Siberian Cats

Siberian Cat Breed Introduction

Siberian cats have long been both Russia's national cat and national secret. The thick-coated Siberian cat breed has only recently made a splash in the West.

Siberian Behavior/Personality

Source: Cat Fanciers' Association Breed Profile

Siberians are often said to be dog-like: they follow around their human family members loyally and often greet them at the door. They are also known as high-jumpers and quite agile cats.

Siberian Breed Standard/Physical Description

Here are some facts on the Siberian breed based on information in the Cat Fanciers' Association breed standard.

• Head: medium-sized or large, modified wedge-shape, broad at the top and narrowing to a rounded muzzle
• Ears: medium-large, tilted slightly forward, rounded and broad-based
• Eyes: medium-sized or large, round except for an angular corner
• Body: medium-long
• Legs: medium-long, back legs slightly longer than front
• Paws: rounded and large
• Tail: a little less long than the body and tapered
• Coat: moderate long to longhair coat with three layers in a variety of colors and patterns

Siberian History

Source: Cat Fanciers Association Breed Profile and Wikipedia (March 2006)

Siberians have been recorded as far back as a thousand years, easily making them one of the oldest cat breeds in the world. Yet they are relatively recent arrivals to the Western world. In fact, they were only brought to the United States in 1990. They are one of the most recent breeds to be granted Championship status in the USA's Cat Fanciers' Association, in February 2006. The breed has quickly become popular, and breeders generally have waiting lists.

The Siberian breed comes from Russia, true to its name. In fact, the Siberian is the national cat breed of Russia. The breed is naturally occurring, which is to say, though it is a housecat breed, it is not the result of selective breeding. Little was written about the breed in Russia during all that time, however. Also, since Russia is so vast-the largest country in the world by land area, crossing 13 time zones-there is a great deal of variation in the cat breed in Russia.

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