RUI - Breed and colors

COAT: distinguishing double coat, consisting of a dense undercoat, covered by long, glossy and smooth water-resistant guard hairs hanging down the sides. The bib consists of three separate sections: short collar at neck, side mutton chops, and frontal ruff. Britches are full on the hind legs. The coat may be fuller in the winter than the summer because the dense undercoat has its full development in the winter. Softer coats are permitted in shaded, solid and bicolor cats. Type and quality of coat is of primary importance; color and pattern are secondary.

PATTERNS: every color and pattern is allowable with the exception of those showing hybridization resulting in the colors chocolate, sable, lavender, lilac, cinnamon, fawn, point-restricted (Himalayan type markings), or these colors with white.

COLORS AND PATTERN: the color and pattern should be clear and distinct. In the case of the classic, mackerel and spotted tabbies the pattern should be well-marked and even.

DISQUALIFY: severe break in nose, square muzzle, whisker pinch, long rectangular body, cobby body, incorrect number of toes, crossed eyes, kinked or abnormal tail, delicate bone structure, malocclusion resulting in either undershot or overshot chin, cats showing evidence of hybridization resulting in the colors chocolate, sable, lavender, lilac, cinnamon, fawn, or point-restricted (Himalayan-type markings) or these colors with white.

EYE COLOR: eye color should be shades of green, gold, green-gold or copper. White cats and cats with white may have blue or odd eyes.

NOSE LEATHER AND PAW PADS: any color or combination of colors, not necessarily related to coat color except where so noted. Cats with white on feet may have pink paw pads or they may be bi- or multi-colored.

BUTTONS AND LOCKETS: allowable on any color and/or pattern. Cats with buttons and/or lockets shall be judged as their basic color with no penalty for such locket and/or button.

WHITE: pure glistening white. Nose leather and paw pads: pink desirable.

BLACK: dense coal black, sound from roots to tip of fur. Nose leather: black desirable. Paw pads: black desirable.

BLUE: one level tone from nose to tip of tail, sound to the roots. Nose leather and paw pads: blue desirable.

RED: deep, rich, clear, brilliant red; without shading, markings, or ticking. Nose leather and paw pads: brick red desirable.

CREAM: one level shade of buff cream, without markings. Sound to the roots. Lighter shades preferred. Nose leather and paw pads: pink desirable.

CHINCHILLA SILVER: undercoat pure white. Coat on back, flanks, head, and tail sufficiently tipped with black to give the characteristic sparkling silver appearance. Legs may be slightly shaded with tipping. Chin, ear tufts, stomach, and chest, pure white. Rims of eyes, lips, and nose outlined with black. Nose leather: brick red desirable. Paw pads: black desirable.

SHADED SILVER: undercoat white with a mantle of black tipping shading down from sides, face, and tail from dark on the ridge to white on the chin, chest, stomach and under the tail. Legs to be the same tone as the face. The general effect to be much darker than a chinchilla. Rims of eyes, lips, and nose outlined with black. Nose leather: brick red desirable. Paw pads: black desirable.

CHINCHILLA GOLDEN: undercoat rich warm cream. Coat on back, flanks, head, and tail sufficiently tipped with black to give golden appearance. Legs may be slightly shaded with tipping. Chin, ear tufts, stomach, and chest, cream. Rims of eyes, lips, and nose outlined with black. Nose leather: deep rose desirable. Paw pads: black desirable.

SHADED GOLDEN: undercoat rich warm cream with a mantle of black tipping shading down from the sides, face, and tail from dark on the ridge to cream on the chin, chest, stomach, and under the tail. Legs to be the same tone as the face. The general effect to be much darker than a chinchilla. Rims of eyes, lips, and nose outlined with black. Nose leather: deep rose desirable. Paw pads: black desirable.

SHELL CAMEO (Red Chinchilla): undercoat white, the coat on the back, flanks, head, and tail to be sufficiently tipped with red to give the characteristic sparkling appearance. Face and legs may be very slightly shaded with tipping. Chin, ear tufts, stomach, and chest, white. Nose leather and paw pads: rose desirable.

SHADED CAMEO (Red Shaded): undercoat white with a mantle of red tipping shading down the sides, face, and tail from dark on the ridge to white on the chin, chest, stomach, and under the tail. Legs to be the same tone as face. The general effect to be much redder than the shell cameo. Nose leather and paw pads: rose desirable.

SHELL TORTOISESHELL: undercoat white. Coat on the back, flanks, head, and tail to be delicately tipped in black with well-defined patches of red and cream tipped hairs as in the pattern of the tortoiseshell. Face and legs may be slightly shaded with tipping. Chin, ear tufts, stomach, and chest, white to very slightly tipped. Blaze of red or cream tipping on face is desirable.

SHADED TORTOISESHELL: undercoat white. Mantle of black tipping and clearly defined patches of red and cream tipped hairs as in the pattern of the tortoiseshell. Shading down the sides, face, and tail from dark on the ridge to slightly tipped or white on the chin, chest, stomach, legs, and under the tail. The general effect is to be much darker than the shell tortoiseshell. Blaze of red or cream tipping on the face is desirable.

