Norwegian Forest cats are one of the most beautiful breeds out there. With a strong, muscular build and long, luscious coats, Wegies are a sight for sore eyes. With that out of the way, Wegies come in almost all conceivable colors and patterns. What are the most common Norwegian Forest cat colors and patterns, though?
White, black, blue, red, cream, silver, and golden are some of the colors Norwegian Forest cats are known to rock, but we’re pretty sure you can get your hands on a Wegie of your choice without much trouble, too. According to the Cat Fanciers Association, there are more than sixty different variations.
Tabbies or torties, Norwegian Forest cats are affectionate, sweet, and curious creatures that adore hanging out with humans and climbing on the highest spots. Wegies are a favorite among humans because they’re large and loving – they’re the perfect balance between a wild cat and a kitten.
Wegies mature slower than average moggies and they’re known to display kittenish behavior well into their adulthood. Norwegian Forest cats are extremely family-oriented and they’re more than happy to snuggle the day away with your or your family members.
We do need to mention that some cat connoisseurs believe that the color of a cat’s coat affects the cat’s personality- to a certain degree. Orange cats are considered unhinged and unpredictable, for example, and tortoiseshell cats are rumored to have an attitude. What’s the tea with Norwegian Forest cats?
What do Norwegian Forest cats look like?
Norwegian Forest cats are often compared to Maine Coons because they’re big, bold, and beautiful. When you get your hands on a Wegie kitten, you’re going to notice that the cute creature comes with heaps and heaps of fluffy fur – that’s what makes Norwegian Forest cats stand out.
Silky and shiny, a Norwegian cat’s fur happens to be waterproof, too. Nordic myths and tales agree that Norwegian Forest cats adapted to the harsh Norwegian winters by developing dense undercoats that kept them warm and dry. Wegies shed quite a bit because of that, but that’s a topic for a different article.
When referring to Norwegian Forest cat colors, we do need to underline the fact that these beautiful beasts can assume pretty much every color of the rainbow. White, black, blue, red, cream, silver, and golden are the most common shades with solid, shaded, tortoiseshell, calico, and tabby patterns.
A Norwegian Forest cat’s coat consists of a longer, coarse, and water-resistant outer coat that embellishes the cat and a short, dense undercoat that provides warmth and protection from Scandinavian winters. A closer look at a Wegie cat will reveal a ruff at the chest, a collar at the neck, and a bushy tail, too.
Norwegian Forest cats’ coats attract attention and turn heads, there’s no question about that. We’ve rounded up everything you need to know about Norwegian Forest cat colors and patterns down below and we urge you to do your research before you adopt or purchase a Wegie kitten. Let’s go!
What are all the Norwegian Forest cat colors and patterns?
1. Solid Norwegian Forest cats
Starting with solid Norwegian Forest cats, they’re one of the most popular, prominent colors everyone gravitates towards. Solid-colored cats are entirely solid which means there are no other tones, markings, or patches of color on their bodies.
Solid-colored Norwegian Forest cats can be white, black, blue/grey, red, and cream. White Wegies are rare and they’re one of the most beautiful solid-colored cats out there. Together with pink noses, pink paw pads, and blue eyes, they’re a thing of fairy tales.
Black Wegies are completely black from head to toe – even their noses and paw pads are black. Blue/grey Norwegian Forests are a diluted version of black Wegies which means they’re a little lighter than them. Red Wegies are actually orange with matching noses and paw pads.
Cream Wegies are a diluted version of red Norwegian Forest cats and they’re typically blessed with pink noses and paw pads. Cute!
2. Tortoiseshell Wegies
Tortie Wegies are a thing of your dreams, there’s no question about that. Tortoiseshell cats, as the name suggests, are felines with coats resembling the particolored shell of a tortoise. Torties are almost always female and that’s why you need to get your hands on one ASAP – girl power, right?
Tortoiseshell Wegies can be shell, shaded, and smoke-colored. Shell tortoiseshell Wegies are typically white with red, cream, and black tips on the sides, head, back, and tail.
Shaded tortoiseshell Wegies are predominantly white, too, but they’re defined by red and cream patches and black tips around the strategic areas.
