Norwegian Forest Cat standard

Category II  NFO

General Size Large
Head Shape triangular, where all sides are equally long; with good height when seen in profile; forehead slightly rounded; with long, straight profile without break in line (no stop)
Chin firm
Ears Shape large, with good width at the base; pointed tips; with lynx-like tufts and long hair out of the ears
Placement high and open, so that the outer lines of the ears follow the line of the head down to the chin
Eyes Shape large and oval, well opened, set slightly oblique
Expression alert expression
Colour all colours permitted, regardless of coat colour
Body Structure long, strongly built; solid bone structure
Legs strong, high on legs; hind legs higher than the front legs
Paws large, round, in proportion to the legs
Tail long and bushy; should reach at least to the shoulder blades, but preferably to the neck
Coat Structure semi-long. The woolly undercoat is covered by a water repellent uppercoat which consists of long, coarse and glossy guardhairs covering the back and the sides
a fully coated cat has a shirtfront, a full frill and knickerbockers
Colour all colours are permitted, including all colours with white; except pointed patterns and chocolate, lilac, cinnamon and fawn
any amount of white is allowed, i.e. a white blaze, white locket, white chest, white on the belly, white on the paws, etc.
Remarks General very slow maturing of this breed should be taken into account
Head mature males may have broader heads than females
Coat
  • coat is evaluated only on texture and quality
  • length of coat and density of undercoat vary with the seasons
  • kittens can take up to 6 months of age to develop guard hairs
Faults General too small and finely built cats
Head
  • round or square head
  • profile with a break (stop)
Ears
  • small ears
  • set too widely apart
  • set too close together
Legs
  • short legs
  • thin legs
Tail

short tail

Coat
  • dry coat
  • knotted with lumps
  • too silky

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