The Siberian is a recent formal breed development, with criteria issued worldwide since the late 1980s. In Russia, it is a centuries-old natural variety of domestic cat. Since 2006, this breed has been eligible for championship status.
Although Siberian Forest Cat is the breed’s formal name, the more common terms “Siberian” and “cat” are more descriptive. In the past, they were also known as Russian longhair and Moscow semi-longhair. Some cat registries, including FIFe, WCF, and ACF, classify the Neva Masquerade, a colorpoint variation or sister breed, as a distinct breed.
This breed evolved from a long-lost Siberian landrace to become Russia’s official feline. Although it originated as a landrace, now all of the main cat fanciers and breeder organizations carefully breed Siberians. As a result, all Siberian cats are purebreds with formal ancestry registration. It is a muscular breed that ranges in size from medium to big and has a bushy tail.
Generally, people label the Siberian as hypoallergenic because it produces less Fel D1 than other cat breeds. A study found that Siberian cats, which are native to the region of Russia where the breed originated, produced less of the allergen Fel-1 than non-Siberian cats. Fel D-1 is the strongest of the eight known allergens produced in cat saliva and is therefore deposited on the fur of cats when they groom themselves.
History
Siberian cats are Russia’s native forest cats, and they have long lived in Siberia’s deep woods. The earliest known statement dates back to 1000 AD. Cat experts have long believed that the old breed is the distant ancestor of all present long-haired breeds. However, an evolutionary study showed that, for example, Maine Coon cats are descended from British cats brought to New England by Puritan settlers. They mimic the Siberian not because they are connected but because of parallel development. These breeds all began in difficult areas, with natural selection forces for similar traits. Siberians, on the other hand, have a tight genetic link with Norwegian forest cats and randomly bred Northern European cat groups.
First introduction to the world
My first encounter with the worldOutside of Russia, the Siberian cats was first mentioned in the German book Brehms Tierleben in 1864, when Brehm refers to a long-haired cat breed as “a red Tobolsk cat from Siberia” (“eine rote Tobolsker Katze aus Sibirien”).
Later, in 1889 and 1892, the Siberian cats was featured again in two versions of a book by Harrison Weir, who planned and wrote about some of the first cat shows in England in 1871. In the book, the Siberian cats is referred to as the “Russian Long-haired Cat.” However, in the opening to the 1892 version, Weir describes a cat he refers to as a “Siberian Cats”:
Mr. Castang of Leadenhall Market showed me a Siberian cats, which is a breed I am unfamiliar with. It is a little female cat with slaty-blue fur, a short body and legs, a small, rounded head, and medium-sized ears. The eyes’ iris is a bright golden color that contrasts with the fur’s blue color, making them look even more spectacular; the tail is short and thick, particularly at the base, and sharply pointed at the tip. It is extremely careful and wild in character, making it difficult to approach; yet, as Mr. Castang pointed out, this fear may be due to “the fact that it does not understand our language and does not know when it is called or spoken to.”
The Siberian was once named as the “Russian Longhair” when it was brought to the West. Due to inbreeding with other popular long-haired breeds, these cats quickly lost their unique characteristics.
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Second introduction to the world
Due to the collapse of the Berlin Wall and disintegration of the Soviet Union, a second wave of Siberian cats were introduced to the rest of the globe and an officially accepted cat breed was formed. In 1987, a juvenile male and female were transferred from St. Petersburg to Berlin by cat enthusiast, who launched a major breeding program with registration under the name Siberian Forest Cat or Siberian Cats. Since that achievement there has been a rise in demand for the Siberian breed inside Russia itself.
In the Russian cat fancy, each cat club devises its own cat standards. This feature led to great misunderstanding in other nations when the first Siberians were coming and many seemed extremely different from one other, depending on what section of Russia they hailed from. One of the first formal Siberian breed standards was issued by the Kotofei Cat Club in St. Petersburg in 1987 under the name Siberian cats (Russian: Сибирскaя кошка, Sibirskaya koshka or Sibirskaja koschka).
Officially registered Siberians first arrived in the United States in 1990, and in the United Kingdom in 2002. During the early 1990s, it was costly and difficult to source and import Siberians from Eastern Europe. Therefore, inbreeding in registered purebred Siberians became frequent in specific locations following the breed’s introduction. Because the breed is relatively new to registration and breed records are open, breeders are allowed to add foundation stock from Russia to the breed. This minimizes the degree of relatedness within the breed, and promotes vigor in the breed. Although rising in popularity since the 2020s, the price of importing the cats from Eastern Europe, plus the typical breeder’s practice of early neutering pedigree kittens, maintains the breed still relatively uncommon outside of Eastern Europe.
Breed registration
Registry
Nowadays, all Siberian cats and Neva Masquerade cats are carefully bred and pedigreed in all major cat registers under the category Siberian Cats, or in many registries under Neva Masquerade for the colorpoint sister breed. Similar to other legally acknowledged cat breeds, the name “Siberian” is only supposed to be used for cats from this particular breed, who are by definition all purebred cats having a known and formally recorded lineage, commonly known as the cat’s “paperwork.” The goal of the Siberian cats registry is to promote and preserve a healthy cat breed by limiting inbreeding and the transmission of genetic disorders, as well as monitoring the cats’ well-being. Domestic long-haired cats refer to unregistered cats that share a similar appearance with Siberian cats.
