The Russian Blue is a breed of cat. It has a lean medium-sized body and a short, plush, blue coat. The colour is a blueish-gray that is the dilute expression of the black gene. The coat is unique to the breed as it is a double coat, with the undercoat being soft and downy, and the longer guard hairs an even blue with silver tips. This "tipping" gives the coat a shimmering appearance. Its eyes are green and ideally should be dark and vivid. In some cases, it has been reported that some Russian Blues have had yellow eyes.
Unlike many modern cat breeds, the Russian Blue is a naturally occurring breed which is believed to have originated in the port of Arkhangelsk, Russia (hence the name), although the evidence for this is purely anecdotal. 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. The majority of their modern breeding program has been carried out in the United States.
These cats are highly intelligent and playful but tend to be shy around strangers. They also develop a close bond with their human companions. The Russian Blue is often called the quiet cat in literature, but many owners will not agree. The Russian is generally quite talkative and has many different expressions for different occasions. It is not an intrusive cat but rather one that will hide at first when strangers come to the home. It chooses the people it would like to get to know and at that time, could charm almost any caftan. The Russian is quite playful even in older ages rooming around the home after a small piece of paper or a ping-pong ball. It is a good family cat since it chooses to go away when too heavily courted.
