The Russian Blue Cat

Personality: Affectionate, gentle, intelligent, playful
Suits: Singles, first time cat owners, families with older children
Other: Not very vocal, shy with strangers

Breed Information

1) What are they like as pets?

They're gentle, very affectionate and fairly active. They are clever and independent, and enjoy playing. They like children and get on well with other pets, including dogs. However, because they are quite quiet and shy, they're often better with older children and dogs that aren't too boisterous.

They can become very attached to certain family members, and often don't react well to change. They also like their litter box to be very clean. If it isn't, there's a good chance they'll start peeing elsewhere.

They are shy with strangers, and will often go off and hide when visitors come round, re-emerging after they've left.

2) Looks, build, colors and markings

They have a lovely thick, silver-blue coat, big green eyes and a triangular-shaped face. Their ears are large, and their body is muscled and lean.

3) History

No-one is sure where the Russian Blue cat first originated. One story is that it was brought to Europe from Northern Russia by sailors in the 1800s. It's also said that it is a descendent of cats that were owned by Russian Czars. It was imported into America in the early 1900s. The breed was nearly lost during the Second World War, as breeding virtually stopped. It took until the 1960s before the breed was restored to more or less its original appearance.

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