The Traditional Old Breed
The Russian Blue has a more stylistic edge. They are a semi-foreign body style breed. This breed is long, tubular, not rectangular, so they are long on the body and tall on the legs with a very nice balance and a tapered tail.
This breed has a beautiful double coat with silver tips, is very light, very even in color with nice texture and resistance. The Russian Blue has big eyes that start as blue grey to yellow grey and at about 4 months begin to turn green like the color of emeralds.
There are seven planes to the russian blue head. They are considered the modified wedge. A wedge with strong straight angles.
Seven planes of the Russian Blue head. A "plane" is a flat surface area on the head that connects to form the overall wedge shape without being parallel. According to breed descriptions.
The seven planes of the Russian Blue head are:
1. Vertical plane : From tip of nose down to the bottom of the chin.
1. Angled plane : From the tip of the nose up to the forehead.
1. Flat plane : From the front of the forehead back to the neck, creating a flat top head.
2. Muzzle planes : One angled plane on each side of the muzzle/face.
2. Cheek/Jaw planes : The remaining planes formed by the wide, high cheekbones that frame the eyes and interact with the muzzle and skull.
Do's & Dont's
DO'S
- Maintain strict feeding routines. Measure food and avoid free feeding, as russian blues love to eat and easily gain weight.
- providing daily mental and physical play games to encourage their high intelligence and strong hunting drive.
- clean litter boxes often as they won't use a slightly dirty box
- introduce changes slowly — ease into anything new, environments, additions, schedules,
- A quick brush once or twice weekly is good. Don't overdo it. Use a soft bristle brush or rubber grooming mitt, or a fine-toothed metal greyhound comb. Sometimes just a good wipe down with a warm damp microfiber towel.
DONT'S
- Avoid brushes like the furminator and slicker brushes as these can scratch the skin and ruin the plush resilient texture of their undercoat.
- don't over-brush or bathe them frequently.
Origin & History
The Russian Blue was believed to have originated in the Arkhangelsk Isles (Archangel Island) of northern Russia. It was said that sailors brought the cats to Great Britain and Northern Europe around 1860, where they were initially known as Archangel cats. The cats lived in the cold northern Taiga of Russia and worked as ship mousers on merchant vessels. Interesting Lore links them to Russian czars and British royalty, including Queen Victoria and Edward VII. These cats appeared in documented cat shows in 1872 and the famous 1875 crystal palace show competing amongst other blue cats until they received their own separate class in 1912.
The "Mona LIsa" Expression
Russian Blue cats are famous for a natural, slightly upturned shape at the corners of their mouths that resembles the quiet, enigmatic expression of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa. This gentle curve gives the russian blue breed a calm, wise, and permanently serene look.