If you ever meet a cat that is extra fluffy and is closer in size to a small-breed dog, this is most likely your first encounter with a Norwegian forest cat. Also called skogkatt (forest cat) in Norwegian, these long-haired beauties have quite a history. Some historians believe that they were brought to Norway by traveling merchants, while others say it was the Vikings themselves who carried them home from their journeys. But whatever their origin story might be, Norwegian forest cats perfectly adapted to their new environment and thrived for centuries.

Interestingly, this breed was not created artificially through human manipulation. After their ancestors were first introduced to the pretty harsh climate of Norway, forest cats started evolving to become the absolute gorgeous animals we know them to be. Today, skogkatts are adept climbers and even like fishing in ponds or other bodies of water, unlike most cat breeds who hate getting wet.   

Norse mythology has numerous mentions of fairy cats – giant felines who could climb mountains and pulled the chariot of goddess Freya. It is also very likely that the ancestors of forest cats served as ship cats, taking care of vermin infestations. One could say that life at sea made them real Viking cats. 

A modern Norwegian cat mostly prefers to stay at home and nap on a thick carpet or a sofa, though you can see that unmistakable adventurous spirit in their eyes. And although Norwegian forest cat size may suggest otherwise, they are, in fact, very friendly and affectionate animals that get on well both with family members and other pets.

In this article, we have collected Norwegian forest cat pictures so that you can admire their unmatched beauty. 

#1 Dylan, 11 Month/Old Norwegian Forest Cat. Our Vet Tech Carried Him Around The Office To See The Rest Of The Staff For Pets And Pictures. He Was Feeling Proud

Image credits: enrocc

#2 Norwegian Forest Cats

Image credits: sampycat

#3 Fast And Furrious

Image credits: we.are.chilipepper

#4 Freya The Cheeky Norwegian Forest Cat

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#5 Fluff Master Supreme

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#6 When We Rescued Him From The Humane Society. Little Did We Know That Bagheera Was Actually A Majestic Norwegian Forest Cat

Image credits: dasbrutalz

#7 Meet Odin, A Norwegian Forest Cat!

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#8 A Handful Of Norwegian Forest Kittens

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#9 Giant Kitty

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#10 The Norwegian Forest Cat

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#11 My Norwegian Forest Cat Nugget

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#12 Meet Astrid, My New 9-Week-Old Norwegian Forest Cat. She’s Enjoying The Train Home From K.C. To Chicago

Image credits: DrowningInPussycats

#13 My Cat, Fearlessly Scouting The Woods

Image credits: CarelessKrow

#14 My Friend’s Norwegian Forest Cat Knows She’s Beautiful

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#15 Our Nearly 17 Year Old Norwegian Forest Cat, We Love Him Dearly

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#16 Mille, The Norwegian Forest Cat

Image credits: kryptoparty

#17 Dylan, 2 Year Old Norwegian Forest Cat

Image credits: enrocc

#18 Pepper, The Norwegian Forest Cat Just Loves Snow

Image credits: we.are.chilipepper

#19 Meet Freyja My Norwegian Forest Cat

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#20 In His Element

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#21 Our Little Norwegian Forest Cat

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#22 Norwegian Forest Prettiness

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#23 I’m A Norwegian Forest Cat. How Do You Do?

Image credits: reddit.com

#24 Dylan, 2 Year Old Norwegian Forest Cat. King Of The Play Room, Killer Of Cloth Mice

Image credits: enrocc

#25 Enzo – The Norwegian Forest Cat

Image credits: enzothenorwegian

#26 My Handsome Norwegian Forest Cat Louie

Image credits: DeannaBananaBanana

#27 Loki And Freya Love To Cuddle With Each Other

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#28 My Norwegian Forest Cat That Has A Genetic Mutation That Caused Dwarfism. The Most Affectionate, Loving Cat I Have Ever Known

Image credits: DrRodneyMckay

#29 Our Weegies, Svenson And Bjornson

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#30 What Are You Looking At??

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#31 Torbjørn – 12 Weeks

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#32 This Is A Norwegian Forest Cat. They Often Get Confused For Being Fat Or Overfeed. But They Are Actually Just Extremely Fluffy Due To The Cold Climate They Come From

#33 Hi, My Name Is Blitz And I’m A Norwegian Forest Cat

Image credits: angelo0251

#34 My Cats Winter Coat Norwegian Forest Cat

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#35 My Name Is Zelda And I’m Pretty

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#36 The Eyes On This Norwegian Fluff Ball

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#37 Norwegian Forest Cat From Chicago

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#38 He’s Working

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#39 Now That’s A Big One

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#40 Thor’s Mane Is Really Filling In

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#41 Breeder Said The First Letter Of His Name Had To Be C. Meet Catto!

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#42 Mexican Forrest Cat?

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#43 Did Anybody Order A Handsome Dude?

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#44 This Is My Cat, Hercules. A Norwegian Forest Cat. Just Look At Him Sleep

Image credits: m0jex

#45 My Norwegian Forest Cat, So Much Floof!

