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Breed guide · Cats
He's still a kitten at four. I've stopped buying ornaments.
Last updated 13 October 2026
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What they brought with them.
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At home
A paw in the water bowl, a seat on the edge of the bath, and a long stare at the dripping tap.
What's going onMany Siberians are drawn to water. Use it: a fountain or a wide bowl gets more water into them. Keep the toilet lid down, and never leave a full bath with them in the room.
At home
Tufts on the sofa all year, then handfuls in spring and autumn.
What's going onTheir coat was built for Russian winters, in three layers, and they change it twice a year. Comb right through to the skin two or three times a week, behind the ears and under the front legs, and every day while they moult.
At home
The top of the bookcase, the curtain rail, the fridge. Usually with a leap, sometimes with a slip.
What's going onThey are powerful and acrobatic, and falls and climbing injuries are most common in their younger years. Net the balcony fully, fit restrictors on the windows, and give them a heavy cat tree so the bookcase is not their climbing frame.
At home
Racing down the hallway at four years old, and still ambushing your feet.
What's going onSiberians can take about five years to finish growing, and they stay playful for most of it. Two or three proper play sessions a day keep them busy and keep their weight down.
At home
Plays hard, sleeps hard, and looks perfectly well.
What's going onSiberians are prone to Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM, a thickened heart muscle) at every stage, and it can give no signs for a long time. Fast or shallow breathing while resting should be discussed with your vet immediately, within the same day.
At home
Sold as the cat for people with allergies, then a sneeze on the first visit.
What's going onNo cat is hypoallergenic. Every Siberian tested makes Fel d 1, the main cat allergen, though some make less of it than others. If someone in your home has a cat allergy, spend real time with the breed before you bring one home.
The bit nobody tells you.
Their weather
Built for: Russian winters.
In Dubai: Air conditioning through a Gulf summer.
Their coat
Built for: Three layers of coat, made for the cold.
In Dubai: A coat they cannot keep clear on their own.
Their energy
Built for: A body made for climbing.
In Dubai: Years of a kitten's energy in a big cat's body, in a flat.
They need a cool flat, a coat kept clear and somewhere safe to climb.
None of that is hard, and most of it costs nothing. The ten things below are how.
Your plan is built around what a Siberian is prone to at every age, from their heart and kidneys to their teeth and weight, 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.
They have three layers of coat, and they cannot keep it clear on their own. Mats pull on the skin and hurt.
Every age, start with a soft brush as a kitten, and help more from 11 years, when they groom themselves less
Why
They have three layers of coat, and they cannot keep it clear on their own. Mats pull on the skin and hurt.
What to do
A few minutes, two or three times a week, with a wide-toothed metal comb. Work behind the ears, under the front legs and down the back legs. Comb every day while they moult. Never cut a mat out with scissors: the skin sits right under it.
Cats sweat only through their paw pads, and it does little to cool them. Their thick coat keeps the heat in, so a cool room matters. Young Siberians are also the most likely to fall from a balcony or window.
Every age, most of all 7 months to 6 years
Why
Cats sweat only through their paw pads, and it does little to cool them. Their thick coat keeps the heat in, so a cool room matters. Young Siberians are also the most likely to fall from a balcony or window.
What to do
Leave the air conditioning on for them in the hot months, and give them a tiled floor to stretch out on. Keep them off the balcony unless it is fully netted, and fit restrictors on every window that opens. Never leave them in a parked car. If they pant or breathe with their mouth open, contact your vet now.
Weight gain can start in their junior years, and three layers of coat hide it.
Every age, most of all 7 months to 10 years
Why
Weight gain can start in their junior years, and three layers of coat hide 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: stand on the scales holding them, then without them. Once a week, feel for their ribs under the coat. You should find them without pressing. Body condition scoring (a check on whether they are the right weight) is in your plan from kittenhood, with weight-management counselling from their junior years.
They stay a kitten for years, and a bored acrobat invents their own games, usually on the curtains.
Every age, most of all their first five years
Why
They stay a kitten for years, and a bored acrobat invents their own games, usually on the curtains.
What to do
Two or three sessions a day with a wand toy, along the floor and up the cat tree. End with a catch and a small meal. Many Siberians fetch, so try throwing a small toy.
A cat tree that rocks under them sends them to the bookcase instead.
Before they come home, and add steps as they age
Why
A cat tree that rocks under them sends them to the bookcase instead.
What to do
A tall cat tree with a broad, heavy base, and a scratching post tall enough for a full stretch. A long litter tray with a low entry. One tray per cat, plus one, in different rooms.
