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I don't know why the white cats didn't arouse as
much interest originally as the other colors.
Perhaps the breeders preferred working with
colors they perceived to be more popular.
Avedine was the first white to leave Norway, and
that was already 9 years after the FIFé standard
had been granted. But as we've seen, the
"snowcats" were there all along; hunting,
breeding, sleeping by the hearth, and waiting to
join their colored brothers and sisters on the
show podium. They even put in an appearance in
Norse mythology, where they are said by some to
be the famous cats who pulled the chariot of the
goddess Freyja.
much interest originally as the other colors.
Perhaps the breeders preferred working with
colors they perceived to be more popular.
Avedine was the first white to leave Norway, and
that was already 9 years after the FIFé standard
had been granted. But as we've seen, the
"snowcats" were there all along; hunting,
breeding, sleeping by the hearth, and waiting to
join their colored brothers and sisters on the
show podium. They even put in an appearance in
Norse mythology, where they are said by some to
be the famous cats who pulled the chariot of the
goddess Freyja.
White as cherry blossom, white as sea foam, white as whipped cream in a
porcelain dish. They're so glamorous, one could almost be excused for
presuming a white forest cat the result of "creative breeding". Some people
have called them "salon cats", fit only for sitting around on cushions. It has
even been said that white cats, for lack of camouflage, could never survive
in the wild. These are the folks who think the only true Skogkatt is a brown
tabby. Of course, tiger stripes are a great camouflage in the forest, as are
red and tortoise-shell against autumn leaves, and black and blue in a rocky
landscape. All these colors were represented among the first forest cats
exported from Norway. The whites just took a little longer to reach us.
When Jette Eva Madsen (Felis Jubatus) first showed Flatland's Avedine, in
February 1986 in Copenhagen, the purists were shocked. (Maybe jealous?)
"It's an albino," they said. "It's a hybrid!" One ugly name after another. But, as
Jette says, they couldn't stop looking! And they've been looking ever since.
Meanwhile, the beautiful Avedine is European Champion and bears the title
Distinguished Merit in honour of her many titled children -- 25 at present
count, in a variety of colors.
So where do they come from, these white Norwegians? Like all our other
beauties, they come out of the woods, the fjords, and the snow. In Jaeren,
south of Stavanger on the southwest coast of Norway, there are supposed to
be many white Forest Cats running around the countryside. Randi Grotterod
(Torvmyra's) tells of an odd-eyed white cat, born in 1942, that lived on her
grandparents' farm when she was a little girl; it was a famous hunter and
fighter and lived to be 18 years old. Some salon cat! As for the question
about camouflage, she has a succinct answer: "In Norway we have snow
almost 6 months a year."
porcelain dish. They're so glamorous, one could almost be excused for
presuming a white forest cat the result of "creative breeding". Some people
have called them "salon cats", fit only for sitting around on cushions. It has
even been said that white cats, for lack of camouflage, could never survive
in the wild. These are the folks who think the only true Skogkatt is a brown
tabby. Of course, tiger stripes are a great camouflage in the forest, as are
red and tortoise-shell against autumn leaves, and black and blue in a rocky
landscape. All these colors were represented among the first forest cats
exported from Norway. The whites just took a little longer to reach us.
When Jette Eva Madsen (Felis Jubatus) first showed Flatland's Avedine, in
February 1986 in Copenhagen, the purists were shocked. (Maybe jealous?)
"It's an albino," they said. "It's a hybrid!" One ugly name after another. But, as
Jette says, they couldn't stop looking! And they've been looking ever since.
Meanwhile, the beautiful Avedine is European Champion and bears the title
Distinguished Merit in honour of her many titled children -- 25 at present
count, in a variety of colors.
So where do they come from, these white Norwegians? Like all our other
beauties, they come out of the woods, the fjords, and the snow. In Jaeren,
south of Stavanger on the southwest coast of Norway, there are supposed to
be many white Forest Cats running around the countryside. Randi Grotterod
(Torvmyra's) tells of an odd-eyed white cat, born in 1942, that lived on her
grandparents' farm when she was a little girl; it was a famous hunter and
fighter and lived to be 18 years old. Some salon cat! As for the question
about camouflage, she has a succinct answer: "In Norway we have snow
almost 6 months a year."
In modern times, the first white to be shown was a cat named Noste. Jette
fell in love with her photo in “Skogkatten”, the Norsk Skogkattring’s
newsletter, and jumped at the chance to buy a white kitten from a new litter
at Rigmor Syverstad’s Flatland's Cattery. That was Avedine, daughter of
Christiana's Rudolph, a brown mackerel tabby, and a lovely white lady named
Claire.
fell in love with her photo in “Skogkatten”, the Norsk Skogkattring’s
newsletter, and jumped at the chance to buy a white kitten from a new litter
at Rigmor Syverstad’s Flatland's Cattery. That was Avedine, daughter of
Christiana's Rudolph, a brown mackerel tabby, and a lovely white lady named
Claire.
Behind Claire's name in our pedigrees one sees only two blank spaces, but
the courtship of Claire's parents is one of the great Skogkatt romances.
Mama was a black-and-white, one of 5 novice cats belonging to Ms
Syverstad about 10 years ago. Papa was a macho white guy, who hung
around the woods near the house, but was too shy (or too wary) to come
inside. He doesn't have an official name, but to me he's "Wotan the White
Wanderer".
I've often imagined how it must have been. Some folks might say he was a
ne'er-do-well, that he was taking advantage of Claire's mother in order to
cadge a free meal. But I prefer to think it was true love. He tried to talk his
lady friend into running away to a life under the stars. He hung around night
after night, playing his guitar and singing under her window, until finally they
let her come out to join him. The honeymoon was passionate but brief. Of
course she loved him. But how could she desert her humans? They'd always
been so good to her. And how would she take care of her babies when
winter came? Why didn't Wotan come in and live with them? He was tempted.
