Russian Blue

The Russian blue is a breed of cats that have a small body with very short coat on the back. They come in blue color. There eyes are green and dark. These cats are highly intelligent and playful but tend to be shy around strangers. They also develop a close bond with their human companions. Russian is a naturally occurring cat breed and the qualities in this breed are quite naturally built.

The cross breeding of is usually done with Siamese cats but it has started to fade away. The Russian cat breeders association recommends the non crossing of Russian cats. But these in turn are used to create other breeds. Easily distinguishable from other breeds, the Russian blue cats have a very distinct blue coat with silver tapings of hairs. The silver tapping is quite unique among cat breeds and gives them a unique look.

One of the other features of the coat is that different patterns can be drawn out in the fur that remains there until you wipe them out. The Russian blue cats have large vivid green eyes that are round. The ears are large and pointed outwards. The body is long and muscular. Combining all these qualities the Russian cats are beautiful cats that can be seen on calendars everywhere in households.

Russian cats are quite but friendly cats. They are shy by nature and look to fend away strangers. But on the other hand are quite playful with their owners. The Russian is one of the most intelligent breed and they learn to do different tasks quite quickly. They are renowned to opening doors and cabinets and fetching balls. Thus they can be good companions to kids. Russian kittens are good companions and they have the ability to entertain themselves when the owner is not home.

They require minimal of care as they have a very neat coat that just require combing after some time making them fit into day to day busy life quite nicely. There are a few guidelines that Russian cat breeders follow. Usually cat breeders sale kittens of age 12 to 16 weeks of age. A kitten of 12 weeks is quite smart and can settle into its new environment.

But they need careful observations by their owners as the kittens are immune to health related issues. But most of the kittens survive the migration easily. Russian Cat breeders can be found in New York. And in worldwide sale the cat breeders from Melbourne Australia are very active.

No one could call this a nameless cat! It has been known successively as the Maltese Cat, the Blue Archangel, the American Blue, the Spanish Blue and the Archangel Cat. Today it is called -definitively it would seem -the Russian Blue. Old Russian tales often mention a blue cat which was supposed to bring luck to the home, and an English writer in 1902 claimed that the Russians bred these cats for their fur. "The cats brought by caravans make us realise the large number of blue cats which come from Russia.

From the Asian part, many of the beautiful furs which come out of Russia are in fact cat skins!" The Russian Blue, as we know it today, was never sacrificed to this trade. It is believed that sailors trading between Russia and the Mediterranean countries brought them by ship, leaving them at Archangel, where they founded a line.

Later on their descendants were to be transported in their turn from the Russian port to England, where breeders made them what they are today: wonderful cats with magnificent, emerald green eyes and fur of a unique texture, very thick and soft at the same time, close lying but lovely to touch.

The Russian Blue has royal connections. It was a favoured pet of the Russian Czars, and Queen Victoria had two, which are said to have come directly from the Russian court. However, establishing the Russian Blue as a breed was not easy. It could be confused with the British blue from one side of the Channel and the Chartreuse from the other. In the end it was decided to create two categories: British Blues and Foreign Blues.

At the end of the Second World War an English breeder, Mrs Mary Rochford, decided to take up the Russian Blue and propagate the breed. The standard operating in 1930 was readopted, and in 1967 the Russian Blue Association was founded. Throughout the world, breeders who wish to breed true Russian Blues conform to the standards laid down by this society. It is good to record that for the true Russian Blue both parents must be of pure blood.

The great problem for breeders is that pure bred stud males are hard to fmd. If it were possible to class cats by the beauty of their eyes, the Russian Blue would certainly be among the leaders. At shows their deep, shining eyes gaze into those of visitors. Russian Blue kittens are all born with.

General:

Long bodied with medium bone structure. Long, slim legs and small, oval feet. Long, straight tail, tapering at the end.

Head:

Fairly wide face with a flat skull. Large, pointed ears, whose skin is transparent. Beautiful luminous green eyes.

Coat:

Short, thick fur, soft and lovely to touch. The undercoat gives it a double thickness and its silvery appearance. The coat must be absolutely unmarked. Not a single stripe or patch or spot of colour. Only the uniform self colour. which may be any shade of blue or blue grey, is permitted.

Extra Information

Blue eyes, which gradually change with maturity to the true green required by the breed standard. An animal of many attractive qualities, it is tranquil, intelligent, serene, gentle, affectionate, courageous, clean and easy to look after. Generally it is a silent cat and is said to talk with its eyes and its body language.

Even when in season, the female only emits a delicate miaow. The Russian Blue makes a great companion, with the slight reservation that it prefers to keep its Page # 17 distance from strangers. Probably because it is by nature calm, it hates noise, shouting or fuss.

The coat of the Russian Blue should not be flat and it should never be brushed hard or smoothed down. Its diet should be as varied as possible, served at regular times every day, and it should not be overfed.

At home in an apartment, the Russian Blue never has the urge to wander, but it likes to have the freedom to go from room to room. Male and female form a couple and both look after the kittens. Little attempt has been made to create different varieties of the breed but the English do also breed white Russian Blues and black Russian Blues!