This breed is marketed as a hardy, naturally-evolved landrace with few health problems, which is true for most individuals, but it carries a rare fatal metabolic disease that kills affected kittens in infancy or early kittenhood, and Cornell's feline health center also lists it among breeds with elevated hypertrophic cardiomyopathy risk — a DNA test exists for the fatal condition and there is no excuse for a breeder not to use it.
9.95years, life expectancy at birth
1.8 years below the all-cat life expectancy at birth of 11.74.
Measured, not estimated: worked out from 7,936 UK cats that died in 2019 under veterinary care. Based on 15 deaths of this breed. 95% confidence interval 7.55 to 12.35 years. Life expectancy at birth is the average a kitten of this breed could expect; a cat that is already an adult has a longer expected total, because it has got past the risky early years. UK cats, so treat it as the best available figure rather than a promise about yours.
Teng et al. 2024, Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery 26(5) — open access · figures cited with attributionHealth tests to ask the breeder for
There is no CHIC program for cats. These are the DNA and screening tests that the testing laboratories and cat health bodies name for the Norwegian Forest Cat. A breeder who tests will show the certificates; a DNA result of "clear" for one variant is not a guarantee against the disease.
- Glycogen Storage Disease type IV (GBE1) DNA test (UC Davis VGL / Langford Vets) screens for fatal glycogen storage disease
- Erythrocyte Pyruvate Kinase (PK) Deficiency DNA test (UC Davis VGL / Langford Vets) screens for inherited haemolytic anaemia
- Echocardiogram (heart ultrasound) by a veterinary cardiologist, repeated regularly for breeding cats screens for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM); no DNA test covers this breed (GCCF and Cornell list the Norwegian Forest Cat as HCM-predisposed)
When to spay or neuter: by five months, whatever the breed. That is the one answer the AVMA, the feline practitioners and AAHA all give, and the spay and neuter page has why, and the two weeks after.
Sources: vgl.ucdavis.edu · vgl.ucdavis.edu · langfordvets.co.uk · gccfcats.org. Checked September 2026. Check a breeder has the questions.
Adopt a Norwegian Forest Cat near you
Shelters and rescues list Norwegian Forest Cats and Norwegian Forest Cat mixes on Petfinder. Enter a ZIP code to see who is waiting within 100 miles.
Listings come from Petfinder and open there. Petipedia does not take part in adoptions and earns nothing from them.
Living with a Norwegian Forest Cat
Norwegian Forest Cats are playful, people-oriented, and unusually resourceful, retaining a kitten-like energy well into adulthood, but they are also a serious grooming commitment — the dense, water-resistant double coat needs weekly combing year-round and considerably more during the heavy spring and fall shedding seasons or it will mat. Buy only from a breeder who can show GSD IV DNA test results for both parents; this is a fatal disease with a simple, available test, so there's no good reason for it to still be showing up in kittens.
Health you should know about
- Glycogen storage disease type IV (GSD IV) — a defective glycogen-branching enzyme causes abnormal glycogen buildup in muscle, liver, and neurons; most affected kittens die at or shortly after birth, and the rare kitten that survives longer develops fever, muscle tremors, and progressive muscle wasting before dying, typically by around 5 months old. It is autosomal recessive (two carrier parents have roughly a 25% chance of producing an affected kitten per litter), and a DNA test exists to screen breeding cats.
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) — Cornell's feline health center lists Norwegian Forest Cat among the breeds with elevated prevalence of this potentially fatal heart-muscle disease.
- Hip dysplasia has been reported anecdotally as a concern in this larger-bodied, heavier breed, similar to other big cat breeds.
Read the full Cat Care Guide first — costs, daily time, and everything a cat needs before you choose a breed.
Naming a Norwegian Forest Cat? Norwegian dog and cat names, 90 of them, with what they mean.
Sources — 5 references
Last reviewed October 2026. 5 sources listed below. Written and maintained by Petdeals.io. General care information, not veterinary advice — for a sick animal, call a vet.