BLACK SMOKE: white undercoat, deeply tipped with black. Cat in repose appears black. In motion the white undercoat is clearly apparent. Points and mask (i.e., face, ears, paws and tip of tail) black with narrow band of white at base of hairs next to skin which may be seen only when fur is parted. Light silver frill and ear tufts. Nose leather and paw pads: black desirable.

BLUE SMOKE: white undercoat, deeply tipped with blue. Cat in repose appears blue. In motion the white undercoat is clearly apparent. Points and mask (i.e., face, ears, paws and tip of tail) blue with narrow band of white at base of hairs next to skin which may be seen only when fur is parted. White frill and ear tufts. Nose leather and paw pads: blue desirable.

CREAM SMOKE: white undercoat, deeply tipped with cream. Cat in repose appears cream. In motion the white undercoat is clearly apparent. Points and mask (i.e., face, ears, paws and tip of tail) cream with narrow band of white at base of hairs next to skin which may be seen only when fur is parted. White frill and ear tufts. Nose leather and paw pads: pink desirable.

CAMEO SMOKE (Red Smoke): white undercoat, deeply tipped with red. Cat in repose appears red. In motion the white undercoat is clearly apparent. Points and mask (i.e., face, ears, paws and tip of tail) red, with narrow band of white at base of hairs next to skin which may be seen only when fur is parted. White frill and ear tufts. Nose leather, rims of eyes and paw pads: rose desirable.

SMOKE TORTOISESHELL: white undercoat, deeply tipped with black with clearly defined unbrindled patches of red and cream tipped hairs as in the pattern of the tortoiseshell. Cat in repose appears tortoiseshell. In motion the white undercoat is clearly apparent. Points and mask (i.e., face, ears, paws, tip of tail) tortoiseshell pattern with narrow band of white at the base of the hairs next to the skin that may be seen only when fur is parted.White ruff and ear tufts. Blaze of red or cream tipping on face is desirable.

BLUE-CREAM SMOKE: white undercoat deeply tipped with blue, with clearly defined patches of cream as in the pattern of the blue-cream. Cat in repose appears blue-cream. In motion the white undercoat is clearly apparent. Points and mask (i.e., face, ears, paw, tip of tail) blue-cream pattern with narrow band of white at the base of the hair next to the skin that may be seen only when fur is parted. White ruff and ear tufts. Blaze of cream tipping on face is desirable.

CLASSIC TABBY PATTERN: markings dense, clearly defined, and broad. Legs evenly barred with bracelets coming up to meet the body markings. Tail evenly ringed. Several necklaces on neck and upper chest, with locket allowed. Frown marks on forehead form an intricate letter "M." Unbroken line runs back from outer corner of eye. Swirls on cheeks. Vertical lines over back of head extend to shoulder markings which are in the shape of a butterfly with both upper and lower wings distinctly outlined and marked with dots inside outline. Back markings consist of a vertical line down the spine from butterfly to tail with a vertical stripe paralleling it on each side, the three stripes separated by stripes of the ground color. Large solid blotch on each side to be encircled by one or more unbroken rings. Side markings should be the same on both sides. Double vertical rows of buttons on chest and stomach. White buttons and/or lockets allowed.

MACKEREL TABBY PATTERN: markings dense, clearly defined, and all narrow pencillings. Legs evenly barred with narrow bracelets coming up to meet the body markings. Tail barred. Necklaces on neck and chest distinct; white locket allowed. Head barred with an "M" on the forehead. Unbroken lines running back from the eyes. Lines running down the head to meet the shoulders. Spine lines run together to form a narrow saddle. Narrow pencillings run around body. White buttons and/or lockets allowed.

PATCHED TABBY PATTERN: a patched tabby (torbie) is an established silver, brown, blue or blue-silver tabby with patches of red and/or cream. White buttons and/or lockets allowed.

SPOTTED TABBY PATTERN: markings on the body to be spotted. May vary in size and shape with preference given to round, evenly distributed spots. Spots should not run together in a broken mackerel pattern. A dorsal stripe runs the length of the body to the tip of the tail. The stripe is ideally composed of spots. The markings on the face and forehead shall be typically tabby markings. Underside of the body to have "vest buttons." Legs and tail are barred. White buttons and/or lockets allowed.

TICKED TABBY PATTERN: body hairs to be ticked with various shades of marking color and ground color. Body when viewed from top to be free from noticeable spots, stripes or blotches, except for darker dorsal shading. Lighter underside may show tabby markings. Face, legs and tail must show distinct tabby striping. White buttons and/or lockets allowed.

BROWN PATCHED TABBY: ground color brilliant coppery brown with classic or mackerel tabby markings of dense black with patches of red and/or cream clearly defined on both body and extremities; a blaze of red and/or cream on the face is desirable. Lips and chin the same shade as the rings around the eyes.

