RUSSIAN BLUE

ORIGINS

Russian Blues are said to have originated round the port of Archangel (now Arkhangelsk) in northern Russia only about 200 km (124 miles) outside the Arctic Circle. This would certainly explain the heavy protective coat.

Russian Blues were brought out of Archangel, so the story goes, by sailors visiting the busy White Sea port, though the period when this is supposed to have happened varies in different accounts from the days of the Vikings to the 1860’s. The first Russian Blue was shown in Britain in 1880, when it was judged in a class with other shorthaired blues. At the time, the breed went under a variety of names, including Archangel Cats, Maltese Blues, Spanish Blues and American Blues.

CHARACTERISTICS

The Russian Blue has a double coat which should be very short, plush, silky and soft and stand out from the body due to its intensity. The silver tipping on the guard hairs gives the coat a velvety sheen. In the Russian Blue’s natural habitat the downy undercoat provides insulation while the shiny guard hairs repel water.

In Britain, the standard favours a long, lithe and graceful body, medium-boned, with long legs and small oval paws.  The United States standard calls for fine bones and rounded paws. The British version has the ears set high on the head, which in America is a fault. In coat colour, too, the two standards differ, the British going for a darker hue. The nose leather and paw pads should be slate blue in Britain, but in North America the paw pads should be lavender-pink. Subtle preferences perhaps, but enough to indicate that the breed history has been different in each country.

Common requirements are that the tail should be long and tapering from a moderately thick base, the ears large, wide at the base and almost transparent without tufts, and the eyes a bright, vivid green. The whisker pads should be prominent.

They are intelligent, good with dogs and other animals, and good with children.

COLOUR VARIETIES

Given the attractions of the Russian Blue’s lustrous coat, it is not surprising that breeders have tried to apply this quality to other colours. Russian Blacks and Russian Whites have been bred, especially in Australia and New Zealand, and have Preliminary recognition in Britain.

CARE

Russian Blues are affectionate cats, though they rarely express themselves vocally and then very quietly. Very hard, easy to groom and fond of play, they make excellent pets for relatively quiet homes. Perhaps having folk memories of life in the sub-Arctic, they like nothing better than to sit in the warm, and they adapt well to the indoor life. The kittens, typically four in a litter, are born with fluffy coats and often show faint tabby markings until the mature coat grows. They are famously attentive parents.

Extracted from: The Encyclopaedia of the Cat by Michael Pollard

For more information please visit these websites:

www.russianblue.org.uk

www.raccs.co.uk

www.shcat.com

April 2008

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