Russian Blues

Temperament:
Quiet, gentle, loving and loyal, sometimes shy with strangers, Russians are subtle cats adept at winding their way into your heart.  Even though they are generally quiet cats that doesn't stop them from having the occasional 'mad half hour' or enjoying long play-sessions with their doting owners and admirers.  Russians are also very smart, and most have perfected the art of letting you think you are in charge whilst getting you to do exactly what they want!    Russians are generally home-loving cats, although they enjoy sunbathing as much as any other cat.  To know them is to love them.

Looks:
Big but elegant cats, the males in particular looking like muscular grey panthers when they stalk along.  Russians have beautiful green eyes with a very distinctive gentle expression - sometimes described as 'looking like they have had one vodka too many'.  Some Russians can look as if they are starring in their very own Russian tragedy with their sad, worried-looking eyes, but in reality they are very happy cats who like nothing more than spending hours on end sitting on their owner's knee in soft, purring contentment.  Anybody who has had the pleasure of holding a Russian Blue knows all about their amazing coat - short, dense and velvety and infinitely strokable, a subtle blue-grey colour with a silvery sheen that can look almost iridescent in sunlight.

Standard of points:
The GCCF publishes agreed standards of points that lay out what each breed should look like in detail.  These standards are used by judges at shows to decide on their winners. You can read the full Russian standard of points here:

http://www.russianblue.org.uk

If you are interested in breeding Russian Blues you should also read the official registration policy, agreed with the GCCF:

http://www.gccfcats.org/russianregpol.pdf

The GCCF has also given preliminary recognition to green-eyed Russian Whites (breed number 16a 14c) and Russian Blacks (breed number 16a 15).