Each of the international cat registries applies breed criteria, which contain a description of the desirable qualities peculiar to the Siberian cats breed. In general, Siberian cats kittens will grow up to be a representation of this ideal breed standard in both appearance and character. These standards describe the Siberian breed’s phenotype and may include characteristics such as physical and morphological appearance, genetics, and athletic or productive performance. In cat exhibitions, the Siberian cats will be compared with and judged following these breed criteria based on a point system. Faults or disqualifications are provided to show cats with medical illnesses, unusual features, or cats who lack well-being and sufficient care from their owners.
Recognition
After its debut internationally in the late 1980s, it took almost two decades for the breed to be recognized for registration and championship status with all major international cat registries in 2006. In 1991, the WCF became the first international registry to approve a Siberian breed standard based on the Russian standard. In 1992, TICA approved the breed as part of their New Breed program, and in 1996, they gave them championship status. In 1997, the breed was recognized by FIFe, and since 2011, the Neva Masquerade has officially branched out as a distinct breed. The Siberian was approved for registration (under Miscellaneous) by the CFA in 2000, then moved to championship status in 2006. Since 2004, the GCCF has recognized the breed for registration.
Popularity
Despite its introduction outside of Russia in the late 1980s, the Siberian cats breed didn’t start to gain popularity until the mid-2010s. The Siberian became very popular around the globe, particularly in the early 2020s.
The GCCF has recognized the breed for registration since 2004 (mostly in the United Kingdom). By 2022, the Siberian cats would be the ninth most registered cat breed in the GCCF, up from 20th in 2012 and 15th in 2017.
The Siberian cats is gaining popularity in the CFA, just as it does in the GCCF register numbers. In 2017, the Siberian was also the 15th most registered cat breed in the CFA, having been ranked 18th in 2012. Since the 2020s, the Siberian has garnered international prominence. It went from 15th place in 2020 to 11th place in 2021 before making its first appearance in the top ten in 2022, at number ten.
In 2022, there were 152 Siberian breeders out of 42.864 registered with TICA, with the majority residing in the United States and Canada. In 2023, there were 55 Siberian breeders out of 76.682 registered with FIFe; the majority of them lived in Europe. In September 2023, there were 40.700 (including dead) Siberian and Neva Masquerade cats registered with PawPeds, the world’s largest cat pedigree database, which breeders utilize to improve genetic variety and limit the spread of hereditary illnesses in pedigree cats. Of the entire 40,700 cats, 33,500 were born after 2000. Half of these cats (17,000) were born between January 2015 and September 2023, demonstrating the Siberian breed’s remarkable rise in popularity since the mid-2010s.
Description
Appearance
Body
The Siberian is a muscular and strongly built cat with strong hindquarters and large, well-rounded paws. It is also well-known for its exceptional jumping agility. Despite being big-boned, the legs are quite short. Their bushy tail is medium-length and somewhat shorter than their body length. Their body lengths range from modest to large. Siberians have a firmer, barrel-shaped torso and stockier frame than other cats. The body’s overall appearance consists of circles and roundness. The posture resembles a bulldog’s distinctive broad and strong stance.
Siberians have a small arch in their backs because their rear legs are somewhat longer than their front legs. This form, as well as the force in their rear legs, contribute to their amazing agility and ability to leap very high.
Siberians grow slowly, attaining full maturity around the age of five. Female Siberians are much smaller than males. Adults weigh around 4.5–9 kg (10–20 lb).
Face
The Siberian’s facial characteristics also have distinctive spherical forms. Their round face has a large forehead at the top of the skull that narrows slightly to a full-rounded, short snout. The eyes are large and round, giving the face a charming aspect. The outside corners are slightly inclined toward their ears’ bases. Their ears are medium-sized, with a wide base and a rounded tip. They are slightly inclined forward and should be placed as far on the sides of the head as on top, ideally one to one and a half ear width apart. Lynx ear tipping is permitted.
Siberians have three natural forms of feline fur: guard hair, awn hair, and down hair. These three layers combine to produce a semi-long to long, well-developed, and highly thick triple coat, with guard hairs that resist water. This remarkable, robust triple coat protects the cat from the harsh Russian winter. The dense hair is rough yet glossy, requiring regular brushing to avoid matting. The summer coat is much shorter than the winter garment. Because Siberians are a slow-maturing breed, juvenile Siberians’ coats might take many years to completely mature.
Siberian cats molt twice a year. In the spring, they will lose their thick winter coat. This winter molt is triggered not by a change in temperature but by a change in day length. Many Siberians will have a less severe “mini-moult” toward the end of the summer to prepare for their thick winter coat, as opposed to other cats, who will have a “heavy moult” more than twice a year. However, they will continue to lose hair throughout the year, and they will require numerous grooming sessions each week to keep their thick triple coat from matting.