Cat
Breed Description:
The Russian Blue (historically Foreign Blue) is a type or breed of cat that has a silver-blue coat. These cats are known to be highly intelligent and playful but tend to be timid around strangers. They also develop close bonds with their human companions and are highly sought after due to their personalities and unique coat.
Temperament:
The Russian Blue breed of cat is sought after for intelligence and known for being a very active breed. These cats have been rumored to open doors/windows, and even reported to learn to play fetch. Highly sensitive to emotional states of their human owners gives this breed a very nurturing feeling. Of course the Russian Blue breed of cats enjoy playing with a large variety of toys and develop extremely strong and definitive bonds to their owners. The Russian Blue is also known for getting along very well with other pets and children in a household. They are known for being quiet and clean animals that are normally reserved around strangers, unless they are brought up in a very active household.
Health Problems:
The Russian Blue breed of cats tend to have no genetic problems and are not typically prone to illness. This breed of cat typically produces less glycoprotein Fel d 1 and is much less of an allergen source than other breeds of cat. This would suggest that the Russian Blue breed may be hypoallergenic, although it is understood that no cat is truly free of allergens.
Life Expectancy:
Russian Blues have an average life expectancy of around 10-15 years
Origin:
The Russian Blue is a naturally occurring breed that originated in the port of Arkhangelsk, Russia. They are also sometimes called Archangel Blues. It is believed that the first Russian Blues were brought from the Archangel Isles to England and Northern Europe in the 1860s by sailors. The first recorded showing of the breed was in 1875 at the Crystal Palace in England as the Archangel Cat. The Russian Blue competed in a class including all other blue cats, until 1912, when it was given its own class.
The breed was developed mainly in England and Scandinavia until after World War II. During and following World War II, due to a lack of numbers of Russian Blues, some people started cross breeding it with the Siamese. Although the breed was in America before the war, it was not until after World War II that American Breeders created what is known as the modern Russian Blue that is seen in the US today. This was done by combining the bloodlines of both the Scandinavian and English Russian Blues. 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 short-haired, blue-grey cats.
During the early 1970s, a solid white Russian Blue (called the Russian White) was created by the Australian breeder, Mavis Jones, through the crossing of a Russian Blue with a domestic white cat. By the late 1970s, the Russian White and Russian Black colors were accepted by cat fanciers in Australia as Russian cats (in different classes). However, in North America, the Cat Fanciers Association, does not recognize either variations of the Russian Blue; only The International Cat Association recognizes the Russian Whites and Russian Blacks and only in the provisional classes. Borrowed from Wikipedia. 