Breed Standard: Siberian
Updated: April 26 2004
 A black line denotes an updated section.
The Siberian is eligible to be shown in the Miscellaneous Class.
POINT SCORE
HEAD (45)
15 ... Shape
3 ... Profile
5 ... Ears
5 ... Eyes
4 ... Chin
10 ... Muzzle
3 ... Neck
BODY (40)
10 ... Torso
5 ... Legs
3 ... Feet
5 ... Tail
10 ... Boning
7 ... Musculature
COAT/COLOR (15)
5 ... Length
5 ... Texture
3 ... Pattern
2 ... Color
GENERAL: the Siberian, Russia's native forest cat, first appeared in recorded history around the year 1000 and hails from the unforgiving climate of Siberia. This is a cat that nature designed to survive, with no extremes in type. The Siberian is a medium to medium large, strong triple coated cat with surprising heft for its size. The overall appearance should be one of strength, presence, and alertness, with a sweet facial expression. The breed is extremely slow to mature taking as long as 5 years. Females are generally smaller than males and allowances should be considered when comparing females and young cats to the standard. Size is secondary to type. The general impression is one of roundness and circles, rather than rectangles and triangles.
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 color and coat/color pattern except in the color 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: substantial, powerful.
COAT/COLOR/PATTERN
LENGTH: 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 color. There is a tight undercoat (in mature cats), thicker in cold weather.
COLOR/PATTERN: all colors and combinations are accepted with or without white. White is allowed in any amount and in all areas. White or off-white allowed on chin, breast and stomach of tabbies. Buttons, spots and lockets are allowed. Strong colors and clear patterns are desirable.
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.
The following information is for reference purposes only
and not an official part of the CFA Show Standard.
Siberian Color Class Number
Siberian 3700 3701
(Longhair Specialty Ring)
Siberian allowable outcross breeds: none.
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