The Norovirus

The Norovirus, how do you get it (and how do you get rid of it)?

The Norwegian Forest Cat is popular as a pedigree cat. As a breeder, I usually don't complain about interest when I have a litter. The Norwegian virus is even an officially recognized condition. Doctors are in the dark about the cause and even more so about the cure. Universities conduct research but there is still no medicine.

People suffering from the Norwegian virus have as their main symptom that they want more and more Norwegian Forest Cats. Not for breeding, no, just because they are so cute, especially when they are neutered. But what makes those Norwegians so nice? Their character, their tough appearance, actually just everything.

A growing Norwegian family

I bought my first Norwegian Forest Cat in 2007. Nina is now 15 years old and still lives with me. I did not intend to start breeding. One litter, that seemed fun to me. I wanted to do it ‘officially’ so I applied for a cattery name. But after that one litter, there were more. A few ‘kittens’ stayed, a new female cat joined, Kirsti, now 11 years old.

And so the Norwegian family grew. In October 2021, we welcomed the 5th generation. My Norwegians are all social cats. They love visitors, are playful into old age, and although there is a large group living here, fights are rare. Sometimes, when a lady is in heat, the males may fight because they both think that girl belongs to them.

Is a cure for the Noren virus possible?

But that Norwegian virus, how bad is it then? A fellow breeder once said to me "I save Norwegians, and I don't have duplicates to trade." Norwegian Forest Cats are very social. They adapt incredibly quickly. My own cattery mainly consists of "own breeding" but there have been newcomers sometimes. When such a new resident stepped out of the travel carrier a bit dazed and looked around, it was sometimes a bit overwhelming, all those curious glances. But my group always reacted nonchalantly. Oh, a new one. Oh, she hisses. Oh, that will pass. And it always did pass, although my Kjaere held out for a very long time, much to the great amusement of the rest of the Norwegians.

Is a Norwegian Forest Cat something for me?

If you are considering getting a Norwegian Forest Cat, you need to pay attention to a few things. Provide a large cat tree, they love climbing, preferably as high as possible. A Norwegian tomcat can easily weigh 8 kilos, especially after neutering. So that tree also has to be a bit sturdy.

They also like to go outside, but cats should not be on the street (in my opinion). So provide a fenced garden or balcony or invest in a cat tree, preferably with a flap so they can decide for themselves when to go outside. Get two at the same time, then they can wrestle with each other instead of using your furniture to monkey around alone. But then there is of course that virus. My kitten buyers sometimes suffer from it too. "Are you getting another litter this year? We're thinking about getting one more."
A mild form of the Norenvirus is harmless. If it threatens to get out of hand, it is advisable to consult the general practitioner 😊