Norwegian Forest Cats Switzerland
Breeder- and Kittenplatform
The Norwegian Forest Cat
Keeping
and care of the Norwegian Forest Cat
Keeping:
A
safe home for the cat? If you want to share your home with a cat,
please make sure that there are no harmful or even poisonous plants, no
cleaning agents or drugs within the cat’s reach. Also bear in mind that
delicate goods and furniture might be in danger or even be a danger for your
new companion.
One or two cats? Cats usually aren’t loners. If you are around all
day, you are a sufficient companion – but if this is not the case, you
should consider a pal for you cat. Ideally you get two kittens from the same
litter – as they know each other and will most certainly get along very
well. If you already have a cat and want to introduce a second one, it is
recommended to look out for a youngster of ideally three or four months of
age.
Cats and other pets? If accustomed to each other from a very young
age, cats and other pets (e.g. dogs) get along quite well. It is obviously
very risky to try to accustom a cat to smaller animals such as rodents, as
they represent the natural prey of a cat.
Dangerous bottom hung windows! Bottom hung windows are a deadly
trap for cats. Cats can easily slip and get jammed – often with fatal
consequences! Special protection devices are available in hardware shops.
Train a cat? Compared to a dog, cats are certainly much less prone
to training. Having said that, though, your cat will (more or less) learn
the do’s and don’ts in your home, most of them react to their names and some
of them even do learn certain tricks.
Do’s and don’ts: When introducing
certain “rules” to your cat, you must be absolutely consequent. It the cat
does anything it is not supposed to do, a clear “no” is absolutely
sufficient – your cat will know very well what you mean – if, and only if
the cat is “caught in the act”!
Do NEVER hit your cat or deprive it from food in order
to enforce any rule!
Cats and kids? At first sight, cats and small kids don’t seem to
have much in common: Cats prefer a quiet, unagitated and relaxed atmosphere,
while small kids tend to be excited, animated, often hectic in their moves,
sometimes also – although involuntarily – rude. Experience show that cats
and kids do get along well, interaction with a cat (or a pet in general) has
a very positive influence of the kind’s development.
Litter box: Cats are very cleanly and
neat by nature. To train them to use the litter box is in most cases no
problem at all, as kittens already learn to use the litter box at the
breeder’s house.
If a cat suddenly refuses to use the litter box and
relieves itself anywhere in your home, there could be several explanations.
In most cases the litter box is not clean enough (from the cat’s point of
view), or it has a medical condition you might want to discuss with the vet.
Source:
English translation out of the book “Ihr Hobby Norwegische Waldkatzen”,
Kieselbach / Walz
Care
This semi-long-haired cat does not need much help in
taking care of its beautiful coat. Its rough tongue is perfectly suited to
clean and comb its coat, and it usually spends quite some time for grooming
every day.
To help the cat to keep its claws in shape (and
to protect your furniture!) a robust scratching post will do the trick.
Norwegian
Forest Cats do not require daily grooming by a human. Comb and brush are
only used in spring, when the cat starts to lose its thick winter coat. Use
a brush with soft, natural bristles and a metal comb with evenly spaced pins
to carefully remove possible knots in the coat.
By
brushing your cat every once in a while, you can help to limit hairballs.
Semi longhaired and longhaired cats regularly swallow a certain amount of
hair when cleaning their coat. This can lead to the cat throwing up
hairballs from time to time. Most cats love to be brushed – and you will,
too; as this also limits the shedding in your home.
In
general you do not need to bath your cat. Exceptions are massive staining or
certain medical conditions. In such a case, do ONLY use special cat shampoo
(available at your vet’s).
If your
cat’s coat is stained / clotted, it is usually better to carefully remove
the stains / knots with scissors or a razor. It grows back within only a few
weeks.
Quelle: Buch Waldkatzen Ortrun Wagner
