Siberian breed guide

Sociable, curious and easygoing, Siberians want to be near their owners and know what is going on. Owners describe them as 90% placid and 10% mischief.

Very attuned to their owners' moods, they are often sought as emotional support animals. CFA says they get along well with dogs and other animals and suit children well.

Extremely intelligent natural hunters, Siberians love to investigate cabinets, cupboards and suitcases without being overactive or intrusive. They learn the meaning of no quickly, though they may translate it as okay when no one is looking.

Quiet cats, they prefer loud purrs to other forms of communication.

Coats vary enormously: some need weekly grooming to prevent mats, while others go for weeks without. CFA's strategy is to handle the underside, tail and britches several times a week and feel for mats. Separate any with your fingers or the edge of a steel-toothed comb, then run a comb through the rest.

The dense coat is noticeably thicker in the colder months and shorter and less dense in summer.

Siberian breeders choose breeding pairs with extreme care and test genetically to keep diversity high and limit hereditary issues. Those include hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, polycystic kidney disease and several other recessive conditions.

Real Siberians earned their keep as ministers of rodent control, while fantasy versions in Russian fairy tales protected children and opened gateways to otherworldly realms. The cats stayed a Russian secret for hundreds of years until cat shows in England in the 1890s made them known.

The first breeding Siberians reached the United States in 1990, imported by Elizabeth Terrell. CFA accepted the breed for registration in 2000 and gave it championship status in 2007.