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Aww! Syb was gorgeous. Thank you for the information! I thought Alice might be a Norwegian Forest Cat but wasn't sure. We live in the Toronto area and last winter was pretty cold. We first saw Alice last January, and at various times through the winter walking on our lawn and through the fields etc. We would put food out but she was too scared to come near us. She was so skinny and I'm pretty sure her dense fur coat is the only reason she survived. Finally we were able to secure her in our garage, and took her in for much needed vet care. Now she lives the good life with our other 3 male cats. Which by the way she started bossing around almost immediately lolBeautiful girl she is, like my Sybil...Syb was part Norwegian Forest cat part Siberian, ( see my profile pic) which your girl looks like too. Forest cats have two layers of thick fur and tend to have matt issues. Syb also hated brushing but she let me shave her so I recommend trying that, if the mats are very bad you may need to take her to the dvm to remove them. Be very, very careful if you try to cut them, use some vegetable oil, make sure a comb is placed against the skin and cut out what you can. If you have it done get someone experienced to do it. Don’t ever cut the fur without a comb against the skin you risk cutting the skin and it is too risky.
Even if she seems ok, I guarantee those mats are uncomfortable if not painful and she will be very glad they are gone however it happens.
I shaved Syb every spring and it controlled the mats and fleas. I gave her a lion cut leaving her poof end of tail, boots and face fluff. She let me brush her a bit with a slicker once a week but her fav was the furminator in later years. It removes the undercoat very well which is what causes the matting. The outer coat in nfc, guard coat long hairs, are oily and act as a waterproofing, so they can run around in snow etc and not get wet and cold, Syb loved snow
Norwegian Forest Cat - zooplus Magazine
Appearance
Like the Maine Coon and Ragdoll, the Norwegian Forest cat has semi-long fur. Its two-layer fur consists of water-repellent top hair with longer guard hairs and a thick undercoat. As with the Siberian cat, the Norwegian Forest cat changes its coat with the seasons: the winter coat with the thick underlayer is incredibly plushy and keeps the cat warm during the bitterly cold winter months in its homeland. As is the case with many long-haired cat breeds, there are even tufts of hair between the toes. The crown around the neck is prominently developed and very fluffy. In summer, the Norwegian Forest cat loses a significant amount of its undercoat, but maintains its bushy tail and “snowshoes”, or the tufts of hair between the paw pads.
By the way, the Norwegian's fur texture differs greatly compared to the Maine Coon, even though the two breeds look similar at first glance. The Norwegian Forest cat's water-repellent top hairs are often slightly oily and heavy, making the fur a little shaggy and less silky than the American wildcat's coat. The Norwegians are quite simply perfectly adapted to temperatures below 30 degrees Celsius and heavy rain!
How to Remove Mats From a Longhaired Cat (Vet-Approved Advice)
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