The breed is a very old one which occurred as a natural adaptation to the cold climate of the region, but it was not regarded as anything other than a standard house-cat until the late 1930s, when a small number of 'skaukatts' were shown in Germany and received very favourably by the judges. World War II brought an abrupt end to the fledgling Norwegian show cat industry, and the breed was forgotten until the 1970s. The cats are now being bred and shown in several countries including the United States, and as all foundation cats must come from Scandinavia, they are actually registered with the Department of Trade as exportable goods.
Norwegian Forest cats have a thick fluffy double-layered coat to protect them against the cold, and tufted ears with a long bushy tail. They are very large cats with adult males weighing 6 to 10kg, while females are approximately half that size. Their hind legs are longer than their front legs. They are intelligent, and their coat is essentially waterproof due to its coarse outer layer and dense underlay.