 Unlike many
modern cat breeds, the Russian Blue is a naturally occurring breed.
During and following World War II, due to a lack of numbers of
Russian Blues, some cross breeding with the
Siamese breed
was introduced. The Siamese traits have now been largely bred out.
Although they have been used
on a limited basis to create other breeds (such as the
Havana Brown)
or add type to a breed in creation (the
Nebelung),
Russian Blues themselves are shorthaired, blue cats.
Russian Blues should not be
confused with 'British Blues' (which are not a distinct breed but
rather a
British Shorthair
with a blue coat), nor the
Chartreux or
Korat
which are two other naturally occurring breeds.
During the early 1970s, Dick
& Mavis Jones, Russian Blue breeders in Australia, mated a domestic
white cat with a Russian Blue with the intent to create a solid
white Russian Blue. By the late 1970s, the Russian White and Russian
Black colors were accepted by cat fanciers in Australia as true
Russian cats.
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