How can I tell if my cat is a Russian Blue?

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Although the Infographic covers the salient points in this discussion, I will add a few more notes here. It is not uncommon for Internet surfers to enquire as to whether their cat is purebred or not. They might, as the title to this post indicates, ask whether their cat is a Russian Blue. But it could be any cat breed. But I feel that it is a dubious enquiry for the reasons stated both in the infographic and article.

Infographic on “How can I tell if my cat is a Russian Blue?” by MikeB at PoC. Click the image to see it larger (desktop).

Two useful tags. Click either to see the articles: Toxic to cats | Dangers to cats

The people who ask these questions have acquired their cat in an informal way, perhaps from a friend or a neighbour or the cat has been abandoned. They become a stray cat. Or they might have adopted the cat from a cat rescue center.

The first point to make is that it is highly likely that any cat adopted in these ways will be a moggy i.e. a random-bred. It’s almost certain and that is the default position. An exception might be acquiring a Russian Blue from a neighbour who has an unsterilised, certified Russian Blue. But even then, the offspring may be a mix unless there are registration papers.

That said, there will be some purebred cats ending up in rescue centres or on the streets. Although, it would be rare for a person who has bought a purebred cat at around $1,200 or more to then abandon the cat at a shelter or simply walk away from them when they move home. It does happen but highly unusually.

That’s why I state that the default position is that he or she will be a random bred cat if acquired like this. But let’s presume for a moment that the acquired or found cat is a purebred Russian Blue.

It is likely that there won’t be any registration documents or any paperwork at all to confirm that this is a purebred Russian Blue. So, you will be reliant upon appearance only.

You’ll have to compare the appearance of the cat with the breed standard of a cat association such as the Cat Fanciers’ Association or The International Cat Association. But as mentioned in the Infographic, comparing the appearance of a cat with a written description is open to interpretation. And it should be said that the breed standard is worded in a way which lends itself to interpretation.

Judging a cat by their appearance to decide if they are purebred is problematic. People try and do it all the time. A lot of people like to think that their cat is a purebred-mix.

The most common question is whether their Maine Coon cat is a Maine Coon-mix. It’s a classic searched term on the Internet. That’s partly because a lot of Maine Coons are tabby cats and a lot of moggies are tabby cats too. And if a moggy tabby cat has long hair and looks a bit like a Maine Coon then people will question whether they are half-Maine Coon.

The same issues apply to the Russian Blue. The conclusion really is that you’re going to struggle to tell if your cat is a Russian Blue (for certain) without documentary evidence. And it may be foolhardy to try to do it because you’ll never be sure.

It may be better to simply enjoy the love, attention and presence of your beautiful blue (gray) cat and agree that it doesn’t really matter whether they are a Russian Blue or a beautiful moggy.

Below are some pages on the Russian Blue.