South West Norwegian Cat Club
Guardians of the Norwegian Forest Cat in the United Kingdom since 1962
Welcome to the South West Norwegian Cat Club
For more than sixty years, the South West Norwegian Cat Club has been the home of the Norwegian Forest Cat in the counties of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. Ours is a small, proud community of breeders, owners, show exhibitors and admirers — united by a shared love of the Skogkatt and its place in British cat fancy.
We were founded in 1962 by a handful of enthusiasts who had come to know the breed through Scandinavian friends and by private import, long before the Norwegian Forest Cat was formally recognised in the UK. We became a fully-affiliated single-breed club of the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy in 1987, the year the breed gained championship status in Britain, and we have met continuously every year since.
Today SWNCC supports more than 140 members across the South West and beyond. We run the region’s longest-established Norwegian-only show, publish the quarterly Forest Gazette newsletter, offer mentoring to new breeders, and maintain the most active directory of registered Norwegian Forest Cat catteries in the South West of England.
Find a Breeder
Our directory lists member catteries across the South West — all GCCF-registered, all breeding to the UK Norwegian Forest Cat Breed Standard, all signed up to the SWNCC Code of Ethics.
Join Our Community
Membership connects you to Norwegian owners and breeders, full access to the Forest Gazette, member-only show discounts, and the annual members’ lunch in September.
Attend Our Show
The SWNCC Annual Show at Westpoint Arena, Exeter is the largest Norwegian-only championship event in the South West. Visitors welcome.
About the Norwegian Forest Cat
The Norwegian Forest Cat — the Skogkatt of her homeland — is one of the natural breeds of the cat fancy. Her ancestors were the hardy farm cats of Norway: long-haired, weather-proof, sure-footed on ice, and substantial enough to keep the barns of the cold northern farms clear of rodents through the long winters.
She is a slow-maturing breed — it is not unusual for a Norwegian to still be filling out into her fourth or fifth year — and the breed carries a characteristic long, water-resistant double coat with a distinctive ruff and breeches. Behind the coat sits a strong, well-muscled cat with a triangular head, almond eyes and a long bushy tail carried high.
Temperamentally, the Norwegian is gentle, watchful and slow to startle. She is sociable without being demanding, playful into old age, and as good a companion as you will find among the long-haired pedigree breeds. She thrives in households with access to a secure garden or catio; she will do well as a house cat but is happiest with space to climb.
Our Annual Show
Saturday 14 March 2026 — Westpoint Arena, Clyst St Mary, Exeter. Our fifty-eighth championship show welcomes Norwegians from across the UK, with three Best in Show judges, full-class schedules in both Adult and Kitten sections, and our traditional Members’ Award for the best-conditioned home-bred cat.
Visitors welcome from 10:30. Entry £5 adult, children free.
Interested in joining? Get in touch.
Whether you are thinking of buying your first Norwegian, offering an older cat a retirement home, or have been breeding the Skogkatt for years, we would love to hear from you. Use the form below or email info@swnorwegiancc.demo and one of the committee will come back to you within three working days.