Cozy forest companion.
Siberian
Also called Siberian Forest Cat, Moscow Semi-longhair, Moscow Longhair, Russian Longhair
From Russia. A natural landrace of Siberia and the wider Russian forests, working as a farm and household mouser for centuries before organised breeding began in the late 1980s.123
At a glance the quick version
Sources differ a lot. CFA: males 12-18 lb (5.4-8.2 kg), females 8-12 lb (3.6-5.4 kg). Wikipedia: adults average 4.5-9 kg. GCCF gives much heavier figures: males 17-26 lb (7.7-11.8 kg), females 13-17 lb (5.9-7.7 kg). Females are clearly smaller than males.
GCCF: 12-15 years or more
Coat and looks how to spot one
semi-long, dense, water-repellent triple coat
A sturdy, powerful cat built as a solid rectangle, with a broad chest, strong neck, medium legs and big round paws with tufts between the toes. The strong hindquarters make it an impressive jumper. Its head is a softly rounded, slightly broad wedge with large, nearly round eyes. The coat has three layers: a dense undercoat, a middle layer and glossy water-shedding guard hairs. In winter it grows a full ruff, bib and fluffy 'knickerbockers', and in summer it becomes noticeably shorter. It is a slow developer, often not fully grown until 3 to 5 years old.4231
Personality what they are like
Calm but playful, the Siberian is a friendly, devoted family cat that tends to follow its people around and join in, much like a dog. It is clever, patient and tuned in to its owners' moods, and usually mixes happily with children, dogs and other animals. It keeps a playful streak well into adulthood.23
Daily activity how busy a day looks
Moderate to high. An energetic, agile cat that loves climbing and leaping, so sturdy cat trees, high perches and regular play sessions suit it well.32
Grooming and care the hands-on bits
Needs vary between cats. Aim to comb with a steel comb a few times a week, paying attention to the belly, tail and hind 'trousers'. During the spring and autumn moult, daily combing helps with the heavy shedding.32
Home where they are happiest
Adapts well to family homes; its dense coat suits cool climates. Give it vertical space to climb and jump.213
Company who they like around
High. A sociable cat that likes company and joins in family life; gets on well with children and other pets.23
The story where it all began
Long-coated forest cats have lived in Russia for about a thousand years, keeping farms, shops and homes free of mice and appearing in Slavic folk tales. In the West a 'red Tobolsk cat from Siberia' was mentioned in Brehms Tierleben in 1864, and Harrison Weir described a slate-blue Siberian female in 1892. Planned breeding started in Russia in the 1980s, and in 1987 a pair travelled from St Petersburg to Berlin. In 1990 breeder Elizabeth Terrell brought the first Siberians into the United States, and registries followed: WCF in 1991, TICA in 1992, FIFe in 1997, CFA in 2000 and GCCF in 2004, after the breed officially reached the UK in 2002. It is often called Russia's national cat, and today it is among the most registered breeds in Europe.123
Fun facts for the dinner table
- 1
It is often called the national cat of Russia.2
- 2
The coat has three layers and changes with the seasons, with a big ruff and 'knickerbockers' in winter and a much lighter summer coat.4
- 3
It is one of the slowest cats to mature, often taking 3 to 5 years to reach full size.2
- 4
A golden 'sunshine' colour, caused by a variant of the CORIN gene, is found in Siberians.1
- 5
Legend says Siberians lived in Russian monasteries, patrolling the rafters as watchful yet loving companions.1
- 6
A red Siberian cat from Tobolsk was written about in a German natural history book as early as 1864.1
- 7
CFA sums up the breed's character as '90% placid and 10% mischief'.2
- 8
Many Siberians have tufts of fur between their toes, handy 'snowshoes' for a cat from a cold land.4
Recognised by the official bits
- WCF
- First international registry to recognise the breed, 19911
- TICA
- New Breed programme 1992, championship status 19961
- FIFe
- Recognised 1997; fully recognised, Category 2, code SIB (colourpoints registered separately as Neva Masquerade)5
- CFA
- Accepted for registration 2000; championship status 2006 per GCCF and Wikipedia, 2007 per the CFA breed page2
- GCCF
- Recognised 2004; Section 2 (Semi-longhair), Group 33
Popularity 4th most popular breed in FIFe (4,538 cats, 4.4% of registrations) in 2023; 9th in GCCF registrations in 2022; rose to 10th in CFA rankings by 2022; 6th in France (LOOF) in 20221
The care rhythm Furry Diary remembers it for you
A typical home-care rhythm for a Siberian. It is our own starting plan, not a vet's advice, and you can change every line in the app.
- Brushingevery 2 days
- Deshedding springBrush more while sheddingevery day
- Nail trimevery 3 weeks
- Teeth brushingDaily brushing is idealevery 2 days
- Litter scoopevery day
- Litter changeevery week
- PlayAbout 30 minutes of play a dayevery day
- Flea, tick and worm protectionSchedule as your vet recommendsas your vet recommends
- Vet check-upSenior years usually start around age 11every year
You might also like
Neva Masquerade
Norwegian Forest Cat
Maine Coon
Kurilian Bobtail
RagdollLike what we are building? Buy us a coffee.
The breed atlas is free for everyone, with a source on every fact, and it will never show ads. If it helped you, a small tip keeps the research going. Any amount is lovely, and no is a perfectly fine answer too.
Where this comes from
Every breed page shows where each fact comes from. If we got something wrong, sorry, we are pet people, not a science magazine. Tell us at [email protected] and we will fix it.
- Wikipedia - Siberian cat en.wikipedia.orgused for history, recognition years, weight, colours, popularity, fun facts
- CFA - Siberian breed profile cfa.orgused for history, recognition, weight, coat, colours, temperament, maturity, grooming
- GCCF - Siberian gccfcats.orgused for recognition, weight, lifespan, temperament, grooming, history
- FIFe breed standard SIB/NEM fifeweb.orgused for body, head, eyes, coat, colours
- FIFe - Breeds list fifeweb.orgused for recognition status and category
Checked 2026-09-30. Text is written in our own words from these sources.