Breed standard

                       Breed standard for the Siberian cat

                                     This is how the Siberian cat should look like:

Head;
Large, shaped as short broad trapezium, in good proportion to the body, with the slight flat plane on the top of the head. The profile is without stop with smooth dip from the short forehead to the broad straight nose. The nose is medium long. Cheekbones, whisker pads and chin form a smooth, rounded line. Chin is wide, rather strong, but not protruding. Neck is strong and short.

Ears;
Medium size, wide at the base, the distance between the ears exceeds the width of one ear at the base. The external earline is vertical, the external end of the earbase is slightly above the eyelevel. The ears are slightly tilted forward, tips are rounded. Finishing the ears by tufts and brushes is preferred.

Eyes;
Medium size, rounded, set wide apart, with the outer corners tilted slightly upward. Colour is green or yellow of various gradations, distributed evenly. The eyes of the cats оf pointed and white colours are bright blue. The cats of "van" and white colours may have oddly coloured eyes.

Body;
Medium length, massive, with well-developed muscles, on the strong legs of medium length. Hind legs are slightly longer. Paws are large and round. Hair tufts between the toes are strongly desired.

Tail;
Medium length, thicker at the base, slightly tapering to the tip.

Coat;
Medium long. Guard hairs are solid, glossy. On the torso sides, the fur is softer, lightly-lying, and very dense. Undercoat is double, but its grade of expressiveness depends on the season. The decorative fur is long, dense, forms complete ruff and frill. The tail is excellently furnished with fur, the fur forms fluffy "britches" at the hind legs. During the fading season the decorative coat is usually scarce. "Agouty" and "tabby" colours have the most typical coat texture.

Colours;
All colours are permitted with the exception of chocolate, lilac, burmese, abyssinian and their colourpoint varieties. "Colourpoint" and "colourpoint with white" Siberians are known as "Neva Masquerade". The expertise is done separately, as per colours.

Condition;
Cat is healthy, strong, well groomed.

Faults;
Straight profile; deviation toward the "persian" type; long, narrow, light head and/or Face; Flat cheeks, weak cheek-bones. Small, rounded, deeply set eyes; large or narrow set ears, straight or high set ears, "persian" type ears (small, low-set, too trimmed with fur). Too short, too long, or too lightly built body; weak bones; small paws; no fur tufts between the toes. Slim long neck. Too short and/or sharp tail with a scarce fur trimming. Fur lacking undercoat, extremely tough or fluffy coat, dim on the back and croup.

Disqualify;
Clearly expressed signs of "persian" type.

Outcrosses with other breeds are not allowed.

Point score;

FIFé standard (Fédération Internationale Féline);

FIFe’s Pointskala;
Denne pointskala bruges på udstillinger til bedømmelse af den Sibiriske kat. Skalaen er, ligesom standarden, forskellig fra de forskellige forbund.

WCF standard (World Cat Federation);
Siberian / Neva Masquerade
Body;
Medium sized to large cat, well-muscled and heavily built. Neck short and substantial, legs also muscular and of medium length; feet big, compact, round and well tufted. Tail as long as to reach the shoulder blade, slightly tapering, furnished bushy.

Head;
Head short and broad with low set wide cheek bones, rounded muzzle and chin, forehead slightly curved, gently rounded contours and slightly curved profile. Nose of even width from bridge to nose leather.

Ears;
Medium-large, wide at base with slightly rounded tips. Set wide apart and tilted slightly forward.

Eyes;
Large, slightly oval shaped with rounded lower line, set slightly oblique and wide apart. Eye colour to be uniform and harmonizing with coat colour. Any shade from yellow/gold to green is accepted. In whites and vans the eye colour may also be blue or odd-eyed. In pointed cats the eye colour is blue on principle, the deeper the blue the better.

Coat;
Coat is of medium length; very dense undercoat, soft and fine, covered by a coarser, more substantial top coat. The dense smoothly flowing top coat is waterproof and glossy, of coarse, crisp texture, completely covering the back, flanks and the upper side of the tail. Undersides of body and back side of hind legs have only undercoat. Particularly long hair on neck, chest, breeches and tail.

Colour Varieties;
The pointed variety is named Neva Masquerade. Chocolate and cinnamon and the according diluted colours (lilac and fawn) are not accepted in any pattern combinations (solid, bi-colour, tri-colour, tabby), either in the Neva Masquerade or in the Siberian. Burmese pattern is also not accepted. Any other colour is accepted, the descriptions of colours are listed in the General Colour Guide. Any amount of white is allowed.

Point score;

CFA standard (The Cat Fanciers’ Association);
Head;
Shape; Modified wedge of medium/large size with rounded contours, in good proportion to the body. The head is broader at the top of the skull and narrows slightly to a full-rounded muzzle. The cheekbones are neither high set nor prominent. There should be a slight doming between the ears and an almost flat area on the forehead. Males will have well developed jowls and females will have a more moderate look.

