Nebelung Cat

The Nebelung cat breed had its start in the 1980's when a black, domestic, and homeless cat showed up at the door of Cora Cobb in Denver, Colorado. "Terri" had three kittens, one of which was "Elsa," a short-haired, black domestic who mated with a black Angora and had "Siegfried," the blue, semi-long-haired male cat. Elsa's next litter produced "Brunhilde," who matched Siegfried's characteristics and traits. These two were the beginning of a "true" line of blue, long-haired kittens.

Consulting The International Cat Association (TICA), the standard for the Nebelung cat was written closely to that of the Russian Blues and was accepted for registration in 1987 and for championship status in 1997. T he Nebelung is also now recognized by the World Cat Federation (WCF) but not by the Cat Fancier's Association (CFA). At any rate, using Russian Blue cats as out-crosses, the gene pool was diversified by permitting new foundation cats. During the 1980's, some of the Russian Blues used for the foundation of the Nebelung carried the long-hair gene and created new, valuable bloodlines. Today, Nebelung Cats are considered a rare cat breed with only a handful of breeders, but is slowly growing and receiving attention worldwide.

The breed may have derived its name from the German poem "nibelungenlied" which means "Song of the Nibelungs." An alternative view postulates that "Nebelung" means mist or fog in German; in Russian the world "nebo" means sky or heaven. The word refers to their silky, blue coats. The primary difference between the Russian Blue and the Nebelung breeds is coat length; the Nebelung's coat is medium in length and silky, with a dense undercoat. The Nebelung's blue color is tipped with silver hairs, giving it a shimmery quality. According to some authorities, the double undercoat does not cause matting and a simple brushing once a week suffices; other sources feel that a regular combing in necessary to prevent matting and tangling. Complementing their shimmery coats, the Nebelungs have wide-set eyes with yellowish-green to green eyes. Their tails are long, thickly plumed.

Nebelung cats are gentle and soft-spoken. They may hide at the entrance of strangers or carefully eye the stranger from a distance. However, to their families, they are affectionate and playful, similar to Russian Blue cats. The Nebelung is active and good-natured, preferring their family to strangers.