- except pointed patterns and chocolate, lilac, cinnamon and fawn.
Permissible
- All colours, including all colours with white
- Any amount of white, i.e. a white blaze, white locket, white chest, white on the belly, white on the paws, etc
Often written Norwegian Forest Cat.
44 breeders are on record here.
Nothing written about this breed yet. The hereditary risks are sourced — read those.
Nobody has written this side yet. It is a judgement rather than data, so it waits for a person — not for a missing source.
Drawn from sources, not opinion: UC Davis VGL — Glycogen Storage Disease type IV (GSD IV) in Norwegian Forest Cats; FIFe breed standard. An empty column means we hold nothing for that side, not that there is nothing to say.
The Norwegian Forest standard is published by the FIFe (Fédération Internationale Féline), the international federation of pedigree-cat clubs, and it is what show judges apply. This section sums up what it says about coat and colour. It does not assess any one animal: use it to know what to ask the breeder.
Semi-long.
The woolly undercoat is covered by a water repellent upper coat which consists of long, coarse and glossy guard hairs covering the back and the sides.
A fully coated cat has a shirtfront, a full frill and knickerbockers.
Permissible
Shortened from FIFe standard NFO — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source. FIFe lists this standard’s last modification as 2025. Text read on 31 Aug 2026.
A tick means FIFe recognises that colour in at least one variety with that pattern. It does not mean every combination is recognised.
| Colour | Solid | Tabby | Smoke | Silver | Golden | With white |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Blue | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Red | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Cream | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Black tortie | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| Blue tortie | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted |
| White | Accepted | Not accepted | Not accepted | Not accepted | Not accepted | Not accepted |
| Amber | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Not accepted | Accepted |
| Light amber | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Not accepted | Accepted |
| Amber tortie | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Not accepted | Accepted |
| Light amber tortie | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Accepted | Not accepted | Accepted |
Read from the table at the end of the FIFe standard. Smoke, silver, golden and corin are FIFe’s own names; the exact EMS codes and the eye colours are in the standard.
The colour varieties FIFe recognises for this breed are listed, with their EMS codes, in the table at the end of its standard. FIFe describes each colour group in the General Part of its standards.
The colours and patterns the standard admits, and what it prefers, discourages or disqualifies in each. An accepted colour says nothing about health. Quotations from the FIFe are in English, as the standard publishes them; the headings are ours.
Known hereditary risks for the Norwegian Forest breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
2 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Documented in this breed, but no source says how many of its dogs carry or have them. That is a gap in the evidence, not a sign they are rare.
Breed-level information from The Cat API. It describes the Norwegian Forest in general; any individual animal can differ.
A recessive defect in the glycogen branching enzyme causes abnormal glycogen build-up in muscle, liver and neurons. Most affected kittens die at or shortly after birth; a minority appear normal until around 5 months old, when development stops and they decline rapidly. UC Davis developed this test specifically for the breed. How common it is now is unclear: a 2007 screen found 58 carriers and 4 affected cats among 402 privately owned Norwegian Forest Cats, but a 2022 screen of over 11,000 cats found only 1 carrier among 121.
What to ask for
UC Davis VGL GSD IV DNA test on both parents.
A recessive enzyme defect causing intermittent haemolytic anaemia, with highly variable age of onset and severity. Norwegian Forest Cat is one of the breeds UC Davis names as appropriate for this test.
What to ask for
UC Davis VGL PK deficiency DNA test on both parents.
A recessive defect in the glycogen branching enzyme causes abnormal glycogen build-up in muscle, liver and neurons. Most affected kittens die at or shortly after birth; a minority appear normal until around 5 months old, when development stops and they decline rapidly. UC Davis developed this test specifically for the breed. How common it is now is unclear: a 2007 screen found 58 carriers and 4 affected cats among 402 privately owned Norwegian Forest Cats, but a 2022 screen of over 11,000 cats found only 1 carrier among 121.
What to ask for
UC Davis VGL GSD IV DNA test on both parents.
A recessive enzyme defect causing intermittent haemolytic anaemia, with highly variable age of onset and severity. Norwegian Forest Cat is one of the breeds UC Davis names as appropriate for this test.
What to ask for
UC Davis VGL PK deficiency DNA test on both parents.