THE SIBERIAN

GENERAL:

A Strong And Independent Native Breed From The Soviet Union And One Of The Oldest Recognized Breeds As It Was Exhibited At The First Organized Public Cat Show Produced In England In 1871. This Large Domestic Cat Spread Into Siberia With The Immigrants From Russia; Siberia is The Entire Area East Of The Urals, The Greatest Expanse Of The USSR Today. In Addition To Companionship, Their Duty Was To Guard The Home & Owner "No Worse Than Dogs", Hissing Before The Attack.

TYPE:

The Siberian Is An Alert Large And Muscular Cat With A Broad Chest And Short Back. The Back Is Moderately Long And Slightly Vaulted. After Five Years Of Growth, Weight Can Range From 13.2 To 1 7.6 Pounds For Females, 17.6 To 26.4 Pounds For Males, And 39.6 To 44 Pounds For Castrates. The Soviet Standard Provides Their Weight In Kilograms; One Kilogram Equals 2.2 Pounds Per Conversion.

HEAD:

SIZE AND SHAPE:

A Large, Softly Rounded Triangular Face And A Slightly Domed Transition From A Wide Flat Forehead To A Thick, Rounded And Muscular Neck Of Medium Length. The Norwegian Forest Cars Frontal Skull Is Flat And Not As Round Or As Large As That Of The Siberian. The Maine Coon's Head Is Medium In Width And Medium Long To Length.

PROFILE:

Gradual And Slightly Rounded With A Long Nose. Curvature From The 'Flat Forehead Toward The Muzzle. The Norwegian Forest Cars Profile Is Mere Square Than Round. The Maine Coon's Nose Is Slightly Concave In Profile.

NOSE AND MUZZLE:

Nose Is Long And Broad With Little Narrowing. The Norwegian Forest Cars Base is Medium To Long And Wedge Shaped. The Maine Coon Has A Gentle Curve To A Medium Long Nose. The Siberian Muzzle Is Broad And Slightly Rounded, Short With An Almost Flat Line At The Tip And A Slight Pinch Where The Symmetrical Sides Meet In The Top Lip. Long Whiskers. The Norwegian Forest Cars Muzzle Is Almost Square. The Maine Coon Has A Prominent Squared-Off Muzzle.

EARS:

Big And Wide At The Base With Rounded Tip, Set One To One And One Half Widths Apart. In A Rounded Triangle With The Eyes And Nose. Inside Tuffs. Lynx Tipping Preferred. Hair At The Back Middle Of The Ear Covers The Base Of The Ear Completely. The Norwegian Forest Cars Ears Are Medium To Large And Set As Much On The Side Of The Head As On The Top; They Are Spaced Wider And Inclined Forward Mom Than That Of The Siberian. The Maine Coon's Ears Taper To Appear Pointed And Are Set High On The Head.

EYES:

Wide Set And Slightly Slanted, Almost Oval Medium Size Eyes Of Clear Yellow To Green In Adults, Practically Tan Or Amber During Growth. While Siberians Can Have Blue or Odd Eyes. The Norwegian Forest Cat's Eyes Are Large And Almond Shaped; A White Is Allowed Copper Eyes. The White Maine Coon Is Allowed Copper Eyes.

BODY:

SIZE AND SHAPE:

At Maturity (Five Years), Females Average 13.2 To 17.6 Pounds, Males 17.4 To 26.4 Pounds, And Castrates Can Reach 39.6 To 44 Pounds In Weight. They Have A Barrel-Shaped Torso And Are Large, Heavy, Muscular Cats Of Moderate Length. Their Waists Are Convex But the Belly Is Compact, Strong Thick Boning. The Norwegian Forest Cat Does Not Have The Barrel Torso. The Maine Coon Has A Medium To Long Rectangular Body, Also Lacking The Convex Torso.

CONDITION:

MUSCULATURE, PROPORTION, BALANCE, AND REFINEMENT. Females Are Proportionally Smaller Than The Males; Castrates Larger Than Whole Cats.

LEGS:

Powerful And Thick, Medium Length With Large Rounded Paws. Tufts On Toes Preferred. Hind Legs Slightly Longer Than Those Of The Front If Stretched Straight But Not Particularly Evident Otherwise. The Siberian Is A Nimble Jumper.

TAIL:

Wide At Base, Long And Blunt Tipped Without A Curvature At The End. Evenly And Bushy Coated. The Norwegian Forest Cars Tail Should Be Flowing Rather Than Bushy And The Desirable Length Should Be Equal To The Body Length From The Base Of the Tail To The Shoulders. The Maine Coon Also Has A Flowing Tail And One That Tapers.

COAT:

LENGTH AND TYPE:

Long And Moderately Long, Shiny And Straight With "Scrolls" Not Waves Allowed On The Breeches And Belly. A Dense Double Undercoating And Slightly Layered Hair Which Is Thicker In The Winter Months As The Season Greatly Affects Both The Coat And Undercoat. distinctive Hair On The Mane, Collar, And Breeches. The Norwegian Forest Cat's Standard Does Not Mention The "Scrolling" Or Layer Hair. The Maine Coon Cat Should Have Hair Of Silky Texture With The Coat Falling Smoothly; The Coat Is Described As Heavy And Shaggy With Less Overall Length In Appearance.

TEXTURE:

A Dense But Tight Upper Coat With A Thin But Tight Undercoat. The Hair Can Feel Soft To Coarse Depending Upon Age, Color Pattern, And Inheritance. The Coat Of The Norwegian Forest Cat Is Silky. That Of The Maine Coon Is Long, Soft, And Smooth.

COLOR:

Any Recognized Color For The Maine Coon But Agouti (The Look Of The Wild Cat) Is Preferred. Pointed Cats Of The Siberian Type Are "Nevski Mascazadni" Translated As "Neva (The Primary River In Leningrad) Masquerade" And Are Considered A Separate Breed As They Are From Cross-Breedings And No Longer The Pure Native Breed. The Norwegian Forest Cat Allows White Or Off-White Only On The Breast, Chin And Stomach of The Tabbies, Whereas, The Siberian Does Not Restrict Its Addition.

PENALIZE :

1. Prolonged Lines And Shapes, Narrowing Long Body, Unproportional Tail.
2. Little, Narrow, Or Short Head.
3. Narrow Or Extremely Long Muzzle.
4. High Or Narrow Set Ears.
5. Extremely Round (Except In Kittens) Or Little Eyes, Closely Set.
6. Very Long Legs.
7. Short Coat (During Winter Months And In Mature Cats).

DISQUALIFY:

1. Persian Type, Presence Of "Break", Short Or Narrow Nose.
2. Delicate Bone Structure.
3. Overbite or Underbite.
4. Lack of Undercoat.
5. Crossed Eyes, Kinked Tails, Incorrect Number Of Toes.