"Eugene Onegin" meets "Get Fuzzy"

[Joshua Wilson]

A friend of mine has a Russian Blue and takes them very seriously.  

It seems that they were likely not bred originally in Russia, but 
because they first arrived in Britain via a ship from the Port of 
Archangelsk, they have ever since been known as "Russian" Blue (and, 
archaically, "Archangelsk Cats.")  The "blue" part comes from the 
characteristic blue shimmer in the gray coat, as another contributor 
mentioned.  

The name, in part, stuck because they became quite popular in Britain 
after a rumor started that the cats were the favored breed of Russian 
emperors.  However, this could have been just a sales pitch made by 
sailors trying to make a profit.  Nobody knows exactly where the cat 
was originally bred, but many agree that it was likely in Central Asia 
or the Middle East.  

More information:  http://www.cfainc.org/breeds/profiles/russian.html  
(lots of pics there for those of you who fancy cat pics).  

Josh Wilson
The School of Russian and Asian Studies
www.sras.org

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