The Siberian is a natural breed and the national cat of Russia. It is hardly disputable that Siberians have ancient origins. Many stories have been told about cats that several centuries ago made their way to Siberia and Far East of Russia and surviving the Siberian long and cold winters developed into a hardy, semi-longhaired breed able to withstand the unforgiving conditions of this region.

The Siberians as a natural breed have excellent health and stable well balanced temper. They strongly carry their instincts for hunting and are known to be exceptionally agile jumpers. None of the butterflies, moths, mice, beetles will be left without attention. The Siberians also appear to be fascinated with water.

The Siberians are intelligent, affectionate and loyal to their families, like to communicate with people around coming to greet them with their unique triple purr. Their personalities are often referred to as ‘dog like’ and they do in fact exhibit protective qualities. The Siberians can play with toys for long time. Furthermore, the cat will constantly drag the owner into playing.

The Siberians easily adapt to any type of living conditions; these cats can be held in a house or a flat, indoors or outdoors. Their fur is textured but glossy, which means matting is rare. A twice weekly combing is enough to keep the coat in good condition.

The Siberians are slow to mature taking as long as 3 years to reach full maturity, and should develop into a medium-large powerful cat, males weighing considerable more than females.

The first Russian official standard for the Siberian cat was proposed by Olga Mirinova and established in Russia in 1989. Siberians were first exported from Russia in 1990 and quickly gained their popularity in the world. Siberians were first imported into Australia in 2002 by Marie Mahoney of Brisbane and now well recognised in Australia by entire cat registry councils.