Alice White
The Siberian cat is the most popular breed in Russia, endowed with countless advantages, the main of which are luxurious appearance, great character, intelligence, and devotion.
Appearance
Siberian cats are cats with a massive build, strong constitution, stocky and strong animals that can survive in difficult conditions. Long-term natural selection made them so.
The head of the Siberian cat breed is short and wide. On a rounded, pronounced muzzle, a straight nose, a wide chin, and a forehead smoothly turning to the muzzle. Their eyes are large, golden, yellow, or green. The ears of Siberians are medium in size with rounded tips.
Siberian cats have a powerful body, somewhat elongated relative to the limbs. The limbs themselves are broad, muscular, with large paws and tufts of hair between the toes. Also, Siberian cats have a long, wide tail at the base.
The coat of Siberian cats is developed, the elongated guard hair and abundant undercoat give a Siberian look, in combination with the elongated hair on the cheeks, “pants” and tail, it creates the impression that we are dealing with a cat from fairy tales. The hair itself can be wavy, and the texture can be both soft and rough.
The coat color of Siberian cats is very diverse. They can be monochromatic – black and red shades of wool. Siberians can have cream, blue, silver, smoky, gold color, bicolor (a combination of various colors with white), and tricolor (white wool on the belly, chest, and muzzle, in other areas – gray, cream, black and other colors). The color-point color is found only in the Neva Masquerade cats, which are isolated in a separate breed, but Siberian to it.
The weight of an adult Siberian cat is 6-10 kg, the height at the withers is about 40 cm. Adult cats weigh 4-6 kg, the height at the withers is on average 30 cm.
Character
Siberian cats have a pronounced hunting instinct. They are quick-witted and dexterous, playful and active. At home they have a calm, balanced character, are not very “talkative”, do not like too free treatment of their person. They prefer independence and independence, but they are docile in relation to children and are attached to the owner. They can get along well with other animals. Males often help raise offspring.
Care
The times of the Siberian breed are born hunters, it is better to keep them in a spacious room, it is necessary to monitor the temperature environment so that the animal does not overheat in the warm season. If a cat walks on the street, it needs to carry out regular preventive treatments against parasites, as well as vaccinations.
Siberian cats require careful grooming and constant brushing with special brushes, as well as using anti-matting lotions as they become dirty. For free-range animals, these procedures should be carried out more often.
It is necessary to monitor the cleanliness of the eyes, ears, the length of the claws, especially in older cats, periodically examine the teeth for the presence of plaque and tartar.
Many owners and breeders note that Siberian cats do not cause allergies, so it is recommended to get them for people prone to this disease.
How to choose a kitten
When choosing a Siberian kitten, it is worth remembering that this breed is distinguished by a variety of colors. Many unscrupulous sellers take advantage of this and, under the guise of Siberian, sell kittens of unknown origin, so it is better not to buy from the hands of a Siberian.
For a thoroughbred Siberian kitten, you should go to the cattery or to a breeder with a good reputation. It is better to buy babies who are already 3.5 months old. They should be moderately well-fed, well-groomed, active, curious. The kitten’s fur should shine, the eyes should shine. It is advisable that the baby you like felt a reciprocal feeling for you. To test this, take him in your arms – he should feel comfortable, not pull out and not worry.
A kitten at the age of 3-4 months almost completely corresponds to the standard of the Siberian breed, but there are some nuances. His fur should still be soft, “baby”, ears can be put a little closer than they should be – this will change with age. The kid is supposed to have documents with information about the vaccinations given to him, and you must also be given the pedigree of the animal.
If you need a kitten for breeding or you want your Siberian to participate in exhibitions, buy a baby in clubs that are part of one of the official organizations, for example, WCF, FIFe. In independent clubs, approaches to breed standards are often “independent” as well.
