Norwegian Forest Cat vs Chausie - Breed Comparison

The beautiful Norwegian Forest cat has a thick fur to survive the snow and icy weather in Norway. It is the official cat of Norway.

It originated in Northern Europe. It is believed that the cat was brought to Norway from Great Britain way back in the time of the Vikings. It is also believed that it reproduced with farm cats and has become the modern-day Norwegian Forest breed.

They were discovered in the early twentieth century by cat enthusiasts and in 1938 an organization was established devoted to this breed.

Also, a club was started for the cat in Oslo so as to preserve the breed. The 2nd World War saw the cat all but disappear but a breeding program was started. It was registered in Europe by the 1970s, and in 1994 by the American Cat Fanciers Association and others.

The Afro-Chausie came about from breeding a few individuals from a species of jungle cat which was native to India, Asia and the Middle East. In other words, this is a cross between a wild cat and a domesticated cat.

It was only in 1995 that the Chausie was recognized as a domestic breed, and by the International Cat Association.

The Chausie breed essentially began in the 1990s, when breeders name the breed Chausie and also developed a breeding program. They received registration status in 1995. Chausies are bred in North America and Europe and in 2003 became a new breed in the United States.

This domestic cat is a natural breed with a thick coat of long water-resistant fur and a woolly undercoat. The coat can be in many colors and patterns.

This is a big, strong, heavy boned cat with a bushy tail and long legs. It’s larger than your regular cat and can weigh anything between 3 and 9kg. The eyes are almond-shaped and can be any color while the large ears are high set.

Temperament:

In spite of this being a large cat, they are energetic and yet they don’t like being around boisterous, energetic pets. They are friendly, calm, gentle, and intelligent and enjoy being part of a human family.

They tend to be a bit reserved around strangers. It’s not a demanding cat and can entertain himself with his toys.

The Chausie is a medium to large cat with a long body and long legs. In fact, the hind legs are somewhat longer than their front legs, and they’re able to easily leap into the air and up onto high perches. Some people say these cats look like Pumas.

The adult Afro-Chausie can weigh between 5 to 9kg and they stand in height from 35cm to 45cm and sometimes taller, both male and female.

The ears of the cat are broad and tall and the almond-shaped eyes are a yellow to green shade. The TICA Chausie breed standard says that the cat comes in 3 colors – a black/brown ticked coats, solid black and black grizzled tabby, but in fact, they come in quite a few other colors and patterns too.

Temperament:

Your Afro-Chausie is an intelligent, loyal, social and athletic cat that is also playful. They love their human companions and will form a deep bond with them, making it difficult to rehome him later on.

They don’t like being alone, in fact to such an extent that they will befriend dogs in the home too. This is such an active cat and you can even train him to walk on a leash.

It’s a cat that also loves water and Similar to Bengals and Savannahs, this breed, too, enjoys water. This cat will form deep bonds with owners, hence rehoming has been known to be particularly challenging with this breed

Remember that your large Norwegian Forest cat likes to scratch so you want to provide him with a scratching post. He is so companionable, you want to reward him by ensuring you make his life as easy as possible.

Known as a gentle giant, the beautiful and undemanding Norwegian Forest cat will appreciate a calm household where he can quietly enjoy the companionship of the humans he loves.

The Chausie loves human contact and they love games with their human family.

They’re intelligent and are constantly looking for things to do. They are athletic and have plenty of energy. They’re social, playful and make great playmates for children who have been taught to respect animals.

When you bring an Afro-Chausie into your home, you can expect to have a lot of action and entertainment with this beautiful cat.

The lifespan of this big, longhaired cat is usually 14 to 16 years, but you need to check out kidney and heart disease with this particular breed as well as patellar luxation.

You don’t want your cat having problems with the knee cap as this takes away from his ability to leap, pounce and crouch. It’s when the patella or kneecap is out of place. There may not necessarily be pain for your pet and in fact, your cat may not show any signs of abnormality till the condition has become quite advanced.

Your cat can actually become lame. You want to avoid this with the Norwegian as it's a particularly good climber.

With good health, your Afro Chausie can live to be anything between 12 – 16 years of age. These cats are prone to developing food allergies, and this is why it is important to feed your Chausie high-quality food.

They’ve got fragile digestive systems and many are gluten intolerant.

All kinds of parasites can invade your Afro-Chausie’s body – internally and externally so be sure to have your Chausie checked over for parasites such as tick and fleas, worms and mites.

Check your Chausie for putting on too much weight as these cats have a huge appetite.

You just have to bear in mind that these cats can develop any of the illnesses that other domesticated cats get

The Norwegian has a long coat so you will need to brush it at least twice a week to keep it nice and shiny and free from tangles.

Trim your Norwegian forest cat’s claws. You will need a special nail clipper, but if you're nervous to cut the nails yourself, your vet or pet groomers can do it for you.

Cats battle quite a bit with periodontal disease and an excellent diet can help to prevent this. Cats hate you sticking a toothbrush into their mouths – they can become terrified - and it would b kinder to simply have your cat’s teeth checked out at the vet when you suspect that something might be wrong. At the same time, you can ask to have the inside of your cat’s ears checked for dirt and infection.

Keep your cat’s litter box spotlessly clean. These cats dislike a dirty litter box intensely. Remove all feces every single day – more often even if possible.

One good way to select the best food for your cat is to read the ingredients. The first two ingredients listed on the package should always be meat. Select a high-quality cat food. Keeping Norwegian Forest cats in good health requires high-quality cat food to meet all of your Norwegian forest cat’s nutritional needs.

You can feed your Norwegian Forest cat two meals per day. Always check with your veterinarian for a recommendation on how much and what to feed your cat.

Provide a constant supply of fresh, clean water for your Norwegian Forest cat.The bowl should be in an easy place for your cat to reach and in the shade.

Provide your Norwegian with a soft bed in a quiet, restful place.

Grooming:

With their short coats, they only need to be brushed once a week as they are moderate shedders.

General:

Provide your cat with a quiet place to sleep and which is comfortable and dry.

A cat tree can be useful for allowing your cat to climb and scratch.

Diet:

Chausies are essentially meat-eaters. They don’t want to eat fruit and nuts. One of the Chausie’s ancestors was a wild cat and this is why they don’t eat the same foods as what your dog does.

Every cat thrives on a high-protein, low-carbohydrate diet. A dog’s diet with scraps from the table as well as human food can be fatal for your Chausie if it becomes your cat’s regular food.

He requires a diet of quality meat – beef, chicken, fish and organs – all foods that are easily digestible for your cat. Cats also need taurine from muscle meat such as shellfish and fish.

Always make sure your Chausie has access to a constant supply of fresh, cool water.