Norwegian Forest Cat vs Maine Coon, Which One Do You Prefer?

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?

Table of Contents

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.

READ : Maine Coon Kittens

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

Silver 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

READ : Is Your Maine Coon Mix? Here Step To Check!

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.

READ : Maine Coon Kittens

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.