Base colour
Blue-grey, even and clear
- Medium to lighter shade with a distinct and visible silver sheen.
6 breeders are on record here.
Medium-sized, elegant cat with distinctive blue-gray double coat and emerald green eyes. Known for reserved but affectionate nature.
Natural breed originating around the Russian port of Arkhangelsk. Also called Archangel Blue. Nearly extinct after WWII but rebuilt using Scandinavian and British cats. Known for hypoallergenic qualities.
Generally described as active, dependent, easy going, gentle, intelligent, loyal, playful, quiet and reserved.
That is the breed in general, not a promise about one animal. Ask the breeder what their own line is like, and meet the parents before you decide.
Breed reference from The Cat API.
Drawn from sources, not opinion: FIFe breed standard; The Cat API. An empty column means we hold nothing for that side, not that there is nothing to say.
The Russian Blue standard is published by the FIFe (Fédération Internationale Féline), the international federation of pedigree-cat clubs, and it is what show judges apply. This section sums up what it says about coat and colour. It does not assess any one animal: use it to know what to ask the breeder.
Short, dense and very fine
standing up like plush
soft and silky.
Double coat.
Base colour
Blue-grey, even and clear
Shortened from FIFe standard RUS — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source. FIFe lists this standard’s last modification as 2025. Text read on 31 Aug 2026.
The colour varieties FIFe recognises for this breed are listed, with their EMS codes, in the table at the end of its standard. FIFe describes each colour group in the General Part of its standards.
The colours and patterns the standard admits, and what it prefers, discourages or disqualifies in each. An accepted colour says nothing about health. Quotations from the FIFe are in English, as the standard publishes them; the headings are ours.
Known hereditary risks for the Russian Blue breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
1 condition documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Documented in this breed, but no source says how many of its dogs carry or have them. That is a gap in the evidence, not a sign they are rare.
Breed-level information from The Cat API. It describes the Russian Blue in general; any individual animal can differ.
A pedigree study of Russian Blues found bilateral cataracts in around a third of the cats examined — usually small and not affecting vision, but occasionally more extensive and causing visual impairment or blindness. No causative gene has yet been identified, so there is no DNA test; screening relies on a veterinary ophthalmologist examining the eyes directly.
What to ask for
No DNA test exists (the causative gene has not been identified). Ask for a veterinary ophthalmologist's slit-lamp examination result for both parents.
A pedigree study of Russian Blues found bilateral cataracts in around a third of the cats examined — usually small and not affecting vision, but occasionally more extensive and causing visual impairment or blindness. No causative gene has yet been identified, so there is no DNA test; screening relies on a veterinary ophthalmologist examining the eyes directly.
What to ask for
No DNA test exists (the causative gene has not been identified). Ask for a veterinary ophthalmologist's slit-lamp examination result for both parents.