The Siberian Cat
Owning a Siberian cat is very rewarding. Although the Siberian is a very old
breed, it is fairly new to the United States. The first breeding Siberians were
introduced in the United States in 1990. Elizabeth Terrell imported the initial
kittens. They arrived on June 28, 1990. Their names were Kaliostro
Vasenjkovich of Starpoint, Ofelia Romanova of Starpoint and Naina Romanova
of Starpoint.
The Siberian Cat was one of the three longhairs represented at the first cat
shows held in England in the 1700's. The first cat show in the city of Leningrad,
Russia was in 1987. Two cat clubs ‘Kotofei’ and ‘Kis’ organized it. This is the
actual date of the beginning of breeding of Siberians in St. Petersburg. The
Soviet Felinological Association registered the Siberian breed. It included
both the traditional colors and the Siberian color point (Neva Masquerade).
Siberians are a natural breed. They are Russia's native cats and come from
the unforgiving climate of Siberia. Siberians first appeared in recorded history
around the year 1000. Russian farmers and trades people were the primary
people who cared for them. Siberians were needed to protect grain and other
products from small varmints, as Russia was an agricultural country.
Shopkeepers in Moscow were known to compete with each other over whose
cat was the biggest and thickest. Russian people like cats and most children in
Russia grew up with a kitten and the favorite cats were the Siberian Cats.
Siberians even existed in Russian Fairy tales.
Siberians are very personable and want to be near their owners. They will
meet you at the door when you come home. They love to sit in your lap and be
groomed. If you own a Siberian you will never be alone. They will watch TV
with you, go to the restroom with you, try to take a shower or bath with you,
and then go to bed with you. And if you are trying to do something, they will
insist on helping. Reading a newspaper, book, or magazine is next to impossible.
The Siberian cat is also known for being hypoallergenic to many people.
Although it has not been proven medically or scientifically, many people believe
that the Siberian is hypoallergenic. Most Siberians have a low occurrence of
the FELd1 enzyme in their salvia. This is what causes people to be allergic to
cats. Many people that are allergic to cats have found that they can tolerate
the Siberian and have little or no reaction to them. This is a cat-by-cat, person-
by-person concept. If you are allergic to cats and want to try to see if you are
allergic to Siberians, it is best to find someone near you with a Siberian or two
so that you can spend a few hours with one and find out how you react.
The Siberian is a medium-large cat with the overall appearance of excellent
physical condition, strength, power and alertness, modified by a sweet facial
expression. The general impression of the body is one of circles and roundness
rather than rectangles and triangles, and taking as long as 5 years to reach full
maturity. Females are considerably smaller than males. Their coat is semi-long,
very dense and come in all colors. Their eyes vary in color from gold to green
and all shades in-between. Siberians also come in colorpoints and these will
have blue eyes.
The Siberians are fully accepted for championship in all registries, including
CFA as of May 1, 2006!
If you are considering a cat as a lifelong companion, the Siberian cat will give
you years of happiness with its loving personality. Some consider its personality
'dog like' in its loyalty. Others purchase them for the hypoallergenic qualities it
has with the owners. So for whatever reason you want one of these cats, the
Siberian is a worthy first choice and you will be forever pleased.
Artwork of "Calico Kitty" is used with
permission by the artist Valerie Pfeiffer