I'm so excited for this month's cat breed. The Russian blue (also one of my favorites)!
I absolutely LOVE this breed, because of their beautiful dense, thick blue fur and their gorgeous emerald green eyes!
Russian blues are a naturally occurring breed that are thought to have originated in the port of Arkhangelsk, Russia--which is why they are sometimes referred to as "Archangel blues."
They were recognized as a breed in 1912.
The breed has a short double-coated coat. They are also considered hypoallergenic, because they have lower levels of Fel D1 (you can learn more about that here) than other breeds and because of their low tendency to shed.
They are a fairly calm breed, being the calmest hypoallergenic. They are a bit lazy and shy. The breed is also fairly low maintenance, making them a good breed for seniors.
Russian blues only come in blue. Those that are not blue but are either white, black, or even tabby are called Russian white, Russian black, and Russian tabby, respectively. A white female cat was bred with a Russian blue male to create the Russian white.
Russian blues are a dilute breed, meaning that the dilute gene is responsible for their beautiful blue coat.
Russian blue kittens are born with ghost stripes (faint tabby markings), but they disappear as the kitten matures. The kittens are also born with yellow eyes, but at about four months of age, their eyes with develop a green ring around their pupil.
The breed is a medium sized cat, with males weighing 10-12 pounds, and females about 7-10.
They live to be about 15-20 years of age, being one of the healthiest cat breeds.
Russian blues are known for looking like they are halfway smiling.
The breed was shown in the very first cat show that was held at London Crystal Palace in 1875.
Old Russian folktales believe that Russian blues are like good luck charms. The breed was once put in the royal newborns' bedrooms to protect them from evil spirits.
The breed almost became extinct around World War II, because when the war started, breeders lacked resources to breed Russian blues. To preserve their genes, the Europeans began crossbreeding Russian blues with the Siamese and blue British shorthairs. The Siamese genes have just about been bred out of the Russian blue we know today.
I hope that y'all enjoyed reading about Russian blues. Thank you for reading!
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