest Cat Grand Premiers and the oldest to date, having received her grand at the age of 13 years and 10 months. The Forest Cat was officially accepted for registration in CFA in 1987 and for championship competition in 1993. Since their acceptance for championship, they have proven to be a popular cat in the show hall and are well represented in the show finals. To date we have 11 Grand Champions, 13 Grand Premiers and two regional winners. Our youngest grand is GC Redzone's Padraigan Cluvane of Irlu, a female who achieved her grand at the age of 8 months. We have several other cats that are very close to achieving their grand championship/premiership. by Susan Shaw |
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 Carolyn or Bernie Zeller at 410-893-3180 or info at freyzoo.com |