Norwegian Forest Colors & Patterns

Norwegian forest is a large, muscular cat breed. They are gorgeous and have wonderful temperaments. Norwegian forest colors are incredible, ranging from white to red to black. Every color looks unique in Norwegian cats. When you own these amazing cats, you will find them in so many colors and patterns. The combination of brown tabby and white is the most common in these cats. Moreover, their rarity makes white Norwegian forest cats hard to find. 

It might be difficult to recognize every color in Norwegian forest cats. If you are considering owning them, you must know their colors. Make sure to check the article below to understand more about Norwegian forest colors and patterns.

Many Norwegian Forest colors can be found around the world. Cat Fanciers Association recognized more than sixty color variations in the Norwegian forest cat breed. They are accepted in all colors and patterns except fawn, chocolate, lilac, sable, cinnamon, lavender, and the pointed pattern.

These large cats come in so many color combinations and shades. Breed specialists determine different patterns to classify every color easily. There are seven different coat patterns in the Norwegian forest breed including solid, tabby, chinchilla, shaded, smoke, Tortoiseshell, and calico.

• Solid Pattern
• Tabby Pattern
• Chinchilla Patter
• Smoke-shaded Pattern
• Tortoiseshell Pattern
• Calico Pattern

Solid Norwegian Forest Colors

Solid Norwegian Forest Colors means that a cat has only one color on its overall body. Norwegian forest cats with this pattern will not have any other markings or patches of any other color. It is also known as “self” when a cat shows a solid color. Here are the colors that come in a solid coat pattern.

• Black: Solid black looks incredible in wedgie cats. Black Norwegian forest cats have deep coal-black coats, with the same color running from the root to the tip of the hair with no shading. Their nose leather and paw pads are also black.
• White: White Norwegian forest cats are not common. Their coat fur glistens as they don’t have any pigment in the hair. They have pink nose leather and paw pads. Additionally, the eyes of white Norwegian Forest cats will be blue.
• Cream: Cream is a diluted version of a red coat in Norwegian Forest colors. The coat of a cream Norwegian forest cat will be in one shade of buff cream without any markings. The paws and noses of cream cats should be pink.
• Blue: Blue Norwegian forest cats have grey color coats. Blue is a diluted form of black and these cats carry a gene that creates the faded coloration. Their noses and paw pads must be blue.
• Red: The red Norwegian forest cat comes with a red coat, which is often referred to as ginger or orange. The coat of a red Norwegian forest cat has different shades, ranging from red to pale peach. There will be no ticking, shading, or markings in their coats. Additionally, you may see brick-red nose leather and paw pads in red cats.

Tabby Norwegian Forest Colors

Tabby is the traditional color of all domestic cats. When a cat shows stripes is defined as a tabby. The tabby pattern is the most popular and recognizable in the Norwegian forest breed. Norwegian Forest colors in tabby patterns mean they have an “M” mark on their forehead, expressive markings around their eyes, and lines on their faces. Following are some tabby pattern colors.

• Red Tabby: A red ground color with deep red tabby markings will be seen in red tabby Norwegian forest cats. These cats can have tabby markings in any other tabby pattern including mackerel, classic, spotted, patched, or ticked. Additionally, brick-red paw pads and noses are preferred in red tabbies.
• Brown Tabby: Brown tabby Norwegian forest cats have a copper-brown ground color with dense black tabby markings. The back of the leg should be black, from paw to heel. Moreover, the brown tabbies paw pads, and nose leathers are black or brown.
• Blue Tabby: Blue tabbies have a pale blue ground color with deep blue markings. The blue markings can be in any of the tabby patterns. The paw pads and nose leather of blue tabbies are rose-colored.
• Silver Tabby: Silver tabbies have a pale silver ground color with dark black silver markings. They can be either spotted, mackerel, ticked, or classic. Their paw pads are black and nose leather should be brick-red.
• Cameo Tabby: Cameo tabbies have a white undercoat with red markings. The tabby markings can be either spotted, ticked, mackerel, or classic. The nose leather and paw pads of cameo Norwegian forest cats are pink.
• Cream Tabby: A cream tabby Norwegian forest cat has darker cream markings across a pale cream undercoat. The tabby markings of cream tabbies can be spotted, classic, ticked, or mackerel. Their nose leather and paw pads should be pink. 

Moreover, the tabby pattern is also classified into five classes. Every pattern can be in many Norwegian Forest colors, shades, and combinations. Here are the tabby pattern variations:

• Classic Tabby Norwegian Forest Colors and Patterns: A classic tabby Norwegian cat has dense and clearly defined markings alongside swirls on its cheeks, a vertical black line on the back, and an “M” on the forehead. Additionally, they have rings on their tails and butterfly markings across their shoulder. Their belly and chest also have double rows of locket markings in white color.
• Patched Tabby Norwegian Forest Colors and Patterns: Patched tabbies are also known as “torties”. Norwegian Forests with this pattern come in blue, silver, brown, or silver-blue color along with patches of red, cream, or both cream and red. Patched tabbies may also have white lockets or buttons.
• Mackerel Tabby Norwegian Forest Colors and Patterns: A mackerel tabby has an “M” on its forehead with vertical pencil lines running from its eyes to its shoulders. There will be narrow pencil markings along the mackerel tabby’s body. You will see distinct necklaces on its chest and neck parts. Also, they have leg and tail barring.
• Ticked Tabby Norwegian Forest Colors and Patterns: In this pattern, the tips of the hairs are ticked with shades in the marking color and ground coat color. Ticked tabbies don’t have spots, blotches, or stripes on their bodies, however, their legs, tail, and face may have unique tabby markings. The ticked tabbies may have white buttons or lockets.
• Spotted Tabby Norwegian Forest Colors and Patterns: A spotted tabby wedgie cat has dark spots all over the body, preferably evenly distributed, round markings. The stripe is spotted along its spine. It also has white button markings on the stomach. Additionally, spotted tabby has barred legs and tails and the facial markings are classic tabby markings.

