What distinguishes
a Russian Blue from “Another Blue Cat?”
“That looks just like my cat Smoky! He must be a Russian
Blue too!”
Russian Blue breeders all over the country have surely heard
this at almost any show that they go to, just as Siamese
(and Colorpoint Shorthair and Birman, and Himilayan)
breeders hear it in reference to point restricted cats, and
other breeders about their breeds.
People have a natural tendency to want to categorize things,
to be able to name the group to which something belongs. And
so it is with cats. We all want to be able to place a breed
name on our favorite companion. But the truth is that the
vast majority of cats in the United States are random-bred
(often referred to as domestic) cats belonging to no breed
whatsoever. This does not mean that is it a lesser cat, but
that it simply is not a member of a defined breed.
To the untrained eye, a blue cat might appear to look the
same as a Russian Blue with an 8-generation pedigree behind
it. How then to determine what distinguishes a Russian Blue
from Another Blue Cat. These differences fall into two main
areas: Appearance and Genetic Background.
Appearance
The Russian Blue has a very distinct appearance and several
unique identifiers. The easier identifiers are:
· Green eyes (not yellow, blue, or orange but a dark bottle
green)
· Solid blue all over with just the tips of the guard hairs
being silver and producing a shimmering effect. Domestic
blue cats will lack this tipping and be a flat blue. There
are no white or other color markings whatsoever, except for
the occasional white locket on the throat (considered a
disqualifiable fault)
· A thick double coat. The first coat consists of the longer
guard hairs. The second is the undercoat, which is very soft
and gives the Russian Blue coat its unique feel. Looked at
closely, these fine hairs appear wavy
· Mauve footpads. Most domestic blue cats have slate gray
pads
For more additional characteristics such as body structure,
profile, ear placement, please see the Russian Blue breed
standards at:
http://www.cfa.org/breeds/standards/russian.html
http://www.russianblue.net/e-standard.html
Genetic Background
The breed that we know as the Russian Blue did not spring
into existence from the pairing of a couple of other-colored
cats. It is a natural breed, which other breeders then took
and selectively refined and defined its distinguishing
traits. But they did this using known Russian Blues only
(excepting the brief instance after World War II when
blue-point Siamese were used as outcrosses to increase the
then decimated genetic ranks). By this selectiveness the
breed as a whole has a consistent look to it. The mating of
two Russian Blues will always produce another blue genetic
copy of themselves. The exception to this is the occasional
“pointed’ Russian Blue which is the result of a recessive
gene going back to that brief Siamese outcross over 50 years
ago.
Domestic blues cannot reproduce themselves with this genetic
accuracy. It is entirely possible (and indeed, probable)
that that same random bred blue had littermates and parents
who were not solid blue and will not produce solely blue
kittens when mated with another blue cat.
“So how can I determine if my cat is a Russian Blue?” one
would ask. The only sure method is via its pedigree – that
piece of paper that documents the cat’s heritage back
several generations and shows that all her forebears were
also Russian Blues. There are the occasional occurrences
where the undocumented cat is indeed a Russian Blue, but
these “findings” are usually the result of a pedigreed pet
ending up in a pet store without its papers or a pedigreed
pet becoming separated from her original owner (either given
away or she got out and got lost). An experienced eye might
be able to declare it a Russian in that case. But most blue
cats simply found on the street are not Russian Blues.
Does this mean that they are any less valuable a companion
than a purebred Russian Blue? Of course not. It simply means
that she does not have the documentation certifying her
origins back for generations. She still has her place on
your lap and in your heart.
Contributed by Teresa Keiger and Ingeborg Urcia
