Russian cats: description, breeds, choice and nuances of care

Cats are probably the most popular pets. These adroit, proud, independent predators have long been famous for their beauty and unique abilities. Some protect the house and food supplies from rodents, while others heal diseases and save them from stress. And cats are credited with many other curious qualities, including mystical ones.

Cats of foreign selection are popular and famous all over the world. But little is known about Russian breeds. The thing is that in our country, breeding of cat breeds is relatively recent. Each breed has its own story. Russian breeds are in no way inferior to foreign ones in beauty, abilities and character traits, and in some ways even surpass them. It is worth getting to know some of the breeds better by looking at the nuances of their selection, content and proper care.

This breed comes from the Arkhangelsk region. It has become widespread throughout the world. It is believed that this was facilitated by English and Russian sailors who visited the port of Arkhangelsk. This breed is appreciated for its hunting qualities and luxurious gray fur with a blue tint. The cat has rare emerald eyes.

These cats are very active at night. Russian blue is considered a fighter of rats and mice. If pets like rats, mice or birds are in the house, precautions should be taken. The cat coexists quietly with other pets. She has a balanced companionable character and self-sufficiency, will make you company, but will not allow yourself to squeeze. She does not release her claws so as not to scratch the owner or his children. The cat always shows its affection to the owner, but behaves with guests with caution.

Minimal care required. It is the same as for ordinary cats: parasite prophylaxis, combing, diet alternation.

Description of this breed is rare. This is a short-haired cat with black hair. She is graceful and elegant. She has the external features of Russian blue: the overall graceful structure of the body, short fur, eye color. However, the black cat is different in character.

Intellectual abilities of a cat at height. Self-sufficient cat is not very attached to the house, quietly endures moving, known for stress tolerance. She doesn’t get along well with dogs. Does not require special care, dresidual hair care and parasite prevention. By age, diseases of the genitourinary system may develop.

This breed was bred on the basis of Russian blue in 1971 in Australia. She has a short and dense fur, a flexible body and green eyes. The cat is shy in nature: behaves wary with guests, perfectly tolerates loneliness. She is calm about relocating.

Hair care required. If you do not control the health of the beast, the fur may turn yellow. Need grooming. The cat is very smart and trained. She will become a great companion and friend. The cat is playful, often takes part in children's games.

These are large and beautiful animals. It is believed that the breed comes from Siberian forests, where they acquired qualities such as thick undercoat, which helps to tolerate low temperatures, physical endurance and a confident character. The weight of an adult can reach more than 10 kilograms. Build okay, strong: muscular, proportional body, round head and powerful paws with large fingers. She has large round eyes and large ears.

The coat is thick and fluffy - tIt requires daily combing and certain care. Animals are monophonic and multi-colored. White spots, lilac, cinnamon and fawn are excluded in the color.

This breed with an attractive color and blue eyes resembles a Siamese, but is a direct descendant of a Russian Siberian cat. She was called a masquerade for the color of her face: it seems that she is wearing a masquerade mask. It is called Nevskaya by place of origin, since it was bred in St. Petersburg. The main features include the following:

• strong body with a wide chest;
• trapezoidal shape of the head;
• ears with tassels at the ends;
• rounded shape of the eyes.

This is a unique Russian breed. Cats with curly-haired hair were found in the Ural region, but during the war the population declined almost to extinction. In 1988, in the Sverdlovsk region, a kitten with curly hair was born from an ordinary yard cat, which was called Vaska. Having crossed a cat with his mother, they got a breeding base for breeding this interesting breed.

These are medium sized cats. They reach a weight of 4 kg, cats can weigh more than 6 kg. The body is short, strong, muscular. The head is wedge-shaped, the forehead is wide, the chin is massive. The eyes are large, round, widely set.

The peculiarity of the breed is curly, soft, pleasant to the touch coat. Curls of hair spread throughout the body - even on the tail. Color may be different. Cats have a soft character. They are contact, affectionate and sociable, do not tolerate loneliness, subtly feel the mood of the owner, are very attached to the person. Rex is unpretentious in content, like houses. Such a beast will be a great friend and companion, will not let you get bored.

It is believed that the basis of the breed is the Russian Siberian cat, bred in Russia. It combines several important qualities: a large fluffy beast with high-quality fur and a developed hunting instinct. Despite the careful work of felinologists, these animals still carry a piece of wildness. They have a large number of color options.

