Russian Blue Cat Breed Information

The Russian Blue is the calmest, healthiest, and quietest pedigree cat NZ buyers commonly consider. It is a small to medium shorthaired cat with a dense plush silver-blue double coat, vivid green eyes, and a reserved temperament that pairs well with single-person and working-professional households. The breed is unusual in being content alone for a working day.

Coat colour is fixed at blue (a soft grey-blue with silver tipping), although the broader Russian breed group also recognises Russian White and Russian Black variants in some registries.

Personality and behaviour

Russian Blues are observant, quiet and selective in their attention. They form strong bonds with one or two members of the household, are reserved with strangers, and dislike sudden noise or chaos. The voice is soft and rarely used.

They are intelligent in a watchful way. Russian Blues are well-known for opening doors, lever taps, and food cupboards, having watched their humans do it. They take well to clicker training in a calm environment, and many learn to come when called.

They tolerate other calm pets but prefer not to share a household with bouncy dogs or hyper-social cats. Quiet routine is the breed’s default mode.

The surprise for new owners is usually the disconnect between strangers and family. A guest may not see the cat at all in an evening, while in the morning the same cat will be sleeping on the bed.

Care and grooming

Coat care is light. A weekly brush with a soft slicker is enough through most of the year, with a daily brush during the modest spring and autumn shed cycles. Russian Blues do shed; the published “non-shedding” reputation is overstated, but the shed is meaningfully lighter than for most breeds.

The bigger care item is portion control. Russian Blues are food-focused, low to moderate energy, and indoor by preference, which combines into easy weight gain. Measure meals, and use puzzle feeders for some of the daily intake.

Indoor vs outdoor in New Zealand

Indoor or catio. Russian Blues are quiet, valuable, and reserved enough that they do poorly with the chaos of outdoor roaming. The breed is also a moderate prey-driver, so the standard NZ wildlife and SPCA NZ containment guidance applies. The reserved temperament and contentment with indoor life make this an easy breed to keep happy without outdoor access.

Where to find a Russian Blue in New Zealand

The NZCF and Catz Inc breeder directories list NZ-registered Russian breeders (NZCF Russian breeders, Catz Inc Russian). Expect a three to six month waitlist for kittens, NZD 1,200 to 2,800. Confirm the breeder works with Russian Blue specifically (versus Russian White or Russian Black) and ask about parent health screens and litter socialisation, since the reserved breed character means well-handled kittens settle into new homes much faster.

Russian Blue-specific rescues are rare in NZ. Adults occasionally appear at SPCA NZ and all-breed cat rescues, but more often the breed is rehomed privately within the Catz Inc or NZCF community. Adoption costs NZD 150 to 350.

Insurance and lifetime cost

The Russian Blue is among the cheapest pedigree cats to insure and run. The breed has no widespread heritable conditions on the scale of HCM in Maine Coons or PKD in Persians. Routine items are dental disease and weight management. Lifetime cost is on the lower end of pedigree cats at $200 to $350 a month all-in covering food, parasite control, annual checks and pet insurance.