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The Russian Blue is a naturally occurring breed which traces its history back to the Archangel region of Russian. Many legends are associated with the breed's history, but most are merely legend.
People unfamiliar with the breed often confuse it with other naturally blue breeds, such as the Korat or the Chartreaux, or with a British Shorthair in its blue-coat variety. All of these are distinct breeds and recognizable as such when one becomes familiar with the standard. People often believe that all blue cats must have some Russian Blue (or Korat, or Chartreaux) in them. Again, the blue coloring with all these breeds is a physical property only, and not a breed determinant.
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Although in all likelihood the Russian Blue does indeed come from Russia, breeders in Scandinavia and England were the early developers of the breed. When the effects of World War II took its toll on the catteries of Europe, Russian Blue breeders found they needed to outcross to either blue British Shorthairs (similar in type) or blue point Siamese (for the breed’s hardiness) to save the breed. The result of this latter outcross introduced the pointed gene into the breed, and even today if both parents possess this gene, their offspring may be colored like a blue point Siamese (referred to as a pointed Russian). As blue is a recessive color gene, all Russian Blue matings must produce a blue cat unless this other gene is present.
English (and later Australian) breeders produced a cat with a heavier body, dark coat, and ear placement on top of the head. The Scandinavian breeders developed a lighter and longer example. The breed was later introduced into the United States, whose breeders refined its type even further.
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The Russian Blue is a moderate-sized cat, with males being slightly larger than the females. Regal in appearance, viewers often comment that they look like statues. Its body is moderate – not long like the Siamese, nor cobby like the Persian.
The two most striking features of the breed are its coat and its eye color.
A Russian Blue's coat actually consists of two types of hair. The guard hair is blue (a dilute of black) with a tip of silver at the very end. There is a distinct difference between the blue base color and the silver tipping and this gives the Russian Blue a silvery, vibrant look. The second coat is a downy undercoat that adds a soft texture to the coat. As described previously, the breed comes in only one color, with the occasional pointed cat.
Its eye color ranges in shades of green with yellow undertones to deep bottle green. Only the silver Persian rivals it in deep green eye color, and the distinct green color is preferred.
The Russian Blue head is a series of lines and wedges. It is flat across the top head, down the nose and from the chin to the ears. Its muzzle is slightly padded, and this combined with the lines of the head give the breed its well known “smile."
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Russian Blues are generally a very intelligent breed. They often avoid strangers at first (being smart enough to ensure that the newcomer is friendly) and gradually warm up to them. They talk only when they have something to say, do not like great changes in their environment, and bond closely with their owners. They are moderately active cats who enjoy roughhousing with each other, but unlike other breeds they are not extremely busy cats.
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