| Siberian | |
|---|---|
.JPG) Black sunshine Siberian adult | |
| Other names | Siberian Forest Cat[1] Moscow Semi-longhair[2] |
| Origin |  Russia |
| Breed standards | |
| CFA | standard |
| FIFe | standard |
| TICA | standard |
| WCF | standard |
| FFE | standard |
| ACF | standard |
| ACFA/CAA | standard |
| CCA-AFC | standard |
| GCCF | standard |
| LOOF | standard |
| NZCF | standard |
| SACC | standard |
| Domestic cat (Felis catus) | |
TheSiberian is a centuries-oldlandrace (natural variety) of domesticcat inRussia,[3] and recently developed as a formalbreed with standards promulgated the world over since the late-1980s.[4] Since 2006, the breed is recognised for registry and championship status with all majorcat registries.[5][6]
The formal name of the breed isSiberian Forest Cat,[3][1][7] but it is typically referred to as the Siberian or Siberian cat.[3][4][7] Formerly, sometimes the names Moscow Semi-Longhair[2] and Russian Longhair[3][4] were also used. Thecolourpoint variant or sister breed,[8] called theNeva Masquerade, is categorised as a separate cat breed by some registries,[9] includingFIFe,[10]WCF,[11] andACF.[12]
The breed developed from an ancient, naturallandrace fromSiberia, and is the national cat ofRussia.[3][4][7] While it began as a landrace, Siberians areselectively bred andpedigreed in all majorcat fancier and breeder organisations. This means that all Siberian cats arepurebred cats with a formallyregisteredancestry. It is a medium- to large-sized, muscular breed with a bushy tail.[10][13]
The Siberian is often calledhypoallergenic because it produces lessFel d 1 than other cat breeds.[14] A research study of Siberian cats native to the area of Russia from which the breed stock originated confirmed the subjects produced lessFel d 1 (the strongest among the eight knownFel d 1 allergens produced in cat saliva, which is deposited on their fur when they groom themselves) than non-Siberian cats.[15]
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Siberian cats are Russia's native forest cats and are known to have existed for a long time in the dense forests ofSiberia. It was long speculated by cat experts that the ancient breed was the distant ancestor of all modern-day long-haired breeds.[3] However,phylogenetic studies showed that for example Maine Coon cats are descendants ofBritish cats brought toNew England byPuritan settlers.[16] It is not relatedness that makes them look similar to the Siberian, butconvergent evolution. These breeds all formed in harsh climates in whichnatural selection pressures for similar qualities.[17][16] However, Siberians are genetically closely related toNorwegian Forest cats and the random-bredNorthern European cat populations.[17]
Outside of Russia, the Siberian cat was first mentioned in the 1864 edition of the German bookBrehms Tierleben, where Brehm describes a long-haired cat breed as "a redTobolsk cat from Siberia" ("eine rote Tobolsker Katze aus Sibirien").[18]
Later in 1889 and 1892, the Siberian cat was again mentioned in the two editions of a book byHarrison Weir, who organised and wrote about some of the earliest cat shows inEngland in 1871.[19] The Siberian cat is described in the book under its former name, the "Russian Long-haired Cat".[4][19] However, in the preface of the 1892 edition, Weir also mentions a cat he refers to as a "Siberian Cat":[20]
I have been shown a Siberian Cat, by Mr. Castang, of Leadenhall Market; the breed is entirely new to me. It is a small female Cat of a slaty-blue colour, rather short in body and legs; the head is small and much rounded, while the ears are of medium size. The iris of the eyes is a deep with blue golden colour, which, in contrast to the bluish colour of the fur, makes them to appear still more brilliant; the tail is short and thick, very much so at the base, and suddenly pointed at the tip. It is particularly timid and wild in its nature, and is difficult to approach; but, as Mr. Castang observed, this timidity may be "because it does not understand our language and does not know when it is called or spoken to."
During this first introduction of the Siberian to theWest, the cat was often still known as the "Russian Longhair".[3] These cats were crossed with other popular long-haired breeds, and the separate identity was soon lost.[3][19]
Due to thefall of the Berlin Wall and thedissolution of the Soviet Union, a second wave of Siberian cats were introduced to the rest of the world and an officially acknowledged cat breed was developed. In 1987, a young male and female were taken fromSt. Petersburg toBerlin by a cat enthusiast, who started a serious breeding program withregistration under the nameSiberian Forest Cat orSiberian Cat.[3] Since that success, there has been an increase in interest in the Siberian breed within Russia itself.[3]
In the Russian cat fancy, each cat club devises its own cat standards. This fact led to much confusion in other countries when the first Siberians were arriving and many appeared quite different from each other, depending on what area of Russia they originated from. One of the earliest written Siberianbreed standards was published by the Kotofei Cat Club inSt. Petersburg in 1987 under the name Siberian cat[21] (Russian:Сибирская кошка,Sibirskaya koshka orSibirskaja koschka).
