Norwegian Forest Cat Behaviour & Temperament

The name of this breed implies a huge aggressive cat suited to attacking and surviving in the harshest of climates. Whilst the survival aspect is true, you would be hard pushed to find another breed of cat who comes close to being so intelligent, playful, friendly and sociably companionable.

A popular misconception that needs to be dismissed straight away is that this breed is only bred in the natural colour of tabby. Norwegian Forest Cats come in a variety of colours (except Siamese). The original colours evolved depending upon the cat's habitat in the wild, in order for it to blend in with its surroundings, and appear camouflaged against predators.

As a breed, the Norwegian Forest Cats are almost fearless, and courageous in the extreme. They do not normally show any nervousness and adapt to changes with ease. They are supremely intelligent and take changes to their environment in their stride. No nervous ninny is this cat.

Not only is this breed of feline intelligent, it is extremely resourceful and inventive. They are usually also quite lively and adept at scanning their surroundings to take in all aspects of it. Their level of awareness is quite astounding.

Being a natural Forest Cat, there is usually an innate need for this cat to climb. So even though they adapt well to apartment living, some kind of acceptable climbing furniture or frame should be provided to satisfy their natural inclination towards exercise.

You may be wondering how this huge strong cat would interact with children. The Norwegian Forest cat loves to play with other breeds, dogs, and children too, but it is highly likely that this feline will bond particularly well with one member of the family, and turn to that person when the need arises.

Having said this, the Wegie is a friendly family cat, and will show great interest in all members of the household. As well as loving to climb, this breed’s highly developed intelligence will allow you to teach it all kinds of tricks and tasks. Norwegian Forest Cats are known to learn through playing, and will amaze you and your family by easily learning to walk on a lead and harness, to fetch and to carry, and a great deal more besides.

Providing that the owners cater to this breed's specific need for exercise, climbing and play, this powerful friend will reward your entire family with years of happy devotion from a beautiful and highly intelligent companion.