Image credits: Ixurixx

#46 Aslan – Just A Fluffy Boy Living His Best Life

Image credits: aslantheforestcat

#47 Me Being The Male Equivalent Of A Crazy Cat Lady I Had To Post My Firstborn Here; Melissa, A 2year, 13lb Norwegian Forest Cat

Image credits: rusiak

#48 My Norwegian Forest Cat Climbing Trees

Image credits: Navigas

#49 “They Will Never Get Along!” They Said About My Female Pit Bull And Forest Cat

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#50 Dreaming About Food For Sure

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#51 They Saw A Spider In The Bath!

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#52 Norway Forest Cat In Her Natural Environment

Image credits: Kathrineishere

#53 My Norwegian Forest Cat Isn’t Fat, He’s Floofy

Image credits: Imperator1138

#54 My Norwegian Forest Cat Is Almost As Wide As He Is Long

Image credits: Mr_Nap_kins

#55 Say Hello To Simba, My Norway Forest Cat

Image credits: Kathrineishere

#56 Snow Days

Image credits: vandvthewegies

#57 Yawning To Get Your Attention

Image credits: norwegietales

#58 Angel And Azrael

Image credits: norweger_vom_silberrausch

#59 These Little Monsters Figured Out How To Open The Closet To Get Their Toys On The Top Shelf. Here They Are Acting Innocent When Caught

Image credits: Lappel-Du-Vide-

#60 This Gentleman Was A Stray Kitten That Showed Up At My House 3 Years Ago, Mr. Sly Is His Name

Image credits: theBERZERKER13

#61 Norwegian Forest Cats

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#62 Norwegian Forest Kittens

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#63 I Think Loki, Our Norwegian Forest Cat Would Fit In Well Here?

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#64 My Norwegian 3 Years Ago And Now

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#65 This Is Higgins, One Of My Norwegian Forest Cats. Love His Posture In The Picture

Image credits: WalnutFeline

#66 Liam Lillegrå Catches Leaves And Not Mouses

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#67 I’m Tellin Ya, The Bird I Caught Was This Big!

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#68 When You’re Massive

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#69 Best Cat Bed

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#70 This Is Thor. He Is My Precious Norwegian Forest Cat. We Love Him So Much And I Thought You Could All Benefit From His Cuteness Today!

Image credits: Bacm88

#71 First Pic Of My Norwegian Forest Crazy-Cat And Nearly Two Years Later

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#72 Bellamy Blake. My Floofy Baby Boy. He’s A Norwegian Forest Cat

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#73 My Absolute Unit Of A Norwegian Forest Cat

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#74 My Thicc Girl

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#75 Just Discovered That Norwegian Forest Cats Are A Thing And Then It Became Very Clear I’ve Had One For 11 Years. This Is Misha

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#76 We Got Him From The RSPCA (Animal Shelter In Australia) We Always Wondered Why He Would Never Meow – But Made A Small Chirping Noise

Image credits: miss-with-an-m

#77 Just A Ball Of Floof With A Tail

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#78 Meet Jay… The Norwegian Forest Cat

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#79 My 16 Year Old Norwegian Forest Cat Nikolai

Image credits: Affectionate-Bad999

#80 My Norwegian Forest Cats Olli (1,5 Y/O M) And Blitz (0,5 Y/O M) Both The Same Parents But Just Different Nest

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#81 My One Year Old Girl, Freyja. She’s Leash Trained And We Go On Walks Together, If You Want I’ll Post More Pictures Of Our Walks!

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#82 She’s Relaxing In Her Favourite Spot

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#83 Oh Ya Know, Just Chillin’!

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#84 Touch Me If You Can

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#85 Norwegian Fern Cat

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#86 New Kitten Fernando 13 Weeks Old. He Is Very Naughty And Mischievous

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#87 My New Norwegian Forest Kitten

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#88 A Very Chill, Very Floofy Norwegian Forest Cat

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#89 Attended A Cat Show This Weekend This Was One Of Our Competitors That Later Became Best In Show. A Beautiful Norwegian Forest Cat Named Cornelis

Image credits: phantera65

#90 My Darling Älva. She’s A Norwegian Forest Cat And The Light Of My Life

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#91 My Furball Of A Norwegian Forest Cat

Image credits: Furrymonkeyguy007

#92 This Is Casper, My Norwegian Forest Cat!

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#93 Sundays Are For Nap Naps

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#94 Tango

Image credits: tango.norwegianforest

#95 Ready For Some Baking

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#96 My Grandpaw Says Hello!

Image credits: theherbal_alchemist

#97 Norwegian Forest Blep

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#98 Upside Down Norwegian Forest Cat Blep

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#99 This Floof Is Leo. A Norwegian Forest Cat Who Loves Chilling On Our Bed With Curledfeetsies

Image credits: Fair_Enthusiasm_2488

#100 My Norwegian Forest Cat

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#101 My Norwegian Forest Cat Orion Out In The Sun!