Officially registered Siberians first arrived in theUSA in 1990,[7] and in theUK in 2002.[22] During the early 1990s, it was expensive and difficult to locate and import Siberians from Eastern Europe.[21] Therefore, inbreeding in registered purebred Siberians became common in certain regions after the breed's introduction. Because the breed is relatively new to registration and breed books are open, breeders are able to addfoundation stock from Russia to the breed.[23] This reduces the level of relatedness within the breed, andincreases vigor in the breed.[7][21] Although gaining in popularity since the 2020s,[24] the expense of importing the cats from Eastern Europe, and the common breeder's practice of early neutering pedigree kittens, keeps the breed still relatively rare outside of Eastern Europe.[4][7]
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Nowadays, all Siberian andNeva Masquerade cats areselectively bred andpedigreed in all majorcat registries under the categorySiberian (Forest) Cat,[10] or in several registries underNeva Masquerade[10] for the colourpoint sister breed. Similar to other officially recognisedcat breeds, the term "Siberian" is only meant to be used for cats from this specific breed, which are by definition allpurebred cats with a known and formallyregisteredancestry, also known as the cat's pedigree "paperwork".[25][26] The purpose of the registry of Siberian cats is to develop and maintain a healthy cat breed by controllinginbreeding and the spread ofhereditary diseases, and regulating the well-being of the cats.[27][28][29] Unregistered cats with a similar appearance as the Siberian cat are referred to asdomestic long-haired cats.[25][26]
Each of the (inter)national cat registries appliesbreed standards, which cover a description of the ideal characteristics specific to the Siberian breed.[25] In general, Siberian kittens will grow up to be a representative of this ideal breed standard in both looks and character.[25] These standards represent thephenotype of the Siberian breed and may include criteria of physical andmorphological appearance,[30]genetics, and of athletic or productive performance. Incat shows, Siberian cats will be compared with and judged after these breed standards based on a point system.[28] Faults or disqualifications are given to show cats with medical disorders, uncharacteristictraits, or cats that lack inwell-being and proper care from their owners.[29]
| Year | registered Siberian cats |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 101 |
| 2010 | 138 |
| 2011 | 147 |
| 2012 | 157 |
| 2013 | 190 |
| 2014 | 194 |
| 2015 | 244 |
| 2016 | 300 |
| 2017 | 260 |
| 2018 | 320 |
| 2019 | 267 |
| 2020 | 358 |
| 2021 | 344 |
| 2022 | 371 |
After its introduction worldwide in the late-1980s, it took nearly two decades for the breed to be accepted for registry and championship status with all major international cat registries in 2006.[5][6] In 1991, theWCF was the first international registry to admit abreed standard of the Siberian, based on the Russian standard.[21][5]TICA accepted the breed into theirNew Breed program in 1992, and in 1996 granted them championship status.[31] In 1997, the breed was recognised byFIFe, and since 2011 theNeva Masquerade officially split off as a separate breed.[32] The Siberian was accepted for registration (underMiscellaneous) byCFA in 2000, and advanced to championship status in 2006.[33][5] TheGCCF has recognised the breed for registry since 2004.[22][24]
Even though the Siberian was introduced outside Russia in the late-1980s, it wasn't until the mid-2010s that the Siberian breed started to gain in popularity. Especially at the beginning of the 2020s, the popularity of the Siberian rapidly increased worldwide. As a result, the Siberian cat has secured a place among the top 10 most popular breeds in various cat registries, now representing approximately 0–5% of all pedigree cats worldwide, and is particularly popular in Europe.[note 1]
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Known to be an exceptionally agile jumper, the Siberian is a strong and powerfully-built cat, with strong hindquarters and large, well-rounded paws.[44] Although heavy boned, the legs are relatively short.[13] Their bushy tail is medium in length and slightly shorter than the torso length.[45][44] Their body lengths varies in size from medium to large.[10] Siberians have firm, barrel-shaped torsos,[13] and stockier builds than other cats.[2] The general impression of the body is one of circles and roundness.[10][13] The posture can be compared with the characteristic wide and sturdy stance of abulldog.[46]
Siberians have a slight arch to their back, because their hind legs are slightly longer than the front legs.[13] This shape and the power in their hind legs contribute to their incredible agility and enable them to jump exceptionally high.[22]
Siberians develop rather slowly, reaching their fully matured body at about five years of age.[4][13][22][47] Female Siberians are considerably smaller than males.[13][12] Full-grown adults weigh on average between 4,5–9kg.[47]
