Russian Blue Cat
IntroductionAs is the case for many natural cat breeds the origin of this cat is hazy. On the basis that she is indeed a cat that has evolved naturally without mankind's involvement until becoming a pedigree cat, the Russian Blue, as the name suggests, comes from Russia. More particularly, the town of Archangel in North Russia (see map - marked with green arrow).View Larger Map Far from me to suggest it, but it does seem a very happy coincidence that a cat that comes from cold and ice Russia should naturally be cold and icy in appearance. Perhaps she was created, or her natural appearance refined, by careful breeding after all?
History
 Russian Blue - Bali - photograph © Helmi Flick Associations and the Russian BlueTICA and CFA have breed standards specific to the Russian Blue. GCCF (UK) uses the Russian Blue standard for the Nebelung as apparently the only difference is the length of the hair. The GCCF does not formally recognize the Nebelung, however (see above- history as well).
Appearance and CharacterShe is a nice medium sized cat. The Russian Blue Cat always has blue-grey hair and green eyes, which simplifies a description of this cat. Anyway Helmi's photographs say it all. Looking at the eyes of the cats (Bali, Beauty and the cat below right) it is noticeable how wide open they are. This seems to be a characteristic. The coat color is as a result of the dilution of black. You can see a bit more on dilution by clicking on this link.
The coat is the outstanding feature of this cat. It is a double coat with dense fur, fine in texture and "plush". The top coat (guard hairs) are blue with silver tipping giving the special chilly Russian appearance that you can see in Helmi's photographs. Reports say she is intelligent (although most admirers of a breed will say this) and that she possesses all the usual attributes of a sociable pet. They are perhaps a little shy, it seems, with strangers (this maybe anecdotal). The European breed is apparently slightly heavier and larger than the American breed. However, the cat above right, by Sensual Shadows Photography, is an American cat and I think heavier than the show cats taken by Helmi in America. So, I'm not sure this is true.
BreedersTop ranked cattery websites breeding this cat in the order listed by Google:Otis Russian Blues Located in the UK, Chesterfield, Derbyshire. Breeding this cat since 1993. Siblu Cattery Run by Cheryl Steffe. The Cattery is located in the Lower Blue Mountains, one hour's drive west of Sydney. This is one of the best cattery sites that I have seen. These are the only ones listed in the first 3 pages. Would you like to be listed on this site? Please contact me.
Sources:
From Russian Blue Cat to Home Page 
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