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Russian Blues are, by their name, blue. This may seem obvious, but over the years, some individuals have introduced additional colors and patterns into their breeding program by hybridizing with non-pedigreed domestic cats. Others have taken domestic blue longhaired cats, mixed some Russian Blues in, and developed a breed recognized in some other associations as the Nebelung. Some refer to it as a long haired Russian Blue, even though the original breeding stock contained no Russian Blue. We believe that what makes the Russian Blue so striking is the contrast of the silver tipping against a short, plush blue coat - an effect impossible to achieve with other colors to dilute the effect, especially with the so-called "white" Russian. Silver tipping is for all practical purposes a white tipping of the guard hair, which would have no contrast on a white cat. As the natural blue color of a Russian Blue is due to both parents passing only the recessive blue color gene, the introduction of any other color indicates the hybridization with a cat carrying a dominate color gene - which the Russian Blue does not normally carry. There is absolutely no evidence of Russian Blues naturally occurring in any other color or pattern than solid blue contrary to whatever mythology some have chosen to create. In other words, if the cat is any other color than blue, then is is NOT a Russian Blue, but a domestic cat, perhaps with a little Russian Blue in it. We, as members of the Cat Fanciers' Association Russian Blue Breed Council, hold fast that Russian Blues come in only one color, blue, and in only one coat length, short. Others may choose to breed differently; this is their prerogative. However, we will work with no cats other than pure Russian Blues in our breeding stock, nor will we allow our stock to be used in a colored or longhair program. Only in this way can we ensure that our breeding stock will continue to carry only the blue, shorthair genes, to be preserved for the enjoyment of future generations.
Why is a Russian Blue different from an ordinary grey
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