Grey Cat Breed Facts For Kids

There are four grey cat breeds. These are cats that the cat associations say must be grey. In North America “grey” is spelled “gray”. Grey cats have a blue tinge. For this reason cat breeders call them “blue”.

Korat

The name comes from an area in Thailand called “Korat”. These cats, which have a long history, are believed to come from Thailand, which used to be called “Siam”. In Thailand they were, and possibly still are, called “Si-Sawat”. They are a special cat in Thailand. Sometimes this cat was given as a gift to a couple who had just married in the belief that it would bring good luck. The Korat was brought to North America and Europe in the 1960s. The coat is short, glossy and a pale silvery-blue. There are no markings or patterns. The eyes are “peridot” green (see gem-stone). This is a medium-sized cat with a regular body shape. This cat is very sweet, patient and loyal. They are fairly rare in my experience.

Russian Blue

This is a very popular cat breed. The Russian Blue comes from the icy north of Russia. The exact place is the city of Archangel. The Russian Blues of the 1880s were also ship’s cats and moggie cats in Russia. When brought to Europe on ships, breeders altered they way they looked. They were mated with Siamese cats and became more slender. Slender cats are called “foreign” or “oriental” by cat breeders. The body is now described as “long and graceful” but it is basically a regular looking cat. People of different countries like to breed this cat in different ways, so there are slight differences. Once again the color is called “blue” by cat associations. The Russian Blue is said to have a smile like the lady in the famous painting the “Mona Lisa”.

Nebelung

The Nebelung is a long haired Russian Blue and the only gray, long haired cat breed. The hair length is in fact called “semi-long”. The name “Nebelung” means “creature of the mist” because the coat has a silky, misty-like look about it. This is because the ends of each hair are sliver colored. There is a dense undercoat. The eyes are green. The Nebelung also comes from Northern Russia and has a long history. In America the breed started in 1986. The body is slender. We are told that the Nebelung is quiet and does not make demands upon his owner.

Chartreux

This is another cat breed with a very long and interesting history. Its history is probably the longest of all the gray cat breeds. It is goes back to the 1500s (16th century). It may have been brought to France from Syria by ship. As the name suggests, it is a French cat. As for the Russian Blue, it too has a reputation for smiling. However, this cat is much more stocky or less slender than the Russian Blue. It is described as having a large body on thin, short legs. I think that is unfair. The Chartreux was brought to America in the 1970s. Breeders have created an unusual way of naming this cat breed based on the year of birth. A different letter of the alphabet being used as the first letter of the name, each year. This cat is said to be tolerant and less talkative than normal. He or she has a small high-pitched meow. Here is a video I made about four years ago, so it is fairly basic. I call the cat “she” because I hate writing “it” for a creature as beautiful as this fantastic cat.

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