Forums » Smalltalk » AMA: Huge Viking Cats

Over 8kg and currently three foot long each, these are my Norwegian Forest Cat kittens.

And they haven't finished growing yet.

Casper and Little Money.

They rule over my life like a little fuzzy maned monarchy.

Ask away.

They are gorgeous! What is different about the species in terms of habits and life spanned compared to other more common breeds of cat like a tabby?

Why'd you choose to get Norwegian Forest Cats?

It hurts when a little cat steps on you, what's it like when a giant one does?

Does it get annoying when they want to sit all over you in summer?

If you ever do this with them. I'll be envious. My cats just sit on me and chew my beard.

There's some physiological differences! This breed is the ancestor of the Maine Coon so there's some similarities between them. The snowshoes, ears and doubly thick fur to protect from the cold.

As a larger breed they develop at a much slower rate and are considered kittens for years rather than months. I couldn't take either of them home until they were both over three months old. They retain their kitten behaviours longer too!

They adore climbing. Their claws and climbing behaviours are distinctive--they are one of the only cat breeds that can run vertically up and back down a tree!

I'll be the first to say I didn't -- not at first. I really wanted a dog more than anything at the time but when I weighed up how much time I'd have for a dog I reconsidered my options. I thought a cat though, that could work for me. I opened up the app and saw this gorgeous little red tabby boy with blue eyes and before I knew it, I was researching this breed I'd never heard of.

I read they're like the 'dogs' of the cat-world--and it's very true: they're very paws-on with affection, love attention and playing, can be walked on their leads, sleep at the foot of the bed. That won me over. I wanted a pet that could be independent and left alone in the apartment but would also play.

They do love attention and cuddling. Casper loves to drape across my shoulders like a scarf.

By all accounts they're gentle giants, an old and we'll preserved breed and just thoroughly gorgeous. They're very patient, clever and fun to be around.

My family have never liked cats but they've made exceptions for Casper and Little Money.

It hurts when a little cat steps on you, what's it like when a giant one does?

Oh man... For the stepping--🙈 They're very cautious about where they tread and how much weight they put in their paws. But there have been moments they've jabbed me in the ribs with a wrong step. It doesn't happen often but you definitely know LOL. They like to sleep on your chest and listen to your heartbeat.

Does it get annoying when they want to sit all over you in summer?

Only for the fur... I wear black and darks a lot and the fur is just like dandelion hazes settling everywhere!! I think at one point Casper once made a small ball out of his fur to chase 😂

That's exactly their role in Norse Mythos as the Skogkatt 😂😂 they pull a Goddesses sleigh!

Thank-you very much for your answers. They are a beautiful breed.

Precious beans, Do they have any disorders? (Such as PTSD, Split Personality, or others?)

wow they are so cute, I wanna hug them. xD

How old are they?

And do you feed your cat with normal cat food?

i can’t help myself so i apologize in advance, but do your cats believe in nordic mythology?

None that I'm aware of! ☺️ They're a little reactively attached but they're still babies and I work from home so I expect that. They always have to know where 'mum' is and be nearby.

Excellent!

AHH thank you!

They have a raw diet supplemented with Royal canin's Maine Coon formula. Casper is a super fussy eater and generally won't have anything strange or new, he's very loyal to his bowl. They do love dreamies

Little Money will eat anything you leave out. She ate a donut and an entire baguette once.

Casper is the oldest and was born in March 2019 - he'll be about 19/20 months old now
Little Money came along in July 2019 is about 16/17 months old.

I hope so 😂 They aren't much scared of storms or thunder so maybe so 👀