Group Classification: Longhair
Country of Origin: U.S.
Date of Origin: 1984
Weight (M): 8-11 lbs.
Weight (F): 6-9 lbs.
Life Expectancy: 15+ years

History
Blue cats, shorthairs and longhairs, began to be exhibited in the early part of the last century. About 100 years ago, the shorthairs became known as the Russian Blue. The longhairs lost any separate identity. Colorado cat owner Cora Cobb had a longhaired blue named Siegfried; mating produced Brunhilde, another blue with longhair. Cobb found the cats beautiful and began to research whether they were a separate breed that could be developed. She made her way to a feline geneticist, Dr. Solveig Pfleuger, who identified the cats as the Russian Blue longhair. From there, Cobb got others involved in breeding kittens from the original pair, outcrossing to Russian Blues with a longhair recessive.

General Description
"Creature of the Mist" is basically what Nebelung means, and one look at these rare cats will tell you why. They are positively luminous, thanks to silver-tipped guard hairs that have a blurred incandescence when any light hits them. It presents as a misty glow and gives these cats an other-worldly aspect.

Brushed or petted against the growth direction, both the undercoat and topcoat reveal their blue shafts. This is the one and only color of these cats, and all of them have luminous green eyes, which start out yellow at birth.

Overall, the standard is the same as for Russian Blues.

Colors
Only one: Blue with silver tips

Coat
Medium length double coat with silver tipped guard hairs.

Notable Features
Blue with silver tips and green eyes

Health and Care
This is a relatively new breed which has exhibited no unique health problems to date. They are gentle natured cats who do not harass owners. While they enjoy affection and make happy lap cats, they will wait until their humans are free to interact with them rather than raucously demand attention.

Like most longhaired cats, regular brushing will keep the Nebelung looking its best.