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Breed guide · Cats
She won't come down from the top of the wardrobe. I moved the good cushion up there.
Last updated 14 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
Tap a card to see what is going on.
At home
On top of the wardrobe, the bookcase or the fridge, keeping an eye on the room.
What's going onTheir ancestors climbed trees at the forest edge, and height is still where they feel safe. A tall cat tree with a heavy base, and a cleared shelf with a way up, matter more than any toy.
At home
The top coat looks smooth and glossy, and the knots are all underneath.
What's going onThe woolly undercoat tangles close to the skin even when the top looks perfect. Comb right through to the skin, a few minutes at a time, and more often when they are shedding hard.
At home
Looks fully grown at one, and still filling out at four.
What's going onNorwegian Forest Cats take about five years to finish growing. Feed for the adult they will be, and judge their weight with your hands, because that coat hides a gain very well.
At home
Flat out on the bathroom floor on a hot afternoon.
What's going onTheir double coat was made for Norwegian winters. In the UAE, steady air conditioning, shade and fresh water matter, and a tiled floor to stretch out on helps.
At home
Friendly, but on their own schedule, watching the household from above.
What's going onLet them come to you. Lifting them off their shelf for a cuddle only teaches them to find a higher one.
At home
Fast asleep, their side rising and falling under all that fur.
What's going onHypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM, a thickened heart muscle) is a known risk at every stage. Fast or shallow breathing while resting should be discussed with your vet immediately, within the same day.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their home
Built for: Cold forests and long winters.
In Dubai: Air conditioning, in a country where summer is the hard season.
Their coat
Built for: Shedding rain and keeping warm.
In Dubai: An undercoat to keep clear, and heat to keep out.
Their body
Built for: Climbing.
In Dubai: A flat, where the height has to be made for them.
A forest cat, living through a desert summer.
Give them height, keep them cool and keep the undercoat clear, and they settle well into flat life. The ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around what a Norwegian Forest Cat is prone to at every age, starting with their heart, and the care that goes with each one.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Ten things that make their life better.
The undercoat mats close to the skin under a top coat that still looks smooth, and mats pull and hurt.
Every age, start as a kitten
Why
The undercoat mats close to the skin under a top coat that still looks smooth, and mats pull and hurt.
What to do
A few minutes, two or three times a week, with a wide-toothed metal comb. Go through to the skin behind the ears, under the front legs and on the back legs, and comb more often while they shed. Never cut out a mat with scissors: the skin sits right underneath and is easy to nick.
Cats sweat only through their paw pads, and it does little to cool them. Their double coat was made to keep heat in, and a Dubai summer does the opposite.
Every age
Why
Cats sweat only through their paw pads, and it does little to cool them. Their double coat was made to keep heat in, and a Dubai summer does the opposite.
What to do
Leave the air conditioning on for them in the hot months, and give them a tiled floor in more than one room. Keep them off the balcony in summer, never leave them in a parked car, and ask someone to check on them if the power goes while you are away. If they pant or breathe with their mouth open, contact your vet now.
Obesity is a risk from their junior years, and the coat hides it.
Every age, most of all from 7 months
Why
Obesity is a risk from their junior years, and the coat hides it.
What to do
Weigh their daily food and ask your vet for a portion that suits the adult they will be. Weigh them monthly, and once a week feel for their ribs under the coat.
They are patient hunters and climbers. Watching from up high is half of it, and they still need the catch.
Every age
Why
They are patient hunters and climbers. Watching from up high is half of it, and they still need the catch.
What to do
Run a wand toy along the floor and up the cat tree, so they can stalk and climb. End with a catch, then a small meal from their daily amount.
A cat tree that rocks under a big climber is one they stop trusting, and then it is the curtains.
Every age, start as a kitten
Why
A cat tree that rocks under a big climber is one they stop trusting, and then it is the curtains.
What to do
A tall cat tree with a broad, heavy base, shelves with a way up, and a scratching post tall enough for a full stretch. A long litter tray with a low entry, and one tray per cat, plus one.
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM, a thickened heart muscle) is a risk at every stage, and it can be silent for a long time.
Every age
Why
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM, a thickened heart muscle) is a risk at every stage, and it can be silent for a long time.
What to do
Fast or shallow breathing while resting should be discussed with your vet immediately, within the same day. If they breathe with their mouth open, or their back legs suddenly go weak, contact your vet now. Cardiac auscultation (listening to the chest) and echocardiography (an ultrasound scan of the heart) are in your plan from their junior years.
Bladder problems are a risk in their junior and prime years, and their kidneys need watching later.
Every age, most of all 7 months to 6 years
Why
Bladder problems are a risk in their junior and prime years, and their kidneys need watching later.
