The history of the acceptance of the Norwegian Forest Cat

We can retrace historical references about this cat so far.

1220: Snorre Sturlason refer in his own written "younger edda" (tale of the Nordic mythologies and sagas), that the carriage of the goddess Freyia have been hauled by two cats and that the goddess Thor in Utgard was not able during a competition, to lift a grey cat because this cat was too big and too heavy.

1835: The folklorist P.CH. Asbjornsen and the poet J. Moe collected old folk tales and myths and have published them. In some of them they written about a forest cat with a long and bushy tail who have been adored by the folk like a "magic and troll cat".

1883: The newspaper "Aftenposten" published an advice with the following content: "A blue-grey forest cat is ran away".

1912: Gabriel Scott, a Norwegian writer, published a children's book with stories about "Solvfaks", a Norwegian Forest Cat male. This book have been published in 1952 also in German-speaking countries  with the title "Silberpelz".

1931: Haldis Rohlff has been emerged with a forest cat "Petten" who has been illustrated in a newspaper

1943: In a Norwegian book "The cat - wild animal and pet", written by Reidar Alving and Kalle Lund, you can read: We have now an excellent base for a systematic breed of a Norwegian race - the Norwegian Forest Cat

1973: Before 1973 many people are yet knowing the Norwegian Forest Cat, but Else and Egil Nylund didn't know this breed. But they thought, that they got very beautiful cats at their home and took some pictures of them. This pictures they are showing to Sonja Borgel, a breeder of Persians cats. She identified this cats immediately like Norwegian Forest Cats.

Around the same moment, Carl F. Nordane and Helen Nordane (of the comity of the board NRR), as well Edel Runas (of the NRR breeding-commission) published an appeal to find owners of Norwegian Forest Cats because they would save this breed. As Sonja Borgel took cognizance of it, the initiative of Carl Frederik Nordane has been rewarded, like she announced the 9 October 1973 the news, that she has seen in the house of the family Nylund this forest cats. Finally they could start now with the systematic breed of this race.

1974: They started as follows: Pippa, the cat of Edel Runas haven been mated with Truls, the male of the family Nylund. On 17 April 1974 Pjewiks Troll and Pjewiks Nisse has been born - the beginning has been done.

Edel Runas mit Pjewiks Troll

1975: From this moment forth they "worked" with a lot of concentration. They've made many matings with different lines and they visited a lot of shows. At the shows the cats have been verified by a breeding-commission, but only few cats have been accepted like Norwegian Forest Cats.

The idea, to found an own club for forest cats, has been realized 1975 - by Edel Runas, Else and Egil Nyland and Egil Borchgreving. Carl Frederik Nordane gave one's consent gladly to form a community of interest under the patronage of the Norske Rasekattklubbers Riksforbund (NRR). So, Edel Runas, family Nylund, Kari Hoybakk, Kari Eggun and Sonja Borgel have met in the house of Liv Loose and hold the first meeting of the "Norsk Skogkattring".

1977: The pioneers were following breed systematical. This was not always easy like there were only a few accepted forest cats but they never lost their aim: the acceptation of this breed by Fifé and to get it, they needed three complete generations traceable.

They succeeded! In November 1977 Frederik Nordane, Helen Nordane und Arvid Engh were flying to the  General assembly of FIFé in Paris. At their return they have been well received with a lot of enthusiasm at the airport in Oslo. In these days in each television in Norway you could see a picture of "Pans Truls" with the comment: the FIFé has decided, to accept the Norwegian Forest Cat as an autonomous breed.

Pan's Trull