Omplasseringskatten bor på kattehjemmet.

Because Norwegian makes very frequent use of compound nouns. Where English often uses several words, Norwegian often joins them into one.

• omplasseringskatten = a compound built around omplasseringskatt
  • the definite ending -en
• kattehjemmet = kattehjem
  • the definite ending -et

This is very normal in Norwegian. So a learner should get used to reading long nouns as smaller parts joined together.

For example:

• katt = cat
• hjem = home
• kattehjem = cat home / cat shelter

Norwegian usually writes that as one word, not katte hjem or katte hjemmet.

That -s- is a linking element used in compounds.

The word can be broken down like this:

• omplassering = rehoming / relocation
• linking -s-
• katt = cat
• -en = the

So:

• omplasseringskatt = a rehoming cat / a cat for rehoming
• omplasseringskatten = the rehoming cat

This -s- does not have a separate meaning by itself here. It mainly helps connect the parts of the compound in a natural Norwegian way.

They mark the nouns as definite.

• katten = the cat
• hjemmet = the home
• kattehjemmet = the cat shelter

So in the sentence:

• omplasseringskatten = the rehoming cat
• kattehjemmet = the cat shelter

This is one of the biggest differences from English: Norwegian often adds the as an ending instead of using a separate word.

Because in Norwegian, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun.

Compare:

• en katt = a cat

• katten = the cat

• et hjem = a home
• hjemmet = the home

So you do not normally need a separate word like English the in a simple noun phrase.

A useful extra note: when there is an adjective, Norwegian often uses double definiteness:

• den store katten = the big cat
• det store hjemmet = the big home

But in your sentence there is no adjective, so the ending alone is enough.

Bor is the present tense of bo, which means to live or to reside.

So:

• bor = lives

It is used because the sentence is talking about where the cat lives, not just where it is at the moment.

Compare:

• Katten bor på kattehjemmet. = The cat lives at the shelter.
• Katten er på kattehjemmet. = The cat is at the shelter.

The second sentence could just describe a temporary location. The first suggests that this is where the cat is staying or housed.

This is a very common learner question.

Norwegian often uses på with institutions, organized places, and locations understood as a kind of social or functional setting, not just a physical container.

So på kattehjemmet means something like:

• at the cat shelter
• living at the shelter

By contrast, i kattehjemmet would focus more on being inside the building physically.

So:

• bor på kattehjemmet = the natural choice for living/staying at the shelter
• er i kattehjemmet = inside the shelter building

English often uses in and at in ways that do not match Norwegian exactly, so this is something you mostly learn through exposure.

The nouns have different grammatical genders, and that affects both the indefinite article and the definite ending.

• katt is usually masculine/common gender in Bokmål

  • en katt = a cat
  • katten = the cat

• hjem is neuter

  • et hjem = a home
  • hjemmet = the home

That is why you see:

• -en in omplasseringskatten
• -et in kattehjemmet

So the endings are not random; they reflect the gender of the head noun.

The sentence has the normal word order for a simple Norwegian main clause:

• subject + verb + place

So:

• Omplasseringskatten = subject
• bor = verb
• på kattehjemmet = place phrase

However, Norwegian is a V2 language, which means the finite verb usually comes in the second position in main clauses.

That means if you move the place phrase to the front, the verb still stays second:

• På kattehjemmet bor omplasseringskatten.

That sounds more marked or literary, but it is grammatically correct.

A good way to learn Norwegian nouns is to know both the indefinite and definite forms.

From this sentence you can extract:

• en omplasseringskatt = a rehoming cat

• omplasseringskatten = the rehoming cat

• et kattehjem = a cat shelter
• kattehjemmet = the cat shelter

And the simpler base nouns are:

• en katt = a cat
• et hjem = a home

Learning nouns in pairs like this makes Norwegian much easier, because definiteness is built into the noun itself.