What to do
Some wet food every day, and two or three wide water bowls away from their food and tray. Scoop daily. A male cat straining, crying or going in and out of the tray with little or nothing coming out may have a blocked bladder. That is an emergency: contact your vet now. If a female cat is straining, contact your vet the same day. A baseline urinalysis (a urine test) is in your plan in their junior years, and a renal ultrasound (a kidney scan) in their mature years.
They like their feet on the ground, or on a shelf. A big cat lifted badly fights it, and the vet visit starts with a struggle.
Every age, start as a kitten
Why
They like their feet on the ground, or on a shelf. A big cat lifted badly fights it, and the vet visit starts with a struggle.
What to do
One hand under the chest, one under the back end, held close. Leave a large carrier out as a bed. Once a week, touch their paws, ears and mouth for a second, then give a treat.
Dental disease is a risk from their junior years, and cats keep eating with sore teeth.
Every age, start as a kitten
Why
Dental disease is a risk from their junior years, and cats keep eating with sore teeth.
What to do
Lift their lip and look at the teeth and gums. Start brushing as a kitten, a few seconds at a time. Call your vet if they drop food or chew on one side. An annual dental evaluation (teeth and gum check) is in your plan from their junior years.
Osteoarthritis (worn, painful joints) is a risk from their mature years, and in a climber the first sign is usually a shelf they no longer reach.
Every age, most of all from 7 years
Why
Osteoarthritis (worn, painful joints) is a risk from their mature years, and in a climber the first sign is usually a shelf they no longer reach.
What to do
Notice whether they still go straight to the top of the cat tree or climb in stages. Add steps to their favourite high places as they age, so they keep using them. A joint and mobility evaluation (joint and movement exam) is in your plan in their senior years.
Four of these are in your plan. The rest you can do at home.
Join the founding families. AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199.
Their health, at every age.
How old are they?
Their age
the first six months
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 months to 2 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
2 to 6 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
7 to 10 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
11 to 14 years
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Their age
15 years and over
What to watch for
The care that goes with it
Breed predispositions indicate an increased risk rather than certainty of disease. What is right for them always comes from their own history and an evaluation.
Before they come home.
Types of Norwegian Forest Cat
There is one Norwegian Forest Cat: a natural breed shaped by Norwegian winters, not by a breeder's plan. Whatever the colour, they share the same big, sturdy build, triangular head, tufted ears and dense double coat.
Colours
Norwegian Forest Cats come in almost every colour and pattern, from tabby to solid black, white or blue (a soft grey), with or without white.
The first six months
Their vaccinations, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first, and the vet listens to their chest from the very first visit. A minute a day with a soft brush now makes the comb easy later.
Kitten health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
Buy the adult sizes now: a long litter tray, a tall cat tree with a heavy base and a carrier big enough for a grown cat. Keep the flat cool, and leave them a tiled floor to stretch out on.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM, a thickened heart muscle) is a known risk from kittenhood. Their vet listens to the chest from the first visit, with a first heart scan in their junior years, so plan for those visits from the start.
Before the clinics open
AED 1,999 of essential care for AED 199. No payment now.
If it's a kitten: First 30 days with a new kitten · Kitten vaccinations in the UAE
When it is not behaviour.
She'll still hold court from the top of the wardrobe. If she stops going up there, call your vet.
Before they were yours.
For centuries
In Norway the breed is the skogkatt, the forest cat. For centuries cats like these lived on farms and at the forest edge, catching mice through long, wet winters.
What they still carryA woolly undercoat under a glossy coat that sheds water, a thick ruff and strong claws for climbing.
The 1930s
Forest cats were shown in Norway before the Second World War, and breeders began to describe them as a type of their own.
What they still carryA look of their own, still close to the farm cat.
1975
Worried the forest cat would disappear into the general cat population, Norwegian breeders founded the Norsk Skogkatt Ring to keep the breed.
What they still carryThe same farm-cat look, kept on purpose.
1977
The Fédération Internationale Féline recognised the Norwegian Forest Cat in Paris in November 1977.
What they still carryA pedigree line, and a heart worth listening to.
Today
A pedigree kept indoors, in air conditioning, taking about five years to finish growing.
What they still carryA forest climber in a coat made for Norwegian winters.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Norwegian Forest Cat suits you, so might these.
SiberianThe same kind of cat: another big, slow-growing forest cat with a triple coat, more sociable and more playful
Maine CoonThe same kind of cat: another big northern semi-longhair with a ruff and tufted paws, even bigger and more sociable
Russian BlueThe same calm, reserved temperament and moderate play, in a medium-sized blue cat with a short coat that is far easier
RagdollA similar size, the same coat care and the same need for a cool home, in a gentler cat who wants to be with you all the time
