You think that you have a Russian Blue mix cat. Please read this.

A lot of people on social media think that they have a purebred mix cat without papers and one of those breeds which is often discussed in this context is the Russian Blue which is referred to by aficionados of the breed as a "Russian". And you will find that aficionados or experts of the breed shed some light on the Russian mix cat.

This image is here to emphasis the need for green eyes in the Russian Blue. It is not meant to be a true likeness of the breed. Is is not except for the colour as the whisker pads in this illustration are a bit puffy. Image: MikeB

And I would chip in here as an expert of sorts as well. One issue with the Russian is that it's a cat breed which looks quite similar in body conformation to a random bred or moggy cat. It's a bit slender in general than most or your average moggy but nonetheless it is a fairly standard looking cat in the colour 'blue' which is a grey.

And there are moggy cats which look very much like Russian Blue cats. And it is these cats that social media users sometimes photograph and upload the photograph to social media such as Reddit.com to ask whether there cat is a purebred or a Russian Blue mix.

And an expert will say that they are not. In fact the expert will go further and say that most of the Russian Blue mix cats on Reddit.com - and I guess other social media websites - are simply mixed breed cats. There is no Russian Blue in them.

Russian Blue mix

I guess some might be a mix and let's be clear, a Russian Blue mix will be the offspring of a purebred Russian Blue and a domestic shorthaired cat i.e. a moggy. That is a first generation from that mating.

An expert on Reddit.com says that "Mixes don't happen in this breed but due to a lack of education and the Internet which likes to talk about Russians and show a photo of a domestic cat people don't understand the breed or process very well."

One reason why there are few Russian Blue mixes available is because they are a rare and expensive breed and most of these cats are neutered at 3-4 months of age. Some breeders will send unneutered Russians to purchasers but they will instruct them to have their kitten neutered at the required time and that will be part of the contract.

And they are often sold as indoor cats and therefore there is little chance of them mating with another cats outside.

So there are very few Russian Blue mixes and secondly a good quality, nice looking mixed breed cat that happens to be grey in colour might look very much like a Russian Blue purebred cat. Or in lieu of that they might think it is a Russian Blue mix but for the reasons above they won't be.

Emerald green eyes

One key element to differentiate a Russian Blue mix from a purebred cat of this breed is that the eyes should be in emerald green. Perhaps they might not be glistening emerald green but they should be green nonetheless are not yellow or any other colour. The breed standard insists that they are green and no other colour. Some say that the Russian's eyes change from yellow when subadult to green later on. All kittens have blue eyes by the way.

The Russian Blue cats bred in Russia, which is the home of this cat breed (click this for the origin), are said to have beautiful emerald green eyes because the Russian readers are very particular about this. And Russian breeders tend to breed with greater enthusiasm and determination than other breeders in other countries. They might overdo it sometimes but they end up with a cat which is absolutely on the nail in terms of meeting the breed standard which for the Russians would be the FiFe breed standard.

So, look for those green eyes at first and then be sceptical if somebody says that they want to sell you a Russian Blue. I always say and I'll say again that if you want to buy a purebred cat you should go to the breeder and check out their operation and talk to them; asked questions. If you buy sight unseen, online a so-called Russian Blue you might be scammed. I could state that more strongly and say that you will be scammed but I don't want to exaggerate.

And if somebody says I want to sell you a Russian Blue Mix, I've made my point in this article. But perhaps one of the key checks will be those green eyes.

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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.