Okay, this is a story I know all of you have heard many, many times over, and if the question is "Is my cat a Russian Blue" the answer is 99% likely to be no. My concern over bloodline here is not about wanting my cat to be any more special than she already is to me, but to make sure I ensure she has a long, healthy, and happy life by getting her any kind of preventative care or testing she might need.
Essentially -- green eyes with a very tiny yellow ring around them -- but not as vivid of a green as I've seen in showcats. Mauve pawpads. Grey nose leather. Definite double-coat with tipping -- I have seen RBs up close and personally, and when we adopted her I went over to a friend's house to examine her RB's coat to see if they are the same. Tail has very subtle ring pattern that has lightened with age and is now barely noticible. She's only six months old butI don't have a recent picture. Lean but not skinny with definite muscle. Flaw: tiny white stripe on lower belly. I highly doubt she's purebred, but she's definitely a good lookalike.
She was found in a dumpster at 3 weeks old and taken in by a fostering group. We have no idea of the colors of her littermates. (No, she's not named Smokey -- Chloe is her name.)
I'm aware that Russian Blues are generally a very healthy breed, but I am curious if there are any recessives in the RB population that could have caused the white stripe, as well as if there are any diseases that RBs not on the Active Register could pass on should they be mated despite their non-breedable status. I do not believe that any responsible breeder would abandon a kitten because of a "flaw", but then again no responsible breeder would breed from a cat that was not on the Active Register and we've seen it happen before, although not often in RBs. My thought was that either someone was attempting to sell lookalikes and abandoned her since she was not a perfect lookalike, or it was an "oops!" litter, perhaps even from a female that strayed.
When dealing with medical care for my Chloe, I'd rather act as if a parent of hers might have been Russian Blue if there are any possible genetic concerns in the breed. She's been spayed already, and I wouldn't have bred her anyway. But if anyone knows of anything it might be wise to check out with her, please let me know as I adore my cat and want to be the most responsible pet owner I can be.
I'm aware that many shelters and individuals will call a cat part-Russian Blue to make it more attractive to potential adopters. Even though I know true RB breeders hate to hear "She might have some Russian in her", I'm pretty sure any cat-lover would be okay with whatever it took to help a stray or abandoned cat get a home as quickly as possible as long as they weren't charging for the kittens or advertising them as purebred.
Thanks,
Moriah
*Edit* Picture didn't work.
Essentially -- green eyes with a very tiny yellow ring around them -- but not as vivid of a green as I've seen in showcats. Mauve pawpads. Grey nose leather. Definite double-coat with tipping -- I have seen RBs up close and personally, and when we adopted her I went over to a friend's house to examine her RB's coat to see if they are the same. Tail has very subtle ring pattern that has lightened with age and is now barely noticible. She's only six months old butI don't have a recent picture. Lean but not skinny with definite muscle. Flaw: tiny white stripe on lower belly. I highly doubt she's purebred, but she's definitely a good lookalike.
She was found in a dumpster at 3 weeks old and taken in by a fostering group. We have no idea of the colors of her littermates. (No, she's not named Smokey -- Chloe is her name.)
I'm aware that Russian Blues are generally a very healthy breed, but I am curious if there are any recessives in the RB population that could have caused the white stripe, as well as if there are any diseases that RBs not on the Active Register could pass on should they be mated despite their non-breedable status. I do not believe that any responsible breeder would abandon a kitten because of a "flaw", but then again no responsible breeder would breed from a cat that was not on the Active Register and we've seen it happen before, although not often in RBs. My thought was that either someone was attempting to sell lookalikes and abandoned her since she was not a perfect lookalike, or it was an "oops!" litter, perhaps even from a female that strayed.
When dealing with medical care for my Chloe, I'd rather act as if a parent of hers might have been Russian Blue if there are any possible genetic concerns in the breed. She's been spayed already, and I wouldn't have bred her anyway. But if anyone knows of anything it might be wise to check out with her, please let me know as I adore my cat and want to be the most responsible pet owner I can be.
I'm aware that many shelters and individuals will call a cat part-Russian Blue to make it more attractive to potential adopters. Even though I know true RB breeders hate to hear "She might have some Russian in her", I'm pretty sure any cat-lover would be okay with whatever it took to help a stray or abandoned cat get a home as quickly as possible as long as they weren't charging for the kittens or advertising them as purebred.
Thanks,
Moriah
*Edit* Picture didn't work.