We can’t forget about the smoke tortoiseshell Wegie, either. Smoke tortoiseshell Wegies are white with black tipping that covers the red and cream patches and makes the cat appear darker.
3. Tabby Norwegian Forests
Tabby Norwegian Forest cats are the most common out of the bunch. A classic tabby cat comes with dense, defined markings on the body and an “M” shape on the forehead. And, tabby cats typically rock a few swirls on the cheeks and a black line down the back.
Tabby Norwegian Forest cats can be mackerel, patched, spotted, or ticked. What do we mean by that? Tabby Wegies can rock different patterns, too, and that’s why we’re able to differentiate between these four patterns.
Mackerel Wegies are defined by narrow markings on the body, barring on the legs and tails, and a tuft of fur on the chest and neck. Patched Wegies, on the other hand, come with patches of color rather than lines or swirls.
Spotted Wegies, as you might have guessed, come with spots of color all around the body and spotted stripes along the spine. Ticked Wegies don’t have any spots, stripes, or blotches, but are rather embellished with distinct tabby markings on the face, tail, and legs.
4. Shaded Norwegian Forest cats
Shaded Norwegian Forest cats are defined by a light undercoat with darker tipping on the flanks, head, tail, and along the back. Shaded Wegies are super similar to chinchilla Wegies (more on that down below), but there’s a difference in the intensity of the color and contrast.
Shaded colors are typically silver, golden, and red. Silver-shaded Wegies are white with black tipping on the flanks, head, back, and tail. When they move, they appear to be silver even though they’re a combination between white and black.
Golden-shaded Wegies come with a warm-toned cream undercoat and black tipping around the strategic areas. Paw pads are black and the noses are pink. Red-shaded Wegies are white with red tipping on the back, sides, face, and tail. Paw pads and noses are pink.
5. Smoke Wegies
Smoke Wegies are often mistaken for solid-colored Wegies. When they’re resting, they’re typically a solid color – but when they’re roaming around, the light undercoat appears. Black, blue, cream, cameo, and blue-cream are the most common smoke Wegies.
Starting with black, black smoke Wegies come with a white undercoat and black tipping on the entire body. Blue smoke Norwegian Forest cats are a diluted version of black smoke Wegies and that’s why they appear blue when light hits them.
Cream smoke Wegies have a white undercoat with cream tipping and white frills and ear furnishings. Cameo smoke Norwegian Forest cats have a white undercoat with red tipping, white frills, white ear tufts, and pink noses and paw pads.
Blue-cream smoke Wegies have a white undercoat, blue tipping, and cream patches.
6. Calico Norwegian Forests
We’re getting closer to the end of the Norwegian Forest cat colors with calico Wegies. Calico Wegies are defined by a white undercoat with black and red patches of color scattered around strategic areas, mainly the stomach, muzzle, chest, legs, and feet.
Calico Wegies can be all sorts of color combinations, including blue-cream, bi-color, tabby and white, van calico, blue, cream and white, and amber. Whichever color combination you decide to go with, you can count on your Wegie to rock a white undercoat with different-colored patches.
We’d argue that calico Wegies are the most mysterious moggies out of the bunch because you never know what you’re going to get.
7. Chinchilla Wegies
We’ve arrived at the end of the article with chinchilla Norwegian Forest cats. We mentioned beforehand that chinchilla Wegies and shaded Wegies resemble one another, but here’s what makes chinchilla Norwegian Forest cats different.
First things first, they’re typically defined by an undercoat in one color and tips on the back, sides, head, and tail in a different, darker shade. Furthermore, chinchilla Wegies look like they shimmer when they’re walking or running because of the contrast of the two different shades.
Chinchilla Wegies can be silver, golden, or red. Silver chinchillas come with a white undercoat with black tips on the back, head, tail, and sides. Paw pads are black and noses are red.
Golden chinchillas come with a cream undercoat with black tipping on the head, tail, back, and sides. Paw pads are black and noses are pink. Red chinchillas have a white undercoat with red tipping on the head, back, tail, and sides. Paw pads and noses are pink.
Read more: Norwegian Forest Cat: Everything About This Fluffy Giant