And it tickled his heart to think of the little ones coming. But he couldn't
picture himself lying around on a sofa and having his picture taken, being
combed and bathed, and hauled around for people to ooh! and aah! over,
and talk about his ears and tail. Man's got his pride after all, man's gotta
hang on to his liberty. And so he went his way, waving his plumy tail, a little
heavier of heart, but drying his tears and singing, like Cole Porter's Wildcat
Kelly: "Don't Fence Me In". Claire's mama was sad, but when the kittens
came she knew she'd made the right decision; her humans were happy, and
her babies had a home. And little Claire turned out just like her handsome
white father. It was only on full-moon nights that Mama allowed herself to
think back to the days of her great love story.
the courtship of Claire's parents is one of the great Skogkatt romances.
Mama was a black-and-white, one of 5 novice cats belonging to Ms
Syverstad about 10 years ago. Papa was a macho white guy, who hung
around the woods near the house, but was too shy (or too wary) to come
inside. He doesn't have an official name, but to me he's "Wotan the White
Wanderer".
I've often imagined how it must have been. Some folks might say he was a
ne'er-do-well, that he was taking advantage of Claire's mother in order to
cadge a free meal. But I prefer to think it was true love. He tried to talk his
lady friend into running away to a life under the stars. He hung around night
after night, playing his guitar and singing under her window, until finally they
let her come out to join him. The honeymoon was passionate but brief. Of
course she loved him. But how could she desert her humans? They'd always
been so good to her. And how would she take care of her babies when
winter came? Why didn't Wotan come in and live with them? He was tempted.
And it tickled his heart to think of the little ones coming. But he couldn't
picture himself lying around on a sofa and having his picture taken, being
combed and bathed, and hauled around for people to ooh! and aah! over,
and talk about his ears and tail. Man's got his pride after all, man's gotta
hang on to his liberty. And so he went his way, waving his plumy tail, a little
heavier of heart, but drying his tears and singing, like Cole Porter's Wildcat
Kelly: "Don't Fence Me In". Claire's mama was sad, but when the kittens
came she knew she'd made the right decision; her humans were happy, and
her babies had a home. And little Claire turned out just like her handsome
white father. It was only on full-moon nights that Mama allowed herself to
think back to the days of her great love story.
All the same, it's a true story. The white
vagabond ate all the food that was put down for
him, but could never be lured into the house.
In the end, Ms Syverstad took the risk of
allowing some of her females outdoors, in
hopes of getting a mating, and Claire was the
result. Claire herself had only one litter, but
through her daughter Avedine has found her
way into Skogkatt legend and some of our
classiest pedigrees.
vagabond ate all the food that was put down for
him, but could never be lured into the house.
In the end, Ms Syverstad took the risk of
allowing some of her females outdoors, in
hopes of getting a mating, and Claire was the
result. Claire herself had only one litter, but
through her daughter Avedine has found her
way into Skogkatt legend and some of our
classiest pedigrees.
At the FIFé World Show in Geneva (1994) there
were 14 whites among the 121 forest cats
registered -- a high percentage considering
were 14 whites among the 121 forest cats
registered -- a high percentage considering
our 9 color groups. In Germany's "Top Twenty 1993", the Norwegians were
represented by a beautiful white female, EC Ingrid-Sletten Felis Jubatus
(owned by Ulrike Wahl). In Denmark, last year's "Top Ten" adult cats included
two white NFO males, EC Harald Rein Felis Jubatus (owners, Minna and Kjeld
Krogh), and GIC Norsk Skogkatt Felis Jubatus (Jette Madsen and Martin
Kristensen). The latter compounded his honors by being, in the very same
year, one of the "Top Ten" kittens as well! Judith Zuurveld notes that in the
Netherlands group 9 has become one of the most popular and successful,
and that almost every breeder owns at least one white cat.
They're with us to stay now; one sees them at every show and, more often
than not, on the platform for the final nominations and bests as well. From
the public one hears cries of delight rather than shock: "Oh, isn't she
beautiful! Do they really come in white too?" Oh yes, they really do. The
white forest cats. White as winter moonlight. White as innocence. White as
snow.
Paula Swepston © May, 1994
Chatterie de la Maison Forte
Club des Chats des Forêts Norvégiennes (FIFé)
France
This article has been altered and to read the entire version, PLEASE visit
Paula's site.
represented by a beautiful white female, EC Ingrid-Sletten Felis Jubatus
(owned by Ulrike Wahl). In Denmark, last year's "Top Ten" adult cats included
two white NFO males, EC Harald Rein Felis Jubatus (owners, Minna and Kjeld
Krogh), and GIC Norsk Skogkatt Felis Jubatus (Jette Madsen and Martin
Kristensen). The latter compounded his honors by being, in the very same
year, one of the "Top Ten" kittens as well! Judith Zuurveld notes that in the
Netherlands group 9 has become one of the most popular and successful,
and that almost every breeder owns at least one white cat.
They're with us to stay now; one sees them at every show and, more often
than not, on the platform for the final nominations and bests as well. From
the public one hears cries of delight rather than shock: "Oh, isn't she
beautiful! Do they really come in white too?" Oh yes, they really do. The
white forest cats. White as winter moonlight. White as innocence. White as
snow.
Paula Swepston © May, 1994
Chatterie de la Maison Forte
Club des Chats des Forêts Norvégiennes (FIFé)
France
This article has been altered and to read the entire version, PLEASE visit
Paula's site.