Siberians are prone to Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM, a thickened heart muscle) at every age, and it can be silent for years.
Every age, most of all from 7 years
Why
Siberians are prone to Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM, a thickened heart muscle) at every age, and it can be silent for years.
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, pant at rest or suddenly go weak in their back legs, contact your vet now. Cardiac auscultation (listening to the heart) is in your plan from kittenhood, with echocardiography (an ultrasound scan of the heart) from their junior years.
Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD, bladder and urinary problems) is a risk from their junior years into their mature ones, and their kidneys need watching from 7 years.
Every age, most of all 7 months to 10 years
Why
Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease (FLUTD, bladder and urinary problems) is a risk from their junior years into their mature ones, and their kidneys need watching from 7 years.
What to do
Many Siberians like water, so use it: a fountain or a wide bowl, plus some wet food every day. Scoop the tray 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 urinalysis (a urine test) is in your plan from their junior years.
They are big and strong, and a cat who feels unsafe in your arms will fight it. Handling that feels ordinary at home makes every vet visit calmer.
Every age, start as a kitten
Why
They are big and strong, and a cat who feels unsafe in your arms will fight it. Handling that feels ordinary at home makes every vet visit calmer.
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, then give them a treat.
Their gums can get sore while their teeth come through, and dental disease is a risk from their junior years.
Every age, start as a kitten
Why
Their gums can get sore while their teeth come through, and dental disease is a risk from their junior years.
What to do
Once a week, lift their lip and look at their teeth and gums. Start brushing as a kitten, a few seconds at a time, with cat toothpaste. Tell 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) becomes a risk from their senior years, and cats hide it.
Every age, most of all from 11 years
Why
Osteoarthritis (worn, painful joints) becomes a risk from their senior years, and cats hide it.
What to do
Notice whether they still leap straight to the top of the cat tree, or go up in stages. Add steps to their favourite high places as they age. A joint and mobility evaluation (joint and movement exam) is in your plan from 11 years.
Five 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 Siberian cat
There is one Siberian breed, and it is a natural one: Russia's national cat, shaped by hard winters rather than by a breeder's plan. What people call types are colour and pattern. Coats vary from cat to cat too, so some need more combing than others.
Colours
Brown tabby was the colour most people once chose. Now Siberians come in almost every colour and pattern a cat can have, from silver tabby to colourpoint, with or without white.
The first six months
Their vaccinations, microchip and Dubai Municipality registration come first, and their vet listens to their heart from the first visit. A minute a day with a soft brush, and a gentle look at their gums while their teeth come through, make both ordinary for life.
Kitten health, 0 to 6 months
Getting the home ready
A fully netted balcony, restrictors on the windows, and a tall cat tree with a heavy base, so they climb that and not the bookcase. Keep the toilet lid down from day one: many Siberians find water irresistible.
Ten things that make their life better
Before you commit
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM, a thickened heart muscle) and Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD, cysts in the kidneys) are the two conditions that run in Siberian families. Ask the breeder about both parents' health, and book the kitten's first heart check with your vet early.
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.
He'll still act like a kitten at five. If he stops chasing the wand toy, call your vet.
Before they were yours.
Over centuries
The Siberian is a natural breed: the long-haired cats of Russia's forests and villages, kept on farms and in houses for the mice they caught through hard winters. Nobody designed them.
What they still carryA triple coat with a full ruff, tufted paws and a powerful, acrobatic body.
1889
Harrison Weir described a Russian long-haired cat in his book Our Cats and All About Them.
What they still carryThe long coat Weir wrote about.
Late 1980s to 1990
Russian breeders set down the breed in the late 1980s, and in 1990 the first breeding Siberians reached the United States.
What they still carryA breed of their own, and a family history worth asking a breeder about.
1997 and 2000
FIFe recognised the Siberian in 1997, and the Cat Fanciers' Association accepted it for registration in 2000.
What they still carryA young pedigree breed, still close to its natural type.
Today
A familiar pedigree cat in the UAE, kept indoors, in air conditioning.
What they still carryA triple-coated cat built for Russian winters, climbing whatever the flat offers.
The ones you type at midnight.
If the Siberian suits you, so might these.
Norwegian Forest CatThe same kind of cat: another big northern forest cat with a water-shedding coat, a little more reserved with people
Maine CoonThe same kind of cat: another big, slow-growing semi-longhair, even larger, and a little more independent
Egyptian MauThe same playful, people-loving and quiet temperament, in a lean, spotted shorthair that copes far better with heat
RagdollA similar size, the same regular brushing and the same need for a cool home, in a calmer cat who prefers your lap to a game