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#102 Bumped Into This Little Guy On The Street Earlier. His Name Was Baikal, And He Is A Norwegian Forest Cat. He Was Off To The Vet So He Was A Bit Under The Weather

Image credits: Phenylketonuria

#103 My Norwegian Forest Cat Says Hello… With Her Hind Leg

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#104 Juno The Norwegian Forest Cat Likes The Piano

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#105 Darling Is Expecting Her First Little Kittens Very Soon And She Is Already Very Excited

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#106 My Baby Survived Being Blocked Two Times! Finally Fully Back To Normal

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#107 Eddy Came Into My Life When He Was About 1 Year Old, So I Never Got To See Him As A Kitten, But I Bet Any Money He Was A Cute

Image credits: MuffinMages77

#108 My Winter Neck Gaiter Is Getting Thick

Image credits: norwegianforest_cat

#109 Maggie Relaxing Outside

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#110 Kleo

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#111 Norwegian Forest Cats Like To Snuggle

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#112 My Mum Finally Got The Cat Of Her Dreams – A Norwegian Forest Cat! Meet Bambi!

Image credits: DarkPhoenix1993

#113 A Norwegian Forest Cat I Met During My Travels!

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#114 Norwegian Forest Cat Wearing The Norwegian Colors

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#115 He’s So Special – Norwegian Forest Cat

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#116 My Large Norwegian Forest Cat, Kirby

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#117 Kitty Is 6 Today!

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#118 Her Favorite Spot Over The Winter Months

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#119 Aske Craving Pats In A Cold Winter Morning

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#120 Big Feline Feelings

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#121 This Is Pusi! Norwegian Girl 6 Years Of Age. Got That Thick Winter Coat Now

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#122 This Is Fatty, He’s An 11 Year Old Norwegian Forest Cat Who Loves Cuddling!

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#123 Meet Aslan, He’s Only 7 Weeks Old Right Now But I Just Got Off The Phone With The Breeder Who Said We Could Buy Him! So Excited!

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#124 Our Gorgeous Norwegian Forest Cat Freya

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#125 That’s My Favorite Position

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#126 A Noble Beast And His Peasant

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#127 He Brings Me His Bottle Daily For Me To “Keep”

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#128 Ragnar, My Playful, Adventurous, Fearless And Loving

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#129 Norwegian Forest Cat

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#130 Penny Showing Off Her Floofy Tail

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#131 My Self-Taught Therapy Cat, Hamish

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#132 My Norwegian Forest Cat, Chester!

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#133 This Is Noodle, He Is A Norwegian Forest Cat And Is Naturally Massive, He Weighs 22lbs

Image credits: AcousticFungi69

#134 I’ve Mentioned My Giant Norwegian Forest Floof Several Times So Here’s The Past Due Cat Tax. Yes, That’s A Large Human Sized Deck Chair. And Yes, He’s As Huggable As He Looks

Image credits: AndrogynousRain

#135 This Is Sawyer The Norwegian Forest Cat, And Today He Turned 11

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#136 This Is Our Cutie. He Is A Norwegian Forest Cat, And He Is The Most Relaxed And Adaptable Cat We Have Ever Had

Image credits: CathleenSch

#137 My Long Long Girl 9 Months Old Norwegian Forest Cat

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#138 My Grandma’s Cat ‘Mokolosh’, He Is A Norwegian Forest Cat

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#139 Our Siberian Husky And Norwegian Forest Cat Pretending To Buttface Each Other

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#140 I Have Been Cornered By An Angry Looking Norvegian Forest Cat. What To Do?

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#141 This Is Frøya. My Norwegian Forest Cat

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#142 Fluff Ball

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#143 My Norwegian Forest Cat

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#144 Soooo Fluffy

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#145 A Good Stretch Followed By A Grunt

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#146 He’s Looking For His Midnight Snack

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#147 Hi Guys! Meet Grandpaw

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#148 A Very Big, Very Fluffy Norwegian Boy Is 12 This Year

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#149 Big Fluff Ball

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#150 Our Fuzzy Boy

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#151 The Floofer Monster Is Sleepy

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#152 My Norwegian Cat Somehow Isn’t Dying In The Florida Heat

Image credits: mermaidemily_h2o

#153 But Meet Phillie The Norwegian Forest Cat

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#154 Our Norwegian Forest Cat Always Gets Involved On Game Night

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#155 Miss Tilly Toffee Chilling Out

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#156 Socks The Sassy Norwegian Forest Cat

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#157 Norwegian Forest Cat Thinks He’s A Snail

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#158 Our Norwegian Forest Cat Mid Flight

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#159 It’s My Babies First Birthday Today!

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#160 My Norwegian Forest Cat, Loki And His Mighty Paws

Image credits: Ipurrforpets

#161 My Norwegian Forest Cat Under The Tree Last Christmas. Enthusiastic As Always

Image credits: nekononyan

#162 I Think We Adopted Two Wegies?

Image credits: whatdhell

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