The characteristic round shapes are also clearly visible in the facial features of the Siberian. Their round face consists of a broad forehead at the top of their skull and narrows slightly to a full-rounded, short muzzle.[13][44][48] The eyes are large and round, and give an overall sweet expression to their face.[13][44] The outer corners are slightly angled towards the base of their ears.[13] Their medium-sized ears are broad at the base and rounded at the tip.[48] They are slightly tilted forwards[44][48] and should be set as much on the sides of the head as on top,[44] preferably one to one and one half ear width apart.[13] Lynx ear tipping is allowed.[44]
Siberians express the three natural types of feline fur:guard hair,awn hair, anddown hair. These three layers form a semi-long to long, well-developed, very dense triple-coat,[13][45] of which the guard hairs are water-repellent.[10][22] This unique dense triple-coat protects the cat from the Russian weather extremes. The thick fur is textured but glossy, and needs frequent grooming to prevent matting.[22] The summer coat is distinctly shorter than the winter coat.[10] Because the Siberians are a slow-maturing breed, it can take several years for the coat of young Siberians to fully develop.[13][22]
Siberian catsmoult twice a year.[7] They will shed their heavy winter coat during spring.[22] This winter moult is instigated not by a change in temperature but by a change in day length. Many Siberians will experience a less intense "mini-moult" at the end of the summer season to prepare for their thick winter coat,[22] unlike other cats, which will experience a "heavy moult" more than twice a year. However, they will still lose fur year-round and require grooming multiple times a week in order to prevent their dense triple-coat from matting.[31]
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All Western coat colours and patterns are genetically possible in the breed, such astabby, solid,tortoiseshell, andbicolour. However, the most common colour in the Siberian cat breed isblack (brown) mackerel tabby.[6][7] The Western coat colours are white, black, blue, red, and cream.[4][47] All major registries do not permit the Eastern colour varieties of chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, and fawn in the Siberian breed.[6][10][48] The allowance for the dilution modifiedcaramel andapricot depends on the registry.[22][23][46]
All colourations are allowed with any amount of white spotting.[6][10][22] Furthermore, all colourations can be combined with the golden and silver (incl. smoke) factors, which are allowed in tabby,tipped andshaded banding.[6][49] In Siberians the golden colouration is caused by theCORIN-gene. This golden colour is calledsunshine, and the silver-golden variety is calledbimetallic[6] orsilver sunshine.[50][51] The gene is located on the wide band locus, and the responsible allele is only found in the Siberian breed. The two other identified alleles on this wide band locus are responsible for the golden coats ingolden tigers andBritish Shorthairs.
The Eastern colourpoint pattern is found in theNeva Masquerade, and is non-permitted in registries where the breed is separately registered. In the combined registries, the Neva Masquerade cats are judged separately in the colourpoint-category.[6][22]
Completely white (solid-white) Siberian cats are not considered Neva Masquerades, as they do not necessarily possess the colourpoint gene covered under the white spotting mutation. The solid-white colouring is considered Western,[4] and is one of the many colours of traditional Siberian cats. Solid-white traditional Siberian cats can also have blue eyes, however, this is due to a lack ofmelanin pigment and not a result of the colourpoint gene as is the case with the Neva Masquerade. Solid-white blue-eyed cats have a higher prevalence ofgenetic deafness.[52] It is advisable and in most cat registries (and certain countries) mandatory to test (BEAR- orOAE-testing) white cats for this trait before breeding with them.[23][52][53]
Siberians come in all eye colours, but clear colours are desirable.[10][13][46] However, several registries only allow blue and odd eyes in the solid-white and bicolour varieties, leaving only colours in the golden-copper to green spectrum for the other coats.[6][48] The solid-white Siberian has four permitted eye colours; blue, green, golden-copper, and odd-eyed.[10][22]
The energetic Siberians are known for their playful and adventurous personality, while at the same time being very friendly and easy-going.[4] The breed is known for itsdog-like behaviour,[22] due to its affectionate and highly loyal personality.[4] This intelligent breed learns easily and is even known for its ability to learn the "dog game"fetch.[22] They are very social and prefer to be involved in all activities of a household.[22] Siberians are often fascinated by water,[22] and do not mind getting a little wet, as their guard hairs are water-repellent.[10]
The Siberian is a vocal cat, although not in loudness but in frequency. It is known to produce a wide range of different sounds including its melodious chirping voice and a deep, resonant purr.[4][22]
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The Neva Masquerade is the sister breed orcolourpoint variety of the Siberian cat. It bears the Siamese[54] colourpoint gene, which results in darker markings on the extremities of their body and bright blue eyes. The gene pool of the Siberian and the Neva Masquerade share a big overlap, as the two have been crossbred for many years. Nowadays, there exists a test for point mutations,[55] which allows breeders to specifically target carriers of the popularpoint gene.
