RUSSIAN BLUE EMPIRE

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ABOUT THE RUSSIAN BLUE

a Russian Blue in full silver-blue coat, seated in natural light

the breed, photographed in natural light

The Russian Blue is a naturally occurring breed said to hail from the port of Arkhangelsk in the frozen north of RUSSIA, which is why it is sometimes called the ARCHANGEL CAT. Legend has it the czars kept them, and that Queen Victoria was a fan, but legend says a lot of things.

Its short, dense, plush double coat is a solid blue-grey, each hair tipped with silver so the whole cat seems to shimmer. The eyes start yellow as kittens and settle into a vivid GREEN by about a year old. It is quiet, reserved with strangers, ferociously loyal to its one person, and it produces relatively little Fel d 1, so a fair few allergy sufferers can keep one.

VITAL STATISTICS

MEASUREMENT	MALE	FEMALE
Weight (average)	11 lb / 5.0 kg	8 lb / 3.6 kg
Weight (minimum)	10 lb / 4.5 kg	7 lb / 3.2 kg
Weight (maximum)	15 lb / 6.8 kg	12 lb / 5.4 kg
Height at shoulder	9 to 11 in / 23 to 28 cm
Body length (nose to base of tail)	15 to 18 in / 38 to 46 cm
Lifespan	15 to 20 years, sometimes longer

SLEEPING HABITS

Like all cats, the Russian Blue sleeps a great deal, roughly 12 to 16 hours a day, more as a kitten and more again as a senior. It is crepuscular, meaning it is most active at dawn and dusk and would prefer you were too.

It is a creature of ROUTINE and dislikes having its schedule meddled with. It will find the one warm patch of sun in the house and defend it. Many owners report it burrows under the covers and sleeps pressed against its person, which it regards as its property, not the other way around.

MATING HABITS & KITTENS

Females reach sexual maturity around 5 to 8 months, though responsible breeders wait until the cat is fully grown. Queens are seasonally polyestrous and, being cats, are induced ovulators: they release eggs in response to mating, not on a cycle.

Gestation runs about 63 to 65 days. A litter is typically 1 to 6 kittens, averaging 3 to 4. Kittens are born with the yellow eyes and a faint "ghost tabby" pattern that both fade; the eyes turn green and the coat settles to solid silver-blue over the first year. They are famously slow to warm to strangers and famously devoted once they do.

WHY THE RUSSIAN BLUE IS THE SUPERIOR CAT

>> a solid shimmering silver-blue, like it was rendered in a shader you cannot run
>> the famous upturned "Mona Lisa" smile
>> hypoallergenic (mostly)
>> quiet, dignified, will not make a scene
>> possibly kept by czars, allegedly

MY CATS

a Russian Blue regarding the camera, unimpressed

Comrade

Her Majesty

a Russian Blue with the coat catching the light

the shimmer in person

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