Nebelung

The Nebelung is a pedigree breed of domestic cat. Nebelungs have long bodies, wide-set green eyes, long and dense fur, and mild dispositions.^[1] The cat is related to the Russian Blue, but with longer, silkier hair, and is in fact sometimes called the Long-haired Russian Blue.^[2][3][1]

Nebelung
Nebelung female
Other names	Longhaired Russian Blue
Origin	United States
Breed standards
TICA	standard
ACFA/CAA	standard
GCCF	standard
LOOF	standard
Other	WCF
Domestic cat (Felis catus)

Origin

Nebelung female

The American foundation of this cat breed was 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 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, Cora got in touch with the geneticist of the American Cat Association. This geneticist, Solveig Pfleuger, said that the breed was best defined as semi-long haired Russian Blue. Supported by Pfleuger, Cobb wrote the breeding standard according to the Russian Blue, but with a difference: its coat length.

Russian Blue breeders from The International Cat Association (TICA), however, objected to this, and the breed standard was thus revised to describe a unique breed, resembling blue-grey cats that had been imported from Russia in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

TICA was the first association to recognize the Nebelung and provides the breed standard. The goal of the Nebelung breeding program is to produce a blue cat with the same type as those early Russian imports 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 and longer on the tail, with lighter colored guard hairs. The overall appearance is long, sturdy and well muscled.^[4] The name Nebelung is derived from the German translation for "creature of the mist" (see Nibelung).^[5]

The Nebelung around the globe

The Nebelung is a rather new breed, with breeders in America, Canada, Russia, and Europe. In addition to TICA, the Nebelung is recognized by the American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA),^[6] the World Cat Federation (WCF),^[7] Livre Officiel des Origines Félines (LOOF),^[8] Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF).^[9]

Characteristics

Physical characteristics

Nebelung cats are characterized by a long neck and body, long legs, long or medium coat, and long tail. Slightly oval eyes are a vivid green color, or sometimes a yellow-green. Large, pointed ears sit atop a modified wedge-shaped head that is more pointed than rounded. The overall appearance is of a long, sturdy, well-muscled cat. The soft double coat feels fine and silky; it is gray in color and is tipped with silver. Males and, to a lesser extent, females have a ruff around the neck. The fur on the tail is longer than that on the body. Tufts of fur are found behind the ears and in between the toes, and the hind legs sport pantaloons. The adult coat reaches its full development when the cat is approximately two years old. The life span of a Nebelung is 16+ years. A Nebelung weighs between 3.5 kg (7.11 lbs) for females and 6.5 kg (14.5 lbs) for sterilized males.

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  Nebelungs' eyes range from green to yellowish-green.
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  Female Nebelung looking out a door.

In popular culture

The Nebelung was featured on the Animal Planet show Cats 101.^[10]

The Nebelung is one of the animals which can be given as a Patronus in answer to the user's personality test on Pottermore.^[11]