Both of them are long-haired cats and look-alike appearances, with quite similar adaptable and active personalities. As a cat lover, which one do you prefer?
Norwegian Forest Cat Overview
Being an official cat of Norway by the late King Olaf V, Norwegian Forest cats are also commonly being named Norsk Skogkatt (‘forest cat’ in local language) and weggie. Unlike in the United States, their remarkable appearance and friendly-gesture towards human made them famous breed cats in Europe, especially for Scandinavian countries.
They are generally large, especially the males. An adult male has weigh of 12-16 pounds, whereas the female one could get 9-12 pounds. They gain the full size around age of four or five and have life expectancy of 14-16 years. They have various combination of colours, range from black, white, and cream to tabby.
Their distinctive look starts from the hair. They have such long hair, have a woolly undercoat, waterproof double coat, plumed tail, almond-shaped eyes, inverted triangular head, and rugged appearance. Everything that makes them well-suited for Norway environment.
They can be a great pet. They need some times to adapt with new environment, but enjoy company of their human companion, even with other pets. But most of the time, it’s them who make the calls whether to get close with others or not. They tend to not vocalize as often as other cats.
Having a long history of being great mousers and barn protectors, some literatures even said the cats also did catch riders on Viking ships, thus pet owners should aware of their hunting skills instinct. They are considerably active, bursts of energy then completed by long naps. The cats love to climb and run too. A dinner table or china cabinet could be their first personal assessment regarding this matter. Please put more attention on this.
They have longer back legs, help them to be great climbers and runners. Pet owners should provide a scratching post and high cat tree for fulfilling their natural behaviour. Their overactive personality is quite distinctive too, even to this day wild cats can still be found at some farms in Norway.
Although they look like a demanding cats, they only need some weekly combing. They shed one coat during the spring and the winter, when their combing activity need little more attention.
The cats’ life may be endangered by several health problems. The three common diseases are Hip Dysplasia (move slower and avoid jumping), Glycogen Storage Disease IV (an infrequent one, can be justified by DNA test), and Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (related to heart). Hence, the owners need to concern about the food, since the high-protein and high-meat diets for skogkatt are favourably recommended. They can’t process carbs as good as other animals.
Historically, there are some theories explaining their ancestors. Some literatures link them with Turkish long-haired cats that being carried with Turkish traders thousands of years ago. Others may refer them to Russian Siberian cats. Being said that, skogkatt are popular characters in local mithology and tale.
The cats that we are seeing today have topknotted ears and toes, and other suitable features that can endure Arctic winters. They have come a long way through natural selection and, interestingly, nearly became extinct during World War II. However, their general outfit may confuse people with Maine Coons.
Norwegian Forest Cat Colors Pictures
Brown Mackerel Tabby showing line along spine
Tabby showing ringed tail
Brown Mackerel Tabby showing body stripes
Vertical pencils lines over back of the head
Black Mackerel Tabby
Brown Mackerel Tabby
Blue Mackerel Tabby
Silver Mackerel Tabby
Blue Silver Mackerel Tabby
Red Silver Mackerel Tabby
Blue Silver Mackerel Tabby with White
Silver Mackerel Tabby with White
Cream Mackerel Tabby with White
Black Mackerel Tabby with White
Back Classic Tabby
Brown Classic Tabby
Blue Classic Tabby
Red Classic Tabby
Blue Silver Classic Tabby
Silver Spotted Tabby
Brown Spotted Tabby
Black Tortie Spotted Tabby with White
Brown Spotted Tabby with White
Silver Spotted tabby and White
Red Spotted Tabby
Black Tortoiseshell showing brindled coat
Black Tortoiseshell a lighter coloured coat
Black Tortoiseshell kitten
Black Tortie and White (Calico)
Brown Classic Tortie Tabby and White kittens
Black Classic Tortie Tabby and White kitten
Blue Cream Tortie Tabby and White
Black Tortie Spotted Tabby and White
Blue Tortie Blotched Tabby and White
Black with white bib paws and chin
Brown Classic Tabby with White
Silver Mackerel Tabby and White
Brown Classic Tabby and White Kitten
Blue Smoke bi-colour
Red Mackerel Tabby bi-colour
Brown Classic Tabby – harlequin
Silver tabby harlequin
Maine Coons Overview
Having nicknamed “dog of the cat world”, Maine Coons are commonly recognized as its big dimension (equivalent to a dog) and loyal gesture to the owners (equivalent to, again, a dog). Despite of their massive looks, they are considerably gentle, calm, and one of the most companionable cat in the world. Therefore, they are well-suited for such a great ‘beginner cat’.