Ears;
Medium-large, rounded, wide at the base and tilt slightly forward. The ears should be set as much on the sides of the head as on top. The hair over the back of the ear is short and thin. From the middle of the ear, the furnishings become longer and cover the base of the ear. Ear tipping is allowed.

Eyes;
Medium to large, almost round. The outer corner angled slightly towards the base of the ear. The eyes should be set more than one eye's width apart and should be open, alert, and expressive. There is no relationship between eye colour and coat/colour pattern except in the colour points which have blue eyes.

Chin;
The chin is well rounded but not protruding, and is in line with the nose.

Muzzle;
The muzzle is moderately short in length, full and rounded. There is a slight muzzle curvature, but the transition between the side of the head and the muzzle is gentle and inconspicuous.

Profile;
The top of the head is almost flat, with a slight nose curvature of a gentle slope from the forehead to the nose and a slight concave curvature before the tip when viewed in profile.

Neck;
Rounded, sturdy, and well muscled.

Body;
Torso; The body is medium in length, and well muscled with the back arched slightly higher than the shoulders, with a barrel-shaped, firm belly giving the sensation of solid weight.
Legs; Medium in length. The legs should have substantial boning with the hind legs slightly longer than the front legs.
Feet; The feet are big and rounded, with toe tufts desirable.
Tail; The tail is medium in length, being somewhat shorter than the length of the body. It should be wide at the base, tapering slightly to a blunt tip without thickening or kinks, evenly and thickly furnished.
Boning; Substantial.
Musculature; Ubstantial, powerful.

Coat/Colour/Pattern;
Lenght; This is a moderately long to longhaired cat with a TRIPLE coat. The hair on the shoulder blades and lower part of the chest should be thick and slightly shorter. There should be an abundant full collar ruff setting off the head in adults. Allow for warm weather coats. The hair may thicken to curls on the belly and britches, but a wavy coat is not characteristic.

Texture; Varies from coarse to soft, varying according to colour. There is a tight undercoat (in mature cats), thicker in cold weather.

Other;
Temperament; Must be unchallenging.
Allowances; Because the Siberian is a slow maturing breed, coat and physical structure should be taken into consideration when judging kittens and young adults. Buttons, spots and lockets are allowed.

Penalize;
Straight profile, narrow or fox-like muzzle, long tail, delicate boning, non-muscular, long body, almond-shaped eyes, and very long legs or very short legs; an adult with a long body or without good body weight.

Disqualify;
Kinked tail, incorrect number of toes, crossed eyes. Evidence of illness, poor health, emaciation.

Point skala;

TICA standard (The International Cat Association);
Recognized Category/Divions/Colours
Traditional Category, all Divisions, all colours.

General description;
The Siberian is a large, strong cat which takes 5 years to mature. The females weigh less than the males. They are extremely agile and great leapers. Their muscles are mighty, outstanding and powerful. The back is long and very slightly curved or arched, but appears horizontal when in motion. Convex muscular waist and round, compact belly develop with age. The hind legs, when straightened, are slightly longer than the forelegs. The paws are round, big and quite powerful. The overall appearance should be one of great strength, force and size with an excellent physical condition and alertness; the facial expression is quite sweet. The general impression is one of roundness and circles, rather than the rectangles and triangles of similar breeds.

Head;
The head is a modified wedge of medium size with rounded contours, broader at the skull and narrowing slightly to a full rounded muzzle with well-rounded chin. There may be a slight muzzle curvature, but the transition between the side of the head and the muzzle is gentle and inconspicuous. The cheek bones are neither high set nor prominent. There should be a good distance between the ears and eyes. The top of the head is flat, with a slight nose curvature before the tip. The neck is medium-long, rounded, substantial, and well muscled.

Tail;
The tail is medium in length, wide at the base, blunt at the tip without ticking or kinks, evenly and thickly furnished.

Ears;
The ears are medium-large, wide and set as much on the sides of the head as on the top; ideal position is 1 to 1-1/2 ear width apart. The tips are rounded and the ear tilts forward. Lynx tipping is desirable. Hair over the back of the ears is short and thin; from the middle of the ear, the furnishings become longer and cover the base completely.

Eyes;
The large, almost round eyes are set wide with the outer corner slightly angled towards the lower base of the ear. There is no relationship between eye colour and coat colour/pattern, however, the typical adult colour is yellow-green.

Coat;
This is a moderately long to longhaired cat, with hair on the shoulder blades and lower part of the chest being thick and slightly shorter. There should be an abundant ruff setting off the large, impressive head. There is a tight undercoat, thicker in cold weather. Allow for warm weather coats. The coat gives the impression of lacquer and oil when ungroomed. The hair may thicken to curls on the belly and britches, but a wavy coat is not characteristic. The skin may have a bluish cast. Clear strong colours and patterns desirable, but are secondary to type.

Allowances; Buttons, spots or lockets.

Penalize;
Adult cats not having substantial weight. Straight profile. Narrow or fox-like muzzle. Almond shaped eyes. Very long legs.