FIFe's official standard of the Norwegian Forest Cat
 
General Size Large
Head Shape Triangular, where all sides are equally long; with good height when seen in profile; forehead slightly rounded; long, straight profile without break in line (no stop)
Chin Firm
Ears Shape Large, with good width at the base; pointed tips; with lynx-like tufts and long hair out of the ears
Placement High and open, so that the outer lines of the ears follow the line of the head down to the chin
Eyes Shape Large and oval, well opened, set slightly oblique
Expression Alert expression
Colour All colours permitted, regardless of coat colour
Body Structure Long, strongly built; solid bone structure
Legs Strong, high on legs, hind legs higher than the front legs
Paws Large, round, in proportion to the legs
Tail Long and bushy, should reach at least to the shoulderblades, but preferably to the neck
Coat Structure Semi long. The woolly undercoat is covered by a smooth, water repellant uppercoat which consists of long, coarse and glossy hair covering the back and the sides. A fully coated cat has a shirtfront, a full frill and knickerbockers
Colour All colours are permitted, including all colours with white; except pointed patterns and chocolate and lilac, cinnamon and fawn. Any amount of white is allowed, i.e. a white blaze, white locket, white chest, white on the belly, white on the paws, etc
Faults General Too small and finely built cats
Head Round or square head; profile with a break (stop)
Ears Small ears; set too widely apart; set too close together
Legs Short legs; thin legs
Tail Short tail
Coat Dry coat; knotted with lumps, too silky

 
Points

100 points
Head General shape, nose, profile, jaw and teeth, chin 20 points
Ears Shape, size and placement 10 points
Eyes Shape, expression 5 points
Body Shape, size, bone structure, legs, shape of paws 25 points
Tail Length and shape 10 points
Coat Quality and texture, length 20 points
  colour and pattern 5 points
Condition 5 points
Remarks
  • Coat is evaluated only on texture and quality
  • Very slow maturing of this breed should be taken into account
  • Mature males may have broader heads than females
  • Length of coat and density of undercoat vary with the seasons
  • Kittens can take up to six months of age to develop guardhairs