Russian Blue Picture

An impressive Russian Blue picture by Helmi Flick. The Russian Blue is a reserved cat. Except for the color of its coat it is very different in appearance to the European blue cats: the blue British Shorthair and the French Chartreux (which has to be blue like the Russian Blue). This Russian cat is one of the grey cat breeds.

The Russian Blue originates from the North Russian sea port of Archangel. It is not far from Finland. The coat is understandably dense for excellent insulation. The coat has a distinct feel. The plush dense coat of the Brit SH has a similar feel I suspect. It appears that the Russian Blue goes back a long way in Britain as they were mentioned in a book written by the founder of the cat fancy, Harrison Weir. The book was published in 1893. That is at the beginning of the cat fancy. It is thought that the first cats of this breed in the West were shipped over as ship's cats from Archangel in the 1860s. The eyes of this cat are green. The longhaired Russian Blue is the glamorous and rare Nebelung. Read and see more.....

Nebelung Cat Picture

Nebelung cat - Photo copyright Anke Zekveld

This beautiful, rare and blue cat, above, has the title: International Champion Aleksandr van Song de Chin. This cat is rare because my research indicates that and Helmi Flick was unable to produce a picture of this cat from her library (2008). Things may have changed but it means that this breed is not often seen at cat shows in the USA as Helmi takes a lot of her studio photographs at cat shows. The Nebelung is a semi-long haired Russian Blue. Since 1987 when TICA approved the Nebelung the appearance of the Russian Blue appears to have diverged from the Nebelung. The origin of the name is interesting. Nebelung means "mist-creature" or "creature of the mist" in German. This is a reference to the coat the guard hairs of which reflect light in a misty way. Apparently over 100 years ago the long haired Russian Blues were shown at cat shows. Then the Nebelung dissapeared until revived later in the 20th century. Read more about this cat and see more Nebelung cat pictures.