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The Russian Blue is a breed
of cat. It has a lean
medium-sized body and a short, plush blue (a blueish-gray that is the dilute
expression of the black gene) coat.
This coat is unique to the breed as it is a double coat, with the undercoat
being a soft and downy and the longer guard hairs an even blue with the silver
tips. This "tipping" gives the coat a shimmering appearance. Its eyes are green
and ideally should be dark and vivid. These cats are highly intelligent and
playful but tend to be shy around strangers. They also develop a close bond with
their human companions.
Unlike many modern cat breeds, the Russian Blue is a naturally occurring
breed which is believed to originate in the port af Arkhangelsk, Russia,
although the only evidence of this is anecdotal. They are found in many
countries, and the majority of their modern breeding program has been carried
out in the USA.
Although they have been used on a limited basis to create other breeds (such
as the
Havana Brown) or add type to a breed in creation (the Nebelung),
Russian Blues themselves are shorthaired, blue cats.
Russian Blues should not be confused with 'British Blues' (which are not a
distinct breed but rather a
British Shorthair with a blue coat), nor the Chartreux
or Korat which
are two other naturally occurring breeds of blue cats.
During the early 1970’s, Mavis Jones, a Russian Blue breeder in Australia,
mated a domestic white cat with a Russian Blue with the intent to create a solid
white Russian Blue. By the late 1970’s, the Russian White and Russian Black
colors were accepted by the cat fancy in Australia as true Russian cats. These
hybridized colors are accepted in a few other registries and only on a limited
basis.
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