ForestWind   

  Happy, Healthy, Hypoallergenic Siberian Kittens 

Beginning in 2006, we began investigating the  how to's of finding and importing 100% pure foundation Siberian cats from eastern, rural Russia.



By 2009, we had invested a lot of time and effort with several other Foundation line breeders to identify and import these vigorous aboriginal Siberian cats from unused or rarely used lines.  



Since this time we have brought  in several aboriginal line Siberian cats (pure Siberians, some with parents directly "from the fields"), from eastern Russia. Our Aboriginal Siberians are healthy, large, and their lines are rarely or not at all seen in the north American pedigrees.

Working with the aboriginal Siberian cat, we helped expand the limited genetic pool of breeding and pet Siberians currently available in North America.



A wide genetic pool is important. When Breeders breed and re-breed within a limited genetic pool, they increase breed-wide incidences of heart, kidney, and other genetic diseases, as well as create weaker immune systems in their cats.  Weak immune systems are one of the causes of FIP.



In committing to breed Siberian cats, ethically we had to focus on protecting breed health, as well as preserving the original wild look and size of the aboriginal Siberian cat. This photo is of a Scottish wild cat (Felis silvestris grampia). Note the size of the cat compared to the tree.
This is Zhelan Manchzury on 28 January 2013. Note the striking similarity to the felis silvestris grampia in the same position in the photo above.

Siberian cats from eastern Russia outcrossed with the felis silvestris wild cats. The size of a wild Siberian male is quite large, often over 15 to 17 pounds. Their temperaments are wild, and would be unsuitable as pets. Over hundreds of years Siberians became the farmer and woodsman's ally - keeping rodents at bay and even providing company. Over time Siberians who elected to remain close to human settlements self selected for traits of affection, lowered aggression, and a smaller size. Today the typical eastern Russian Siberian male is a large domestic cat weighing between 13 and 15 pounds. As the breed moves westward, size has decreased and most fit, adult males are 11 to 13 pounds.


Our dream is to someday visit Russia to meet Siberian breeders, but even more importantly to learn about the country. We thank the breeders who partnered with us to help us focus on preserving this unique large, loving cat.