Spellbound Siberian Cats

Personality

People oriented

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Siberian cats are very people-oriented!  Ours generally want to hang out with us wherever we are, including the bathroom.   They usually come running when the front door opens, and often come when called.  They love being petted, and some love being held.  When they are happy we get head butts and shoves, with lots of purrs (and sometimes chirps and trills).  If one of their people is upset they will often stick close to that person.

VERY Smart

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They are VERY smart!  They will quickly learn where you store the food, treats, and catnip and they are not shy about letting you know when they want some.  

Our queens have discovered that we respond faster when a kitten is crying, so they will bring a kitten from the nest and set it on the tile in the kitchen, then step back so it will meow. This generally brings us running pretty quickly, and the queens all run over and stand by the food dish—just in case we hadn’t realized what they wanted...

 

Social

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Siberians are very social and usually do well with kids, other cats, and dogs. They need interaction and may get depressed or act out if left alone constantly, so if you are gone a lot you may want to consider getting two so they can keep each other company.

Laid back/Easygoing

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They are also very laid back, easygoing cats who aren’t upset by much.  Once acclimated to household sounds, some won't even move out of the way when we are vacuuming.

 

Playful

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But they are also very playful, and tend to stay that way even as they age.  (Some of them are very acrobatic in pursuit of toys; watch where you wave those feather wands, because they probably aren’t watching…)  They can learn tricks, play fetch, and can even be leash trained.  They will climb and jump, so it’s best to have tall cat climbers for them; if you don’t, you’ll be finding your Siberian on top of cabinets and bookshelves, or even climbing your curtains. (And yes, they will scratch too, so be sure to provide appropriate scratching surfaces and they will leave your furniture alone.)

Siberians are very social and usually do well with kids, other cats, and dogs. They need interaction and may get depressed or act out if left alone constantly, so if you are gone a lot you may want to consider getting two so they can keep each other company.

Appearance

The Siberian is a medium to large cat with the overall appearance of excellent physical condition, strength, balance, power, and alertness; they look powerful and alert, but gaze out at the world with a sweet expression.  Their eyes vary in color from gold to green and all shades in-between. Some have two different colored eyes, and some even have blue eyes.

Head Shape: The head is a large, broad, modified wedge with rounded contours—broad at the top and narrowing slightly at the muzzle. Muzzle is full, well-formed and somewhat short. Cheeks are full, and jowling in mature individuals is desirable. The ears are medium-large, rounded at the tips and tufts are desired. The nearly round eyes can be green, gold, green-gold, or copper. White Siberians or Siberians with white patches may have blue or odd eyes. 

Lynx tipping on the ear is allowed, and full ear furnishings are required. This means that the tops of the ears can have hair, which makes the ears look pointed when in fact they are rounded, and that the inside of the ear has hair that protects it from the elements.

Body and Tail: Large, full, well-rounded body with plenty of muscle and bone. Medium length legs, powerfully built, remarkably springy, with large, thick, round and tufted feet and toes.

Coat: The Siberian is notable for having a long triple coat with guard hairs (the outer coat), awn hairs (the middle part of the coat) and a downy undercoat. The undercoat is dense and lays close to the body like a wrap.  He has an abundant ruff around the neck, thick but slightly shorter hair on the shoulder blades and lower part of the chest, and thick fur on the belly and britches (the upper hind legs). The undercoat thickens in cold weather. This glorious and quite useful fur comes in all colors and combinations, with or without white markings, and tends to remain relatively tangle-free, requiring only occasional brushing. Fortunately, Siberians like to play in water, so if bathed regularly as kittens they may actually enjoy the attention of a bath.

siberian cat breed appearance

This is a cat designed by nature to survive, with no extremes in type. This is a medium-size to large cat weighing 8 to 17 pounds and sometimes more, with females generally being smaller than the males. It can take the Siberian up to five years to reach his full size and coat. His body is muscular and he has big round paws with tufts of fur and a thickly furred tail. The general impression of the body is one of circles and roundness, rather than rectangles and triangles.


Siberian Cat Breed Standards
CFA
TICA
Lots more about the Siberian cat breed


History

Click to read on Archive.org

The Siberian Cat is an ancient Russian breed that has occurred naturally in the region of Siberia for over two thousand years. They are found in Russian literature and fairy tales—the breed also appears in Harrison Wier’s book Our Cats and All About Them, published in 1889—and the breed is recognized as the national cat of Russia.

Not well known outside of the Soviet Union until after the Cold War ended, Siberians were first imported to the United States in 1990 and were recognized by The International Cat Association (TICA) in 1996. The American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA) accepted the breed in 1999, followed by the Cat Fanciers Association in 2006.

All long-haired cat breeds descended from these ancient domestic cats of Siberia, including the Angora, the closely related Norwegian Forest cat, and the uber-domestic Persian.

Russian families relay fond tales of their Siberians and their amazing loyalty and personalities, but these cats also have played a practical role on farms as rodent control.


More about the history of the Siberian cat breed.