Their thick hair are meant to endure the winter of Maine, where they originated from. The cats are also great mousers and hunters. Some literatures stated that they come from the crossbreeding of American short-haired and overseas long-haired ones.
Perhaps the most distinguishing thing of them are their social skill, especially their affectionate level and tolerance towards kids, even other pets. However, instead of being a ‘lap cat’, they tend to stay close to their keepers and get tapping for some times. Apart from their main owner, they feel comfortable with the entire family too. Interestingly, they love playing with liquid and water, they can even swim as well.
Another similarity between those two recognizable cats is their active traits. They love to play and fetch, therefore please avoid of leaving them on their own for too long. Since a lonely cat may impact their health and aggresiveness, other than hormonal reason, the pet owner should know their cat preference before adopting one. Some literatures even suggest to keep two cats from the beginning regarding this matter.
There are some particular contrasts between the male and female ones. Other than the bigger size, male cats are more social than female cats. Nevertheless, the female cats are also quite friendly and smart. The cats could accustomed to their owners’ behaviour as they grow old together. It becomes another reason why they are so accepted and loved by cat lovers.
Both of them have different characters and pet approaches. Once again, the pet owner should understand their pet styles, whether they want to commit full-time patter or only need a not-human-company during weekends.
Just like all animals, the cats are prone to some sickness as well. The two most well-known diseases are Hip Dysplasia and Polycystic Kidney Disease, which the risk could be minimized by vaccination.
Other than the need of companion, the health issue can also be prevented by food diet. Moreover, the Maine Coons tend to have overweight, even though they grow slowly which may need up to 3-4 years.
Maine Coons Colors Pictures
Solid Colors
Solid colors (clearly) have no pattern. Black and Blue torties are a strong color blend. A strong white cat masks a different color, generally the parent’s color.
Solid Black Maine Coon
Solid Blue
Solid Red
Solid Cream
Black Tortie
Blue Tortie
White Orange Eyes
White Green Eyes
White Odd Eyes
White Blue Eyes
Smoke Colors
In a Maine Coon cat, when we refer to the “smoke” color, we are actually referring to the silver undercoat that is seen on a strong cat. Detecting a smoke undercoat in kittens is not always simple because it can grow and become more prominent with age. Usually it is identified by inspecting the hair shaft roots in the cat. A true color of smoke will give the hair shaft silver roots.
NOTE: The silver coat is referred to as smoke in a strong Maine Coon colour. It is called silver in a tabby cat.
Black Smoke Maine Coon
Blue Smoke
Cream Smoke
Black Tortie Smoke
Classic Tabby Colors
There is something so lovely and regal about a Maine Coon Classic Tabby. The tabbies are the colors of Maine Coon that are most sought after.
Brown Classic Tabby
Red Tabby
Black Tortie Tabby
Silver Classic Tabby Colors
Black Silver Tabby
Blue Silver Tabby
Red Silver Classic Tabby
Black Silver Tortie Tabby
Mackerel Tabby Colors
Brown Mackerel Tabby
Silver Mackerel Tabby Colors
Red Silver Mackerel Tabby
Silver Shaded Tabby Colors
Red Silver Shaded Tabby
Black Silver Tortie Tabby with White
Red Tabby with White
Blue Smoke with White
Both cats are recommended for indoor pet. Nonetheless, you need to get a lot of information before deciding to adopt one.