Chinchilla Pattern

In the chinchilla pattern, the Norwegian forest cat has an undercoat in one color. The tips on the back, tail, sides, and head will be in different darker shades. This coat pattern often gives Norwegian cat fur a shimmering effect. Here are the colors of the chinchilla pattern.

• Red: A red chinchilla Norwegian forest cat has a white undercoat. Its tail, back, sides, and head tips are red. Her legs and face are also lightly tipped. Moreover, red chinchilla wegies have white ear tufts, chest, chin, and stomach while their noses and paw pads should be pink.
• Silver: Silver chinchilla cats will have a pure white undercoat alongside black tips on the head, sides, back, and tail. The ear tufts, chin, chest, and stomach should be white while their legs can have a lighter shade. Additionally, they have brick red nose leather and black paw pads.
• Golden: The golden chinchilla Norwegian forest cats come with a rich cream undercoat with black tips on the tail, sides, back, and head. Their chin, chest, ear tufts, and stomach must be in cream color. Also, black paw pads and dark pink noses are preferable. 

Smoke-shaded Norwegian Forest Colors

The shaded pattern and chinchilla pattern are almost similar. However, the contrast between the light undercoat and darker tippings on their back, tail, head, and flanks is more prominent. Following are the colors of the shaded pattern.

• Golden: The undercoat of a golden-shaded cat is warm cream with black tipping. The area of the spine will be darkest and the chest, stomach, and chin will be solid cream. The nose should be deep pink and the paw pads can be black.
• Silver: The shaded silver cat has a white undercoat with a notable amount of black tipping on the head, tail, back, and flanks. Like golden-shaded Norwegian Forests, the spine area of silver cats should be the darkest. Also, the shade becomes paler towards the flank. Moreover, the area under the tail, chin, stomach, and chest is white, paw pads are black, and nose leather is red.
• Red: A red-shaded Norwegian forest cat is sometimes called a shaded cameo. They have a white undercoat with red tipping on their tail, face, sides, and back. The fur of a shaded cat is the darkest red along the spine area and fades to white on the belly, stomach, and chin.
• Cream: The undercoat of a cream Norwegian Forest Cat is white with cream tipping. However, their undercoat is only visible when they are moving. These cats also have a white frill and ear furnishing while their paw pads and noses are pink.
• Blue: These cats appear blue, however, blue smoke Norwegian forest cats have white undercoats that are visible only when they move. The faces and points of these cats are blue, with a white frill and ear tufts. Additionally, they have blue nose leather and paw pads.
• Black: The white undercoat of black smoke Norwegian forest cats can be seen only when they move, but these cats appear black when resting. They have a little white on roots fur, with black masks and points. The neck frill and ear tufts should be pale silver. Their nose leather and paw pads can be black.
• Blue-cream: The blue-cream cat has a white undercoat with cream markings and blue tipping. You will also see a cream blaze on its face. The necks and ear tufts are white, and their points and mask should be blue cream.
• Cameo: A cameo smoke cat is sometimes called a red smoke. They come with a white undercoat with red tipping. The white undercoat of cameo Norwegian forest cats is visible when these cats are moving. Additionally, you may see a white frill and ear tufts, a red mask and points, pink paw pads, and pink noses on the cameo Norwegian cat.

Tortoiseshell Norwegian Forest Colors

In the tortoiseshell coat pattern, these cats have particolored coats with different shades. This pattern is mostly found in female Norwegian forest cats and rare in male cats. The tortoiseshell pattern comes in several variations including shaded, smoke, and shell.

• Shaded: A shaded tortoiseshell cat has a white undercoat with black tipping. It will have cream and red patches on its coat. A red or cream blaze can also be seen on its face.
• Shell: Shell tortoiseshell Norwegian forest cats have white undercoats with black, red, and cream tips on the tail, back, head, and sides. They have white chests, chins, ear tufts, and stomachs. The blaze on the face is red or cream.
• Smoke: These cats have a white undercoat with black tipping and cream and red markings. The neck area and ear tufts can be white. Like shaded and shell torties, they have a red or cream blaze on their faces.

Calico Pattern 

The Norwegian forest cats will have a white coat with red and black markings in the calico pattern. Their chest, stomach, feet, legs, and muzzle should be white. Here are the color variations of the calico pattern.

• Van Calico: Van calico Norwegian forest cats come with a white body. They have black and red patches on their legs, head, and tail. You may also see one or two colored patches on their body.
• Dilute Calico: A white coat with patches of blue and cream can be seen in a dilute calico Norwegian Forest cat. It also has a white chest, stomach, legs, muzzle, and feet. The inverted “v” blaze should be on its face.
• Van dilute Calico: Van dilute calico Norwegian forest cats come with a white coat. These cats have cream and blue markings on their legs, tail, and head. You may also find some small colored patches on their body.

Cats may change their coat shade or color with their growth. You may also see your cats become darker or lighter as they age. Some black Norwegian Forest kittens often turn out to be a tabby. Moreover, greyish tabbies change into dilute torties with tabby markings after getting old. Proper Norwegian Forest care and grooming helps them maintain their coat colors attractive.

Norwegian Forest colors and patterns make them an attractive cat breed. You may see them in almost every color. Some cats even change their coat color after reaching adulthood. However, most people don’t care about their cat colors, they just want to get a loving cat companion that can liven up their household.