There is another feature - a short pedigree. In the presence of certain characteristics, an ordinary cat can be attributed to the Siberian breed. Unscrupulous breeders sometimes use this: they replace kittens, as buyers are mainly interested in the appearance and price. In this case, a beast grows, whose traits and character bear little resemblance to the breed.

It is also noteworthy that in the Russian breed lineup there are all types of cats, namely:

• hairless - sphinxes;
• Shorthair - Bobtail;
• semi-long-haired - Siberian, masquerade, blue;
• a breed with wool that resembles curled curls - the Ural Rex.

Before choosing a kitten, you should decide on the breed: which one you like, what the conditions for its maintenance will be, intrafamilial nuances (whether there are children in the family and allergies among family members) and many other parameters. To begin with, it is worth deciding on the kitten's gender. When the choice is made, you should decide where to get it: from the breeders, in the nursery or in the shelter. It is worth paying attention that the following set of documents should be on a thoroughbred kitten:

• pedigree;
• metrics;
• veterinary passport;
• contract of sale.

Do not immediately pick up the kitten from mom cat - you should not rush. Early weaning is a lot of stress for a fragile body with immature immunity that can cause illness and digestive upsets. At the age of one month, the kitten only forms immunity. He still needs breast milk, which contains all the necessary vitamins and amino acids.

By the age of two months, the kitten adopts the basic skills from the mother: washing, self-feeding, a hunting instinct develops. The body becomes stronger, more developed. 3 months is the optimal age, because immunity is formed and the psyche has become stable, the kitten has adopted the necessary skills and is accustomed to the tray, the kitten normally contacts people and animals. At this age, the animal must undergo compulsory vaccination.

When the choice is made, one should pay attention to the state of the animal: a healthy kitten must be agile and inquisitive. Try playing with him, a reaction should follow. And also check the reaction to sounds. White kittens require special attention: due to the nature of the genes, there are representatives with complete or in one ear hearing loss. Pay attention to how the kitten moves: it should not tumble to one side, there should be no limp, the tail should “stand by the pipe”.

When examining, you should pay attention to the following nuances:

• eyes should not watery, fester and be inflamed;
• the nose should be cold, there should be no discharge from it;
• the mouth should be pink, any deviations indicate that not everything is in order;
• check for teeth in the mouth;
• the ears should be clean, without excreta and ear mites.

The content of Russian cats does not differ from proper care, but each breed has its own nuances. Some breeds require the predominance of certain nutrients in the diet, while others require rinsing when looking after their eyes.Fluffy and semi-long-haired animals require attention to coat: combing and periodic water procedures. Individual animal care. It depends not only on the breed, but also on the following factors:

• age;
• sterilization / castration or lack thereof;
• past illnesses.

Nutrition should be regular and balanced, you can not feed the animal exclusively dry food. Food must be nutritious and energetically valuable. The diet should have a lot of protein (found in meat and milk), 20% fat is allowed, and there should not be a lot of carbohydrates. The diet of sterilized / neutered animals is different from the diet of ordinary cats and cats. So, it should contain minerals and vitamins, pre-selected by the veterinarian.

The diet should include the following components:

• meat - rich in amino acids and nutrients; do not eat fatty meat like pork;
• fish - rich in phosphorus, calcium and protein;
• dairy products should be given with caution, as lactose intolerance is found in some breeds;
• will be useful cereal cereals mixed with vegetables, for the interest of the beast it is worth mixing meat or fish.

Cats support personal hygiene very well, but some breeds require separate care. Cats with longer hair require daily combing and occasional water treatments. Ears require attention: they should be periodically inspected and cleaned, instilled ear drops to prevent ticks and ear diseases. A dampened cotton pad should be washed in the morning.

Most diseases that an animal can be exposed to can be prevented by timely vaccination and periodic veterinary examinations. It is necessary to carry out deworming once a year. If the animal has access to the street, in the warm season it should be inspected for ticks that can carry viruses. For the prevention of external parasites (ticks, fleas, lice eaters) are successfully used protective collars that should be changed periodically. Such a measure will completely protect the pet from many troubles. And also from parasites, special drops are used that drip onto the scruff.

The animal’s lifestyle must be monitored so that it does not get cold, does not catch a cold and does not freeze the kidneys. Diseases of the genitourinary system of the animal are very unpleasant, difficult to cure and often have irreversible consequences. An animal may come injured, scratched or injured from a walk. In this case, contact your veterinarian as soon as possible. If this is not possible, according to the rules, treat the wound, prevent combing and licking.

About the Russian blue cat, see the next video.