#amazinganimals facts for kids
The Siberian is a centuriesold landrace of domestic cat in Russia and recently developed as a formal breed with standards promulgated the world over since 1980.
Siberians vary from medium to mediumlarge in size. The formal name of the breed is Siberian Forest Cat, but usually it's simply called the Siberian or Siberian cat. Another formal breed name is the Moscow SemiLonghair. The cat is an ancient breed that is now believed to be ancestral to all modern longhaired cats. The cat has similarities with the Norwegian forest cat, to which it is likely closely related. It is a natural breed from Siberia and the national cat of Russia.
Known to be an exceptionally agile jumper, the Siberian is a strong and powerfully built cat, with strong hindquarters and large, wellrounded paws and an equally large full tail. They have barrelled chests and medium sized ears, large eyes, broad foreheads, and stockier builds than other cats. Their large round eyes give an overall sweet expression to their face. Siberians have a slight arch to their back, because their hind legs are slightly longer than the front legs. This shape contributes to their incredible agility and athleticism.
Siberians express the three natural types of feline fur: guard hair, awn hair, and down hair. These three layers protect the cat from the Russian weather extremes, and provide a hardy, easy to care for coat. The fur is textured but glossy, which decreases the occurrence of matting.
As with most other cat breeds, color varieties of the Siberian vary and all colors, such as tabby, solid, tortoiseshell and colorpoint, are genetically possible. The Siberian cat breed does not have any unusual, distinct, or unique fur colorations or patterns.
Siberian cats moult once or twice a year. The first moult is at the end of winter. The winter moult is instigated not by a change in temperature but by a change in day length. Many Siberians will experience a less intense "minimoult" at the end of the summer season, unlike other cats, which will experience a "heavy moult" more than twice a year.
Siberian cats tend to come into reproductive readiness earlier than other breeds, sometimes as young as five months. It is thought that this is related to the breed's closeness to its natural wild state; feral cats often die young due to harsher natural conditions. Achieving reproductive ability early and having large litters provides a biological balance to this. On average, a Siberian litter consists of five to six kittens, as compared to the average litter of three to four kittens in breeds who have been registered as pedigreed cats.
Siberian cats are excellent parents, with the fathers helping to care for kittens if they are allowed access to the nest. Parents are often strongly bonded and some mothers will only mate with one male. Atypical for cats, juvenile male Siberians have been seen cuddling and grooming their cousins and siblings. Siberians, due to their communal nature, often do better in pairs in captivity.
Males can father kittens from as young as five months to over ten years. In regions where the breed is rare and expensive a long term breeding career for a pedigreed male can create a risk of popular sire effect, in which one male has an overly large genetic influence on the breed. In Eastern Europe, where the breed is common and less expensive, this issue is less likely to arise than elsewhere.