| Siberian cat – brief time line | |||
| Early-at least 13th century | Early recognition of this cat breed. Pets to monks in Russia | ||
| post-Communist era | People started to arrange and attend cat shows | ||
| 1980s | Breeding in Russia to standardise the appearance (type)2. | ||
| 1987 | Registered by the Kotofei cat club in St. Petersburg6. | ||
| 1989 | The Soviet Felinological Federation began | ||
| 1990s | This cat breed exported to USA and Europe | ||
| 2000 | Accepted for registration by CFA | ||
| Early 2002 | This breed exported to UK | ||
| 2006 | Championship status CFA | ||
| Current | TICA and GCCF and All-Russian Club2 recognized | ||
In and around the year 1829 it is recorded that the upper classes in Russia wore a cap made of the fur of the Siberian cat when riding in an open sledge. [link
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It would seem that the skin of this cat was used frequently for trimmings on coats etc. during the early 1800s in Russia. See below from this book
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Color and Pattern of coat: Shown in the traditional category and in all colors of all divisions in the USA. In Russia the Siberian is allowed in only black and red based colours2. Some breeders and cat fancy members consider the pointed cat unnatural however3.
Character + Health
The Siberian is an independent cat that likes some space and is not a lap cat1. It is a “sensible and resourceful”2 cat breed.
I like the naturalness of this cat and the appearance of the cat indicates that it is well suited to the Russian climate. In short, she looks like a Siberian cat. The Maine Coon has that natural outdoor cat look as well.
The Siberian is another one of those cats that is “dog like”. Bengals can be dog like for example as they like to play “fetch”. So, if your wife likes cats and you like dogs, compromise and adopt a Siberian.
This cat breed is larger than the average domestic cat (see a weight comparison chart), friendly, good with pets and children, and has no outstanding propensities to ill health.
Siberian cat health
A short discussion on the health issues affecting this cat breed. There aren’t many but nearly all domestic cats have some health issues.
This is a balanced and healthy cat by all accounts; fairly playful and active. This breed of cat is still relatively rare in the west, which probably accounts for its relatively low popularity compared to the NFC and Maine Coon. Dani and Rick of Cattery Yeri Shaes live with a Siberian (amongst other lovely cats) and Dani as you probably know by now is a great cat photographer so you’ve got some fine pictures of this cat breed accompanying this article
Absolutely- how fun!