BLUE PATCHED TABBY: ground color, including lips and chin, pale bluish ivory with classic or mackerel tabby markings of very deep blue affording a good contrast with ground color. Patches of cream clearly defined on both body and extremities; a blaze of cream on the face is desirable. Warm fawn overtones or patina over the whole.

SILVER PATCHED TABBY: ground color, including lips and chin, pale silver with classic or mackerel tabby markings of dense black with patches of red and/or cream clearly defined on both body and extremities. A blaze of red and/or cream on the face is desirable.

SILVER TABBY (classic, mackerel, spotted, ticked): ground color, including lips and chin, pale, clear silver. Markings dense black. Nose leather: brick red desirable. Paw pads: black desirable.

BLUE-SILVER TABBY (classic, mackerel, spotted, ticked): ground color pale, clear silver. Markings a deep blue affording a good contrast with ground color. White trim around chin and lip allowed. Nose leather: old rose desirable. Paw pads: rose desirable.

BLUE-SILVER PATCHED TABBY: ground color pale, clear silver with classic or mackerel tabby markings of a deep blue affording a good contrast with the ground color. Patches of cream clearly defined on both body and extremities; a blaze of cream on the face is desirable. White trim around chin and lip allowed.

RED TABBY (classic, mackerel, spotted, ticked): ground color red. Markings deep, rich red. Lips and chin red. Nose leather and paw pads: brick red desirable.

BROWN TABBY (classic, mackerel, spotted, ticked): ground color brilliant coppery brown. Markings dense black. Back of leg black from paw to heel. Nose leather and paw pads: black or brown desirable.

BLUE TABBY (classic, mackerel, spotted, ticked): ground color, including lips and chin, pale bluish ivory. Markings a very deep blue affording a good contrast with ground color. Warm fawn overtones or patina over the whole. Nose leather and paw pads: rose desirable.

CREAM TABBY (classic, mackerel, spotted, ticked): ground color, including lips and chin, very pale cream. Markings of buff or cream sufficiently darker than the ground color to afford good contrast, but remaining within the dilute color range. Nose leather and paw pads: pink desirable.

CREAM SILVER TABBY (classic, mackerel, spotted, ticked): Markings cream. Undercoat white. Nose letter and paw pads: pink desirable.

CAMEO TABBY (classic, mackerel, spotted, ticked): markings red. Undercoat white. Nose leather and paw pads: rose desirable.

TORTOISESHELL: black with patches of red or softly intermingled area of red on both body and extremities. Presence of several shades of red acceptable.

CALICO: white with unbrindled patches of black and red. As a preferred minimum, the cat should have white feet, legs, undersides, chest, and muzzle. Inverted "V" blaze on face desirable.

DILUTE CALICO: white with unbrindled patches of blue and cream. As a preferred minimum, the cat should have white feet, legs, undersides, chest, and muzzle. Inverted "V" blaze on face desirable.

BLUE-CREAM: blue with patches of solid cream. Patches clearly defined and well broken on both body and extremities.

BI-COLOR: black and white, blue and white, red and white, or cream and white.

VAN BI-COLOR: black and white, blue and white, red and white, or cream and white. White cat with color confined to the extremities; head, tail, and legs. One or two small colored patches on body allowable.

VAN CALICO: white cat with unbrindled patches of black and red confined to the extremities; head, tail, and legs. One or two small colored patches on body allowable.

VAN DILUTE CALICO: white cat with unbrindled patches of blue and cream confined to the extremities; head, tail, and legs. One or two small colored patches on body allowable.

(NOTE: cats having more than two small body spots should be shown in the regular bi-color class.)

TABBY AND WHITE: white with colored portions, the colored portions of the cat to conform to the currently established tabby color standards.

SMOKE/SHADED/SHELL AND WHITE: white with colored portions, the colored portions of the cat to conform to the color standard.

TORTOISESHELL AND WHITE: white with colored portions, the colored portions of the cat to conform to the tortoiseshell standard.

BLUE-CREAM AND WHITE: white with colored portions, the colored portions of the cat to conform to the blue-cream standard.

ANY OTHER NFC COLORS: any other color or pattern with the exception of those showing hybridization resulting in the colors chocolate, lavender/lilac, the himalayan pattern, or these combinations with white.

The following information is for reference purposes only and not an official part of the CFA Show Standard.

Norwegian Forest Cat Color Class Number

Brown Tabby & Brown Tabby & White                9044                9045
(classic, mackerel, patched, spotted, ticked)
All Other Norwegian Forest Cat Colors                9000                9001
(All accepted colors (with the exception of
Brown Tabby and Brown Tabby & White) as
defined in the Show Standards and Other
Norwegian Forest Cat colors and patterns.)

(All accepted colors as defined in the Show Standards and
Other Norwegian Forest Cat colors and patterns.)
AOV                None                None
Norwegian Forest Cat allowable outcross breeds: none.