Siberian

Temperament

The Siberian is often described as a cat with a dog-like personality: it greets the family, follows them around and gets involved in everything going on at home. It is very intelligent, quickly learns to fetch and respond to simple cues, and along the way may figure out how to open a cabinet or a lever-handled door. It loves to jump, and the top of a wardrobe or the highest shelf is its natural lookout. Despite all that athleticism, it is often calm day to day; breeders joke that it is 90% calm and 10% mischief. It gets along well with children, dogs and other cats, and greets guests with curiosity rather than fear. It purrs and chirps more often than it meows loudly. It matures slowly, so until age two or three it behaves like a big, rambunctious kitten.

Energy

calmvery energetic

Affection

independentvelcro pet

With children

not idealgreat

With other pets

difficultgreat

Trainability

stubborneager to learn

For first-time owners

for experienced ownersyes

With strangers

waryoutgoing

Playfulness

dignifiedeternal puppy

Shedding

minimalheavy

Grooming

easydemanding

Being left alone

strugglescopes well

Apartment living

needs a house and yardgreat in a flat

Talkativeness

quietchatterbox

Indoor-only life

needs outdoor accessgreat

Scores of 1–5 compare the breed with other breeds of the same species, based on the sources at the bottom of the page. Every animal is different. How we score traits

Who is the Siberian for?

The Siberian suits active families with children, homes with a dog and people who want an interactive, bright cat to play with and train. It does well in a house with a yard or a large apartment with a cat-proofed balcony. If you have allergies, don’t buy one sight unseen based on the “hypoallergenic” label. People who can’t stand cat hair should consider another breed.

Size and looks

Care and exercise

The Siberian’s coat is thick but fairly resistant to matting. For most of the year, combing once a week is enough, but during the spring and fall sheds you will need the comb every day, as the cat loses huge amounts of undercoat. This is an active, athletic cat that needs to climb: a floor-to-ceiling cat tree, wall shelves and at least 10–15 minutes of hunting-style play every day are the minimum. It easily learns to walk on a harness, so outings in the yard are a real option. It responds well to reward-based training, and puzzle toys help burn off energy. The breed matures slowly, up to 5 years, so it is worth discussing weight gain and portion sizes with your vet at each checkup.

Health and breed-related conditions

Siberians have the highest genetic diversity of any pedigreed breed, comparable to non-pedigreed cats, which favors good health. Breeders screen for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (heart ultrasound) and polycystic kidney disease, the latter mainly in Neva Masquerade lines. White cats with blue eyes are more often born deaf. As for allergies, the breed is known for supposedly low levels of the Fel d 1 allergen, but studies are few and small. Sartore et al. (2017) analyzed only four Siberians, and data collected by a breeders’ association show that every Siberian produces Fel d 1, with levels varying widely between individuals. Anyone with allergies should spend time with the specific cat and its parents before buying.

• hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)Breeders routinely screen for HCM; there is no breed-specific DNA test, so heart ultrasound is the standard.
• polycystic kidney disease (PKD)Reported especially in Neva Masquerade lines; a DNA test is available.
• deafness in white catsWhite cats with blue eyes are more often born deaf; a BAER hearing test is recommended.
• injuriesIn a large insurance study, Siberians had the highest injury risk among pedigreed breeds.

This is general breed information, not a diagnosis. If something worries you, talk to your veterinarian.

Breed history

Longhaired cats from Siberia and northern Russia have appeared in Slavic fairy tales and folklore for centuries, and in the 19th century they were mentioned in the German “Brehms Tierleben” and in Harrison Weir’s books. Organized breeding, however, began only in the 1980s in the USSR, where one of the first written standards was drawn up in St. Petersburg. In 1990, the first registered Siberians arrived in the US, imported by Elizabeth Terrell. The WCF was the first international organization to adopt a standard, in 1991, FIFe recognized the breed in 1997, and the CFA accepted it for registration in 2000. Today the Siberian is regarded as Russia’s national cat.

Fun facts

• The Siberian is considered Russia’s national cat.
• The first registered Siberians reached the US only in 1990.
• The colorpoint variety, the Neva Masquerade, has been a separate breed in FIFe since 2011.
• The breed matures very slowly, up to 5 years according to the CFA standard.

Frequently asked questions

This breed also appears in

• Long-haired cat breeds
• Largest cat breeds

Sources

1. 1CFA – Siberian breed profilecfa.org
2. 2VCA Animal Hospitals – Siberianvcahospitals.com
3. 3Wikipedia – Siberian caten.wikipedia.org
4. 4Sartore i in. 2017, Polymorphism Analysis of Ch1 and Ch2 Genes in the Siberian Cat (Veterinary Sciences)pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
5. 5FIFe – Recognised breedsfifeweb.org
6. 6WCF – Breed standards semi-longhairwcf.de

Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.