The harsh northern climate contributed to the appearance of thick long hair with a pronounced undercoat in Siberians and the improvement of hunting skills. Due to their impressive size, they easily coped not only with mice, but also with rats. This quality made Siberian cats desirable pets both in rich mansions and in simple rural huts.
Today the breed is widespread not only in Russia, but also far beyond its borders. In 1987, these cats first demonstrated their beauty and became at an exhibition held in the Moscow region. In those years, uniform requirements for the breed did not yet exist: all large fluffy cats were considered Siberian. In 1990, the first standard of the Siberian cat breed with the SIB code was officially approved in the USSR.
After that, the Siberians were transported to the United States, where their active breeding also began. In 1992, the breed was registered by the World Cat Federation (WCF). This is the first time in history when the selection work of Russian felinologists has received international recognition.
