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Cats & Kittys

Nebelung

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The Nebelung is a characteristic and elegant cat breed which is just beginning to be recognized by breeders. Nebelungs typically have long bodies, wide-set green eyes, long and dense fur, and mild dispositions. The name Nebelungapparently a portmanteau of the German word (Nebel) for Mist or Fog and a medieval Germanic saga, Nibelungenlied is perhaps derived from the cat's distinctive silky blue-grey coat as well as from the breed's progenitors Siegfried and Brunhilde, named after two major figures in the Nibelungenlied. 

The Nebelung cat is a long-haired cat breed, bred to resemble the Russian Blue with a long coat. The breed was created in the early 1980s by Cora Cobb, with the two foundation catsbeing Elsa, a black domestic shorthaired cat, and an unnamed blue domestic shorthair. The first mating of these two cats produced five black or blue shorthaired kittens as well asSiegfried (born 1984) who was blue with medium long hair. 

The American foundation of this cat breed has been laid by the cats Siegfried (1984) and Brunhilde (1985). Cora Cobb, the owner of Siegfried and Brunhilde, was very impressed by the beauty of her beautiful blue/grey cats. Siegfried and Brunhilde looked like a Russian Blue but with a semi-long coat. To find out if it was possible to start a new breed with these cats Coragot in touch with the geneticist of the American Cat Association Tica. This geneticist, DR. Solveig Pfleuger, told that the race was defined best as Semi- long haired Russian Blue. Supported by DR. Pfleuger, Cora Cobb wrote the breeding standard according to the blue Russian, but with a difference; its coat length.

The second mating produced five black or blue shorthaired kittens, as well as a black longhair female and Brunhilde (born 1985), a blue longhaired female. The breed was officially recognized by The International Cat Association (TICA) in 1987 under the 'new breeds' category, and achieved full recognition as a Championship breed in 1997. They are not recognized as a breed in the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA), in N America. 

In the breed standard of TICA, the first association which recognized the Nebelung, you can find the description of the breed. The goal of the Nebelung breeding program is to produce a blue cat with the same type as those imported from Russia in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and to combine this type with a thick shimmering coat of medium length. The body and tail are long, the ears large in proportion to the head and the eyes range in color from yellowish green to green. Size is medium and the body well muscled. The coat is medium long on the body, longer on the tail, with lighter colored guard hairs. The overall appearance is long, sturdy and well muscled. 

The Nebelung is a rather new breed, with breeders in America, Canada, Russia and Europe. At present the Nebelung is recognized by TICA, WCF, LOOF and the independent cat associations in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany. And currently is being applied for recognition of the breed in ACFA. It is still rather rare, so one must be prepared to wait for a kitten or cat of this breed.

The Nebelung is recognized by many smaller cat registries associations throughout Europe and also the World Cat Federation (WCF), as they mimic the natural, long establishedRussian Blue except for coat length.Nebelung is a German word meaning 'creature of the mist'. These cats are judged in TICA on the same standard as a Russian Blue with the exception of their coat, which is mid-length with a dense plumy tail. They have green eyes, and their fur must be 'blue' tipped with silver.

Nebelung cats are lively, playful, affectionate, good-natured and intelligent cats. In spite of the fact that it is an active cat, it can live very well indoors. The Nebelung prefers their own family and often keep a distance to strangers. It is, however, a cat which gladly accepts company of its people or of another cat.

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