The Siberian breed was generally recognised in the late-1990s and 2000s by thecat fancy, however, someregistries chose to not accept colourpoint varieties in the Siberian breed and register these colourpoint cats under the Neva Masquerade breed.[12][32][56]
Although the Neva Masquerade shares many characteristics with the Siberian in terms of character and appearance, recent studies have shown distinctions between the two in terms of body language,[8] vocalisations,[57] and felinehereditary diseases, such aspolycystic kidney disease (PKD).[58] The prevalence of PKD in the Neva Masquerade gene pool is of concern as crossbreeding the two sister breeds could potentially spread PKD into the Siberian breed.[58]
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The Siberian is an ancient naturally developedlandrace, which makes it a relatively healthy cat breed. In fact, the Siberian breed has the highestheterozygosity degree (genetic variation) among all cat breeds, comparable to random-bred cats.[17]
In a study with almost 550.000 cats of 18 breeds, thedisease risks of the different cat breeds were evaluated based on 24 diagnostic categories. Due to the athleticism and energy of the breed, injury is the most common cause of morbidity. The Siberian has the highest score in injury risk of all purebreds - while it scores lowest, together with theRagdoll, in the overall morbidity risk. Siberians had a significantly lower risk in 11 of the 24 diagnostic categories compared to other breeds, includingendocrine, ear, neurological andneoplasia. Apart from injury, the Siberian had a higher incidence rate oflocomotor andfemale reproduction-related conditions compared to other cat breeds.[59]
While there is nohypoallergenic cat or dog breed, the decreased dander qualities of the Siberian coat have been noted and commented on for almost ten years. While there is no scientific evidence, breeders and pet owners claim that Siberians can be safe for many allergy sufferers. Since females of all feline breeds produce lower levels ofFel d 1, breeders often suggest that allergic families adopt female cats. Allergy sufferers are advised to check their reactivity directly with the parent cats from whom they plan to adopt a kitten.[60] Many people believe that the breed produces lessFel d 1, the primary allergen present in cats.[61]
In 1999, Indoor Biotechnologies tested the fur of four cats forFel d 1; a mixed breed, two Siberians, and anAbyssinian.[62] The results showed the Siberian and Abyssinian cat fur as having lowerFel d 1 levels than the mixed breed cat.[62] Indoor Biotechnologies cautions that the Siberian levels were still high, and that the mixed breed sample was "exceptionally high".[62] Indoor Biotechnologies warns against using these results to make decisions about pet ownership.[62]
This test of fur allergen levels is cited by many Siberian breeder websites as evidence the breed is hypoallergenic. Critiques include that the sample size (only 4 cats) is below statistical significance, was submitted by a Siberian breeder, and as mentioned, one cat was found to haveFel d1 allergen levels of 62.813 μg (roughly 60× higher than any published professional study).[63]
A not-for-profit association of breeders (Siberian Research Inc) was founded in 2005 to study allergen levels and genetic diseases in the Siberian breed. As of March 2010, fur and saliva samples from over 300 Siberians have been submitted for analysis, many directly from a veterinarian. SalivaryFel d 1 allergen levels in Siberians ranged from0,08 to 27 μg per mL of saliva, while fur levels ranged from5 to 1300 μg. The high end of these ranges is consistent with results from prior studies, though the low end is below expected results.
All Siberians tested were found to produce someFel d 1. About half of Siberians were found to haveFel d 1 levels lower than other breeds, while under twenty percent would be considered very low. Within the low group, males and females had comparable allergen levels.[64][self-published source]
According to legend, the Siberian Forest Cats traditionally lived in Russian monasteries, where they patrolled the rafters on the lookout for intruders. Although fierce, the monks treated them as loving and loyal companions.
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