Breed Profiles

Russian Blue

The Russian Blue (historically Foreign Blue) is a type or breed of cat that has a silverblue coat. These cats are known to be highly intelligent and playful but tend to be timid around strangers. They also develop close bonds with their human companions and are highly sought after due to their personalities and unique coat.

Origin

The Russian Blue is a naturally occurring breed that originated in the port of Arkhangelsk, Russia. They are also sometimes called Archangel Blues. It is believed that the first Russian Blues were first brought from the Archangel Isles to England and Northern Europe in the 1860s by sailors. The first recorded showing of the breed was in 1875 at the Crystal Palace in England as the Archangel Cat. The Russian Blue competed in a class including all other blue cats, until 1912, when it was given its own class.

The breed was developed mainly in England and Scandinavia until after World War II. During and following World War II, due to a lack of numbers of Russian Blues, some people started cross breeding it with the Siamese. Although the breed was in America before the war, it was not until after World War II that American Breeders created what is known as the modern Russian Blue that is seen in the US today. This was done by combining the bloodlines of both the Scandinavian and English Russian Blues. The Siamese traits have now been largely bred out.

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.

Characteristics

The Russian Blue has a lean elongated body and a short, plush, blue-grey coat. The color is a bluish-grey that is the dilute expression of the black gene. The coat is known as a "double coat," with the undercoat being soft, downy, and equal in length to the guard hairs, which are an even blue with silver tips. Only Russian Blues and the French Chartreux have this type of coat, which is described as thick and wonderfully soft to the touch. The silver tips give the coat a shimmering appearance. Its eyes are almost always a dark and vivid green. Any white patches of fur or yellow eyes in adulthood are seen as faults in show 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 similar traits.