cat people - russian blue vs english blue

have a rescued blue cat - supposed to be russian blue according to the shelter but eyes are gold and pads are black (instead of emerald eyes & pink pads). how do I know if she's russian or english blue. either way, she's staying here, just a matter of curiosity plus making sure the id/registration info (she's now microchipped) is accurate.

thanx

I've been a Ragdoll cat breeder for 31 years. My phone has been ringing off the wall since the Animal Planet started airing the Cats101 feature program. I've used microchips for many years. The parent company (Avid, Home Again, etc.) should have a record of the breed of cat too. I know the Russian Blue is an established breed, but unaware of an "English blue". I think you may be referring to a British Shorthair that is blue in color. If you go to http://ticaeo.com/content/publications/standard.htm you can find breed desciptions of cats, and I did not note an English Blue breed. Your cat may also be a "look alike" , having the physical characteristics of a specific breed, but not really being that exact breed. DAVE

thanx for your reply. checked out the site, but without fotos I'm just as confused as before. oh,well. whether she's anastasia or anna, she's still great to have around.

Some breeds look "generally" the same, and have minor differences. The British Shorthair is stockier and has a wider head. The Russian Blue has a narrower head and is slighter in build. These details, as well as eye color, paw pad color, etc. define the differences. Another example is the mitted Ragdoll and the Birman. The Ragdoll is a bigger cat with a modified wedge shaped head. The Birman "looks almost identical" with a round head. Both have same eye color. Mitted Ragdoll has more white on lower areas of each leg than the Birman too. And yes, it can be confusing. I remember going to cat shows, and seeing the public come up to Birman cat breeders, and saying "Oh, what nice Ragdolls". The Birman breeders did a "slow burn" at those type of statements. DAVE

do you know of any books with good fotos? most that I have found at the library have only one of any given breed. also checked out some other websites, but again, they usually have only one foto of any given breed, and while the cats are posed to show them at their best, said fotos don't help in showing all the differences between similar breeds.

ana and capt flint (domestic short hair) are my first cats; a local teen developed strong allergies and his family had to get rid of either him or the cats. I've had them since mid-june. having grown up with dogs, if any one had told me in may that I'd have a pair of cats in june I'd have said s/he was crazy. within two weeks, I knew I wouldn't give them up for anything.

tehila

I do have many books here, but they are several years old, and probably not in print. I'd put a search on Google for cat books with photos, or a similar search. Like I said before, photos may not offer you the information you want. Many breeds looks similar. I do know that British Shorthair (blue or any other color) has a bigger head and body than a Russian Blue, and refer to the link for eye colors in those breeds. I have very limited experience with these 2 breeds. There is also a strong possiblity your can only resembles those breeds mentioned, and may be a mixture of those breeds and domestic cats, or may just be a domestic cat with a resemblance to those breeds noted. DAVE

thanx again for all your help.

have a good holiday

Twice now, in 1975 and again in 1997, we have rescued 'blue' cats.   Our original (Cat) from 1975 was a female with green eyes; she died of cancer in 1989.  The brother/sister duo were two years old in 1997 (Pink and Blue, respectively - yes, I know, a bit of a gender mess!) when we adopted them.  They also have the green eyes.  All three had/have the two-level grey fur.   All three had/have pink pads.

Cat was about 2 when she adopted us.  I suspected, from the energy that all three had/have their whole life, that this breed/non-breed is a terror as a kitten/teen-ager, which is why they may be adoptable at age 2 so readily!!

We could never decide if they were British or Russian, if indeed they were any breed. 

I then heard of a 3rd blue breed called a French Chartreux.  Described as "comically rotund" in one cat book, we decided that all three of our cats were Chartreuse!!  I don't really care!  They are wonderful cats.

I grew up with Black Labs, and my husband grew up with alley cats.  This blue cat, whatever it is, is a wonderful compromise for the cat vs dog problem.  No voice, a wonderfully thick coat, loves to be petted, loves to play, even might come when called.  Two of our three cats would play fetch with anything from beer caps, milk jug caps, feathers, etc.


I also notice that these blues show up in an out-of-proportionately number of cat commercials or cat photographs.  Perhaps it is because they are so pretty or so 'trainable'...at least for a cat.

Take care.