Siberians are known for having personality plus. The Siberian has a very dog like temperament and is extremelyy affectionate. Many professing “dog people” have been won over by the Siberian’s loyal and dependable nature. They come out to greet visitors in the house and are not the least bit shy. They are very intelligent and are quick learners. They respond to their names, come when called, walk aimiably on a leash, and even play fetch.

The most remarkable thing about Siberians is their complete and total lack of “cattitude”. Unlike many breeds the Siberian is not moody or persnickety about how they are handled. They don’t purr one minute and then bite you the next. They don’t mind if you stroke their fur in the wrong direction or touch their tails. They are not only tolerant of children, but seem to relish a child’s less than delicate methods of showing affection to an animal. Their clumsy manner is well received by the Siberian and they often seek out the attention of children. They are often found sleeping curled up next to them as if they are protecting their own young. The Siberian has the most delightful purr. Any attention lavished on the Siberian is met with an almost involuntary eruption of appreciation in the form of their triple purr. Unlike other breeds Siberians make an adorable chirping sound which they use when they come to greet you, and as a way to communicate their affection. Siberians have an unusual fascination with water. They will drop toys into their water dishes and play in sinks with water left in. They are known to walk into the shower if the door is left open and have fallen into bathtubs in their attempts to splash all the water out of the tub. There are even those who jump in on purpose if given the chance. They will often try to balance on their owners knees while they are bathing. The Siberian makes an ideal lap cat and will live quite happily indoors with you, getting plenty of exercise chasing catnip mice, stalking dust bunnies, and following you around the house.

The Siberian is a large, strong cat, which can take up to five years to mature. The females are smaller than the males as in all breeds. They are noted for being very agile and can leap great distances. Their muscles are outstanding and powerful. The back is long and very slightly curved but appears horizontal in motion. The compact rounded belly develops with age. The hind-leg of the Siberian is slightly longer than the front legs, with large and powerful firm rounded paws. The overall appearance should be a cat of great strength and size with an excellent physical tone. The facial expression is alert but sweet. The general impression of the cat is one of circles and roundness rather than angular as in some of the other breeds.

The head of the Siberian is a modified wedge of medium size with rounded contours broader at the skull and narrowing slightly to a full rounded muzzle with well-rounded chin. The cheek bones are neither high set or prominent there should be a good distance between the ears and the eyes. The forehead being flat and the nose has a slight curvature before the tip. The neck is medium in length and round and well muscled.

The tail of the Siberian is medium in length, wide at the base, with a blunt tip and the end which is evenly and thickly covered with fur from the base of the tail to the tip of the tail.

The ears on the Siberian are medium to large, wide and set as much on the sides of the head as on the top, the tips are rounded and the ear tilts forward.

The eyes of the Siberian are large almost round eyes set wide apart with the outer corner slightly angled toward the base of the ear. There is no relationship of eye colour to coat colour however the typical colour seen is yellow- green.

The coat is the Siberians crowning glory. It is a moderately long haired coat with the fur on the lower chest and shoulder blades being slightly shorter. There should be an abundant ruff around the neck setting off the large impressive head. There is a tight undercoat, which becomes thicker in colder weather. The coat gives the impression of lacquer and oil when un-groomed. The hair may thicken and curl on the belly and britches, but this is not a feature of the cat. The skin may also appear to have a bluish cast. Clear strong colours and patterns are desirable but are secondary to type.

Colour varieties of the Siberian vary and all colours are genetically possible, such as tabby, solid colours tortoiseshell colours and colour point varieties.

There is some depute as to the origins of the colour points in the breed but as long as records have been kept in Russia colour points have been noted to have been produced. The Russian believe that the feral pointed cats mated with the other colours along the Neva River region in Leningrad (which is now named St. Petersburg) in the 1960’s. Soon Russian breeders were including this pattern into their breeding programs and created the nick name for them “Neva-Masquerade”. Neva for the river, and masquerade, for the mask. These are not a separate class of the Siberian but another colour. Some countries still do not accept the colour pointed version in the breed acceptance standard. No outcrosses are permitted for this breed.