Malcolm was my beloved cat, whom we got from an animal shelter in 1992. He was probably a Maine Coon Cat, although I gave him a fanciful pedigree as a Norwegian Forest Cat, the cat of the Vikings. The Vikings brought the Norwegian Forest Cat to North America in the 11th century, where it evolved into the Maine Coon Cat, Maine’s state cat. The Norwegian Forest Cat has lived in the forests of Norway for thousands of years and is well suited to a cold, snowy climate with thick water-proof fur, a bushy tail, tufted ears and toes. It’s a large cat. At his largest ,Malcolm was 16 pounds. We miss him so much!

“Malcom, Norwegian Forest Cat” was featured in the “Dogs and Cats” group in November 2009.