Russian Blue is wonderful breed of cat with silver-blue coat over its body. It is known to be very intelligent and quick learner. They are highly sought for their friendly behavior and beautiful body. These cats are successors of Russian Domestic cats and range in size from small to medium. They were earlier known as Foreign Blue. They are recognized as a distinct breed by all the North American Cat Associations.
No body knows when and where the Russian Blue originated. There is no direct to prove its history. It is said that these cats still exist in the extremely colder region of Russia. Folklore says that the basic natures of these cats are living in isolation in jungle and hunting for their prey. Some Old Russian stories also relate these cats to the Russian Blues are descended from the royal cats of Russian czars. The entire history of the Russian Blue till late 1800 is dependant up on folk lore. Lots of mysterious things have been said about this breed of cat before its documented story began from 1800s.
Though it is for sure that the breed has existed for long, it became popular by late 1800s in Great Britain. As it was transported from the port city of Arkhangelsk to Britain, it also came to be known as Archangel Blue. It is said that Queen who was a lover of blue colors as well as cats completely fell in love with this breed of cat and owned many of them. Russian Blue were first of all exhibited at the cat's show held at London’s Crystal Palace in 1875 by the name of Archangel Cat.
It was in 1912 that this breed was finally given the recognization of being a distinct breed. GCCF then finally identified it as a separate breed and granted it a class of its own, expressed as "Blue Foreign type." Like many other breeds the Russian Blue suffered extinction during World War II. Some of the Russian Blue that was transferred to America in early 1900s survived and after World War II that recorded breeding programs began there. In 1949, it was also accepted by CFA as a separate breed. It took long to improve the breed and bring it to its original charm. Even after they are rarely found, the Russian Blue has a loyal following.
Russian Blue breed of Cats are fine-boned and muscular cat basically identified for their beautiful silver-tipped blue fur and unique green eyes. They have an elegant and refined body which varies between small to medium in shape. An average Russian Blue weighs around 5 to 11 pounds. They have an elongated and muscular body which is covered with a dense coat which stands out from the body because of its lushness. The legs of Russian Blue are firm and strong with curved paws. They have along tail with moderately thick base.
Russian Blue by nature is friendly with their owners but behave timidly with strangers. Though they are faithful companions, it takes a long time to convince them for being familiar. They are moderately active and do not demands excess attention. They are quite by nature and moderately docile. They are intelligent and can be easily trained in many activities. They are not adaptable to weather and environment changes.