The Russian Blues in the UK can trace their ancestry back prior to the 1890s, and around that time white, black and tabby Russians also featured occasionally in books and articles. However, the Russian White and the Russian Black lines now in the UK are descended from two lines, brought together in the Netherlands in 1995. The first line was developed by Frances McLeod (Arctic) in the 1960’s and the second the line produced by Dick and Mavis Jones in Australia in the 1970’s.

Frances McLeod stated that her line was from a white female kitten born in 1961, which she said was from a Russian boat and given to her by a friend. The GCCF registered the kitten as Arctic Chumvi, Breed No 26 AOV Foreign Type. Sadly Frances McLeod died earlier this year.

In the ‘60s, the gene pool of the Russian Blue was stated to be low and limited out-crossing to blue-point Siamese and domestic cats was carried out. As Chumvi had an excellent coat, the well-respected breeder and judge Mrs Grace Pond suggested mating that white female to a Russian Blue stud. Frances McLeod followed a breeding programme with the assistance of Miss F H Laugher of Jennymay Russians, mating Chumvi to a GCCF registered Russian Blue stud, Meadliam Lupun. The first two litters comprised white or blue kittens. However, the third litter produced a black kitten. This showed that Chumvi was in fact masking black under her white coat.

A male white kitten was put on the supplementary register by the GCCF as Arctic Sumairki. On later GCCF certified printed pedigrees for export he is shown as Breed No 14. In 1963 all records would presumably be handwritten, probably on cards, and there would not have been a Breed number for a Russian White. The new Russian Blue Cat Society was formed then and was looking after the Russian breed, with a new Standard being produced in 1965.

Sumairki was subsequently mated to a Russian Blue female called Harvees Amanda Too and the litter included a white green-eyed female called Osmunda, registered by the GCCF in 1968 as Russian White 16a 14c.

Frances McLeod continued breeding and showing her Arctic Russian Blues, Whites or Blacks in the UK for many years and eventually went to Australia where she continued breeding Russian cats. Over the years, other breeders continued the white or black Russian lines.

Before she left the UK, Emerald was mated to a Russian Blue male called Sini Ivan and in 1990 she produced a litter of six kittens, three of whom became European Champions for their breeder, one blue, two black. Emerald was mated several times to Russian Blue stud, GIC Jofran Sergi also born in the UK, and living with Andrea Duerinck, and produced some very successful kittens who went to Switzerland, Germany etc. Emerald attained the title of International Champion.

A black son from Emerald’s first litter, European Champion Black Shadow van Loth-Lorien, was mated in the Netherlands to a Russian Blue queen owned by Ingrid Nuyten (d’Affranchi) called Veruschka van Marit Iris (whose sire was a Russian Blue EC Tomanka Leonov also from the UK). That mating produced a Russian Black female Tchornia Ludmila d’Affranchi.

Ingrid Nuyten had imported from Australia a Russian White male kitten, Ch Yaralin Sjtsjoekin born in 1993, from a well-known breeder there, Hilda Blackmore (Yaralin) who died in May. She bred his sire, Gold DGC Yaralin Kosikh from her first white DGC Ramsallah Polar Viktor, bred by Mrs M Friebel.

These whites were from the Russian White breeding programme started in Australia in 1971 by Dick & Mavis Jones (Myemgay) from an imported white cat stated to be from Siberia and the family pet of an official at the Thai Embassy. She was mated to their Russian Blue stud, Ch Myemgay Yuri, producing two kittens, and they kept one, White Rose. They followed a breeding programme and the RASCC recognised the Russian Whites in 1975 to compete for Championship status. Again, a black kitten had appeared in the third generation, which was formally recognised by the RASCC in 1977, and that line is still being bred on separately in Australia etc.

Polar Viktor was sired by Russian White DGC Myemgay Arctic Kosack bred down from Myemgay Arctic Snowflake, Myemgay Arctic Star and Myemgay Arctic Girl a daughter of White Rose.

Sjtsjoekin was mated to several Russian Blue queens and those lines still continue separately in Europe. As he was white masking blue, those lines only produce white or blue progeny. Whilst with Ingrid Nuyten, he was mated to the black female Tchornia Ludmila d’Affranchi from the UK black line. This is the only time in the records that shows a mating between a Russian White and a Russian Black, and it did bring back the ability to produce blue, white or black Russian Kittens, plus return the genes of the UK blood line, which had been lost in the UK.

After Chatuliem Russitiem’s Yentle joined Jennifer Sedgwick (Catwo) in England, Yentle was mated to Russian Blue European Champion Ursus Blue-bis (bred in Poland) and in November 2007 produced six kittens, one Russian Blue, four Russian White and one Russian Black, all able to be registered and shown with the GCCF with the Breed Nos of 16a, 16a 14c and 16a 15.

Yentle’s second litter in 2008 to a Russian Blue stud born in the UK, Grand Champion Lubimiyeh Vaska, produced eight kittens, 7 Russian Whites and 1 Russian Black. As with the first litter, all colours of the kittens were hearing tested, but this time all the whites were also DNA tested, and it is interesting that 5 of the 7 whites were shown to be masking black.

To the middle of 2012, there have been around 40 litters of kittens descended from the imported Russian White queen Yentle. Eight UK-born Russian Blue studs and twelve UK-born Russian Blue queens have been used. More than a dozen breeders throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland have been involved with continuing the Russian White and the Russian Black, using some excellent Russian Blues.

The Russian Blues from these matings were included on the GCCF Supplementary Register and can be shown at Championship level. Several of these Blues have been shown and have been awarded Best of Breeds and CCs.

The Russian White and Russian Blacks were recorded on the Experimental Register and shown in Assessment Classes. From 1st June 2011, the Assessment Classes became competitive, the cats being judged and awarded a Merit Certificate if worthy (as previously) and also placed against each other with a Best of Breed awarded (if available). The winner could also be considered for Best of Variety/Best-In-Show. Russian Whites and Russian Blacks are entered in the same class, though it can be split male/female. Four Merits were required to qualify, of which two could be from kitten classes.

The first cat to achieve four qualifying Merits in the UK was a Russian Black female from the first litter bred by Jennifer Sedgwick, Catwo Kira, and owned by Judith Noble (Larksong Russians).

Her success was shortly followed by a Russian White male, Catwo Dimitri, from the second litter, and now living with Catherine Kaye (Sithee Russians).

Also Catwo Cairnicatski owned by Wendi Johnson, both litter sisters to Dimitri. That was a very special litter of 8 Russians!

The next cat to qualify was also a Russian White female bred by Bev Pursglove called Adniosh Catwo-Crystal, now living with Stephanie Eborall (Warwick Russians), who had previously bred Russian Blue and Russian White cats in South Africa.

The sixth qualifying cat was a Russian Black female bred by Catherine Kaye and sired by her Dimitri.
Andrea Cherry (Brightlite Russians) quickly gained five Merits with her Sithee Madam Belladonna.

A further Russian Black male, Elenita Buskin Rascal, bred and owned by Sandra Hipkin (Elenita Russians) obtained his fourth qualifying Merit in October 2011.

Then in March 2012, another black female, Adelfsh Cosmos, bred and owned by Julia Watling achieved her fourth Merit.

Interestingly, that made 4 Russian Whites and 4 Russian Blacks achieving GCCF qualifying Merits.

However, a Russian White, Cairnicats White Royal, bred in the UK by Wendi Johnson and then owned by Beata Raszka (Colinsgarden Cattery) in the Republic of Ireland, also obtained five GCCFI merits by the end of October 2011. White Royal is now living with Sarah Williams-Ellis (Serennol).