Russian Blue

Russian Blue

The Russian Blue is a type or breed of cat. It has a lean medium-sized body and a short, plush, blue-grey coat. The colour is a bluish-grey that is the dilute expression of the black gene. The coat is unique to the breed as it is a double coat, with the undercoat being soft and downy, and the longer guard hairs an even blue with silver tips. The tips give the coat a shimmering appearance. Its eyes are almost always a dark and vivid green. Unique characteristics include yellow eyes, white patches on the underside and dark banding on the tail. These cats are highly intelligent and playful but tend to be timid around strangers. They also develop close bonds with their human companions.

Unlike so many modern cat breeds, the Russian Blue is a naturally occurring breed which is believed to have originated in the port of Arkhangelsk, Russia, although the evidence for this is purely anecdotal. They are also sometimes called Archangel Blues.^[1] During and following World War II, due to a lack of numbers of Russian Blues, some people started cross breeding it with the Siamese. The Siamese traits have now been largely bred out. The majority of their modern breeding program has been carried out in America

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 short-haired, blue-grey 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, although they have astoundingly similar traits.

During the early 1970s, Mavis Jones a woman who breeds Russian Blue in Australia, mated a domestic white cat with a Russian Blue with the intent to create a solid white Russian Blue (called the Russian White). By the late 1970s, the Russian White and Russian Black colors were accepted by cat fanciers in Australia as Russian cats. These hybridized colors are accepted in a few other registries and only on a limited basis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

1. Breed Standard

GENERAL: the good show specimen has good physical condition, is firm in muscle tone, and alert.

HEAD: smooth, medium wedge, neither long and tapering nor short and massive. Muzzle is blunt, and part of the total wedge, without exaggerated pinch or whisker break. Top of skull long and flat in profile, gently descending to slightly above the eyes, and continuing at a slight downward angle in a straight line to the tip of the nose. No nose break or stop. Length of top-head should be greater than length of nose. The face is broad across the eyes due to wide eye-set and thick fur.

MUZZLE: smooth, flowing wedge without prominent whisker pads or whisker pinches.

EARS: rather large and wide at the base. Tips more pointed than rounded. The skin of the ears is thin and translucent, with little inside furnishing. The outside of the ear is scantily covered with short, very fine hair, with leather showing through. Set far apart, as much on the side as on the top of the head.

EYES: set wide apart. Aperture rounded in shape.

NECK: long and slender, but appearing short due to thick fur and high placement of shoulder blades.

NOSE: medium in length.

CHIN: perpendicular with the end of the nose and with level under-chin. Neither receding nor excessively massive.

BODY: fine boned, long, firm, and muscular; lithe and graceful in outline and carriage without being tubular in appearance.

LEGS: long and fine boned.

PAWS: small, slightly rounded. Toes: five in front and four behind.

TAIL: long, but in proportion to the body. Tapering from a moderately thick base.

COAT: short, dense, fine, and plush. Double coat stands out from body due to density. It has a distinct soft and silky feel.

DISQUALIFY: kinked or abnormal tail. Locket or button. Incorrect number of toes. Any color other than blue. Long coat.

RUSSIAN BLUE COLOR

COLOR: even bright blue throughout. Lighter shades of blue preferred. Guard hairs distinctly silver-tipped giving the cat a silvery sheen or lustrous appearance. A definite contrast should be noted between ground color and tipping. Free from tabby markings. Nose leather: slate grey. Paw pads: lavender pink or mauve. Eye color: vivid green.

The following information is for reference purposes only and not an official part of the CFA Show Standard.

Russian Blue Color Class Number

Blue 0500 0501

AOV None None

Russian Blue allowable outcross breeds: none.

www./cfainc.org/breeds/standards