Thankyou for checking out our beautiful Norwegian Forest kittens, also known as the Norsk Skogkatt, and by their nickname Wegie (wee-gee).

Before we get into how to care for your NFC (Norwegian Forest Cat), let’s talk a little about the NFC’s themselves. The NFC came from the “Land of the Midnight Sun”, just below the Artic Circle. It developed a double-layered coat, which consists of a dense undercoat and long guard hairs. They have tufted feet and ears which, along with their coat helped protect them from the cold, wet, icy landscape that they originated from. A place where the mountains, valleys, lakes, and streams come together with Mother Nature to make this place like no other.

The NFC had no natural enemies except the weather, so there are relaxed, proud, competent individual with no need to be defensive or aggressive, and quite prepared to be friendly even though they once lived in the wild. These beautiful cat’s can also live up to 20 years so they are truly a friend for life.

These intelligent, gentle giants, which grow to an average of 9kg, can be taught to walk on a harness, sit, fetch and retrieve, even use the toilet and turn lights off at night. Keep in mind that positive praise and treats are needed if you wish your cat to learn these.

Overall, the NFC’s are friendly, playful, full of mischief, and very loveable. They adjust quickly, learn rapidly, and are happy to be around children and other pets. Also perhaps the most intelligent and alert breed of cat in existence. A Norwegian wants to be involved in everything you do. They really appear to understand what you are feeling.

CARING FOR YOUR KITTEN

Now that you have chosen your kitten and you are bringing it home you will need a number of things to make the kitten more comfortable in your home.


FOOD
It is better to start your kitten on the same food that the breeder has been using. With all of our kitten’s we supply a kitten pack, which includes samples of the feed we use and other fun bits and pieces. We use and recommend Royal Canin for our NFC’s. It costs a little more than the likes of Whisker’s, but it is concentrated. This means you would use a lot less. It is also better quality for your cat and comes in a variety of blends which include Babycat for very young kittens and Kitten 34 for kittens up to 1 year (8 months for NFC’s). Then there is Indoor, and Intense Hairball, both of which are great for the NFC. I mix 1 part Intense Hairball to 2 parts Indoor for all my older cats.
If you wish to change the brand of food please do it gradually, as a sudden change can cause the kitten to get diarrhoea, which could be life-threatening.

Make sure that they have a fresh bowl of water available at all times. You can also treat them to some lactose free milk if you wish, but don’t get them into a habit of drinking milk instead of water.


TREATS
If you wish to teach your cat to walk on a harness etc, Whisker’s Cravers are great. NFC’s love them!



LITTER TRAY AND LITTER
A kitten sized litter tray will be perfect for your new family member. As they are quite a large breed of cat you will need to purchase a larger tray at around 5 to 6 months of age. Using the same litter as the breeder will help your kitten settle quicker. A sample of this is also included in your kitten pack. If you wish to change the brand just gradually mix in the new litter.


WORMING AND FLEAING
We use and recommend Revolution. Not only does it treat adult fleas, flea eggs, and flea larvae, it also treats ear mites, sarcoptic mites, hookworms, roundworms and even heartworms. It’s easy to apply and is waterproof after only 2 hours. For the treatment of tapeworm you could also use an all wormer such as Drontal. Using both Revolution and the all wormer is safe for your cat.


CLEANING KITTIES TEETH
Your cat’s teeth should be cleaned twice a week. Cleaning kits are available from vets and pet shops. Should tartar build up, it may be removed gently with the blunt end of a nailfile. He will not like his teeth cleaned, but persist and he will learn to accept it. Bad teeth can cause kidney damage and reduced immunity in cats, not to mention causing them much pain.


GROOMING
Due to the NFC’s coat they do not need bathing. Sometimes however, it may be necessary. Do not do this too often with a Norwegian Forest Cat though, as the coat is meant to have natural water-resistant oils and detergent can wash this away, leaving the coat dry which will cause it to matt badly.

You can groom your cat’s coat once a week with a soft bristled brush. This will limit fur balls. You can also use a nice grooming powder for cats along with a slicker brush for a show finish, this will also make your cat smell pretty. Keep in mind that if you do wish to show your kitten, some clubs are strict on using powders, so make sure you check out their show rules first.

You can gently remove any deposits in the corner of the cats eyes with a moist tissue and clean the ears with a cotton bud moistened with baby oil. Do not poke the cotton bud in the ear canal, simply remove any dirt from the inside of the ear flap itself.


If you wish to trim your kitten’s claws use pet clippers. Scissors or nail clippers can cause the claws to split. Hold the cat firmly in your lap and gently press the pad of its paw with your fingers to make the claws extend. Examine the nail carefully. The main part includes the pinkish-coloured quick containing the nerves and blood vessels. You must NOT cut this. The white tips are dead tissue and can be cut, but not closer than 2mm to the quick.



VACCINATIONS
All of our kitten’s come with up to date vaccination’s. You will find their vaccination card in the kitten pack provided. Kittens have a vaccination at 8 weeks, 12 weeks, and 16 weeks, then once a year after. Once you take your kitten home it’s up to you to keep them up to date to it’s health.



PET COVER
Pet cover is not compulsory. However you may like to check out all the details at www.petplan.com. When you take your kitten home it is automatically covered by us for 6 weeks free of charge. The coupon is in your kitten pack. Once the 6 weeks is over you may want to look your pet cover options.
The best plan I recommend is available from www.petplan.com, Supreme Petplan cover for cats. It covers you for up to $10,000 on injury and illness’s per year. This great plan is only around $20.50 per month. It even covers you if your cat is stolen, strays or in the event of death. Make sure that you read the policy before taking out any pet cover though, just so that you understand what is covered in your plan and what is not.


I’m sure you will enjoy the company of the Norwegian Forest Cat as much as we do.