- Permissible: All colour varieties, including all colour varieties with white
- except pointed patterns and chocolate and lilac, cinnamon and fawn.
- Permissible: Any amount of white, i.e. a white blaze, white locket, white chest, white on the belly, white on the paws, etc
About the Siberian
Origin: Russia
- Typical life span
- 11-18 years
- Size
- Large — from its typical weight
- Weight
- 6.8-9.1 kg
- Height
- 33-43 cm
- Registry status
- Recognised by TICA
- Breed group
- Long-haired
- Origin
- Russia
- Known hereditary risks
- 3 documented conditions, with the test for each
About
What is a Siberian?
Large, powerful cat with long triple coat and strong build. Russia's national cat adapted to harsh Siberian climate.
Siberian history and origins
Ancient natural breed that developed in Russia's harsh Siberian forests. Considered Russia's national cat. Known for potentially hypoallergenic qualities due to lower Fel d 1 protein levels.
Siberian appearance and size
Typically 6.8-9.1 kg and 33-43 cm at the shoulder — published as one range rather than separately for males and females.
Siberian temperament and personality
Generally described as curious, intelligent, loyal, sweet, agile, playful, affectionate and adventurous.
That is the breed in general, not a promise about one animal. Ask the breeder what their own line is like, and meet the parents before you decide.
Breed reference from The Cat API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Large
- Exercise needs
- —
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 5 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 4 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- 3 conditions documented
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Siberian
What you get with the Siberian
- Commonly described as: “Curious, Intelligent, Loyal, Sweet”
What you are taking on
- 3 serious inherited conditions are documented, mainly in heart & circulation and kidneys & urinary. The health guide tab has the test to ask for on each.
- High grooming needs — the standard’s own description is “The winter coat shows a well-developed shirtfront, full frill and knickerbockers.”
- Expect a lot of shedding — “Summer coat is distinctly shorter than the winter coat.”
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. The Cat API; UC Davis VGL — PKD1 test; FIFe breed standard. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FIFe standard · Siberian
Coat and colour
As the FIFe standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording, tagged permissible.
Coat
Summer coat is distinctly shorter than the winter coat.
The winter coat shows a well-developed shirtfront, full frill and knickerbockers.
- Semi-long
- Well developed
- Very dense
- Undercoat not lying flat
- Overcoat water repellent
- Slightly hard to touch
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FIFe’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FIFe standard SIB — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
Temperament
CuriousIntelligentLoyalSweetAgilePlayfulAffectionateAdventurous
Breed-level information from The Cat API. It describes the Siberian in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
Health & screening guide for the Siberian
Known hereditary risks for the Siberian 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.
3 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Heart & circulation
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)
Serious
A thickening of the heart muscle that can lead to heart failure, blood clots or sudden death, and is the most common heart disease in cats generally. HCM is specifically documented in Siberians, but — unlike Maine Coon and Ragdoll — no causative mutation has been confirmed in this breed, so a DNA result cannot stand in for a cardiac exam.
What to ask for
A recent echocardiogram report from a veterinary cardiologist for both parents. No DNA test exists for HCM in this breed
Kidneys & urinary
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD1)
Serious
An inherited kidney disease in which fluid-filled cysts form in both kidneys, often visible before 12 months old, and enlarge over the cat's life until they cause renal failure, usually later on. UC Davis names Siberian specifically as an appropriate breed for this test, alongside Devon Rex and the Persian-derived breeds where the mutation originated.
What to ask for
PKD1 DNA test on both parents, showing an N/N (clear) result
1 source
Blood
Erythrocyte pyruvate kinase deficiency (PK deficiency)
Serious
An inherited haemolytic anaemia in which red blood cells break down early, causing intermittent lethargy, weakness, jaundice and weight loss; onset age and severity both vary and cannot be predicted from the genotype alone. UC Davis found the mutation at meaningful frequency in Siberians specifically, not just as a generic domestic-cat finding.
What to ask for
PK deficiency DNA test on both parents, showing an N/N (clear) result
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Siberian owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Kittens
No kittens listed right now
That is not the same as none existing. Publishing a litter is part of a breeder's subscription here, so a Siberian breeder can have a litter and no listing — ask them directly.
See Siberian breeders