Nebelung
History of the Nebelung
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In 1981, a wandering black house cat was lovingly taken in by a Hruza family in Denver Colorado. After a short time two black kittens were born from this cat. The son of the famous cat breeder Cora Cobb, got a kitten out of this litter. It became a beautiful black cat with a shiny black coat. She was paired with a Russian Blue, and six kittens were born in the colors black and blue. When Cora Cobb looked at the litter, she discovered that one of the blue kittens was long-haired. It was a little boy, she took him in and she called him Siegfried. The next litter from the same combination produced a long-haired blue kitten -Brunhilde-. This kitten also went to Cora Cobb.
From the combination Siegfried x Brunhilde three semi-long-haired blue kittens were born on August 25, 1986. Then she asked TICA to promote the new breed. She called it Nebelung, because she liked that name well with the appearance of the animals. She said, "The mist-colored fur surrounds the body like a halo." But Siegfried, Brunhilde and Nebelung also refer to an opera by Richard Wagner. Cora was a great fan of Wagner. The geneticist of the TICA, Dr. Solveig Pfluger helped her set up a breeding program and together they wrote the breed standard. In September 1987, that standard was accepted by the TICA.
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It is also considered possible that there is simply a long hair gene found in Russian blue cats which has been present since before they were exported from the port of the city of Arkhangelsk to London and from then on also occasionally outcrossed so that the long hair gene could occasionally pop up.
Nebelung Appearance
The Nebelung's physique and head shape should look similar to a Russian Blue, but with a dense, semi-long, shiny coat. The coat is medium-long on the body and manifests itself longer from the shoulder area to the tail. The hair is longer on the tail. The texture of the coat is soft and so-called "double". There is normally feathering behind the ears and tufts between the toes. The color is blue and colored through to the skin with a soft, brilliant shine. Silver tipping is desirable but not required. In most of Europe breeders breed according to GCCF standard, while in Russia it is mostly the WCF standard and in the states the TICA standard.
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It should be an elegant cat of foreign type. The head should be a medium wedge shape with a flat plane between the ears, high broad cheekbones and prominent whisker pads. In profile the line of the nose should be almost straight with just a slight concave curve. The tall ears should be almost parallel to each other in set. The large almond-shaped eyes should be a vivid green with a soft gentle expression. The elegant body should be lithe and muscular with long legs which are elegant without being overly fine-boned. The tail is long enough to reach the shoulder blades. It is thick at the base and tapers towards the end and should be covered with a brush of fur.
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Nebelung Breeding
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The following combinations are permissible matings in a breeding programme:
Nebelung x Nebelung
Nebelung x Rusian Blue
Nebelung x Nebelung Variant (Also referred to as Rusian Variant or Shorthaired Nebelung)
These Variants (or Shorthaired Nebelungs) look much like a Russian (i.e. with short hair) but they carry the long hair gene. The variants may never be crossed back to a Russian but only used in the Nebelung breeding.
There are now circa 40 active breeders worldwide, so the breeding programme has grown considerably.
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Nebelungs are affectionate and good natured family cats. They can sometimes be shy with strangers but they are often devoted to their owners, following them around and keeping them company in the house much of the time.
