Nebelung.nl:Standard

Like many other breeds different breeding standards are applied to the Nebelung by the cat societies around the world. The G.C.C.F. Russian Blue standard is used at cat shows I visit in Europe (only the length of hair differs). The T.I.C.A. recognizes the Nebelung as a sole breed, so their standard is only applied to the Nebelung. This page will give useful information or direct you to page’s with useful information on this subject.

GCCF Russian blue standard
TICA Nebelung standard

Drawing that explain the GCCF standard
GCCF photo gallery
TICA photo gallery

General Type Standard of the GCCF for the Russian blue

The Russian is a cat of elegant foreign type without the exaggerated elongation of the Oriental. Its high ears, green almond-shaped eyes, angled profile and prominent whisker pads create a distinctive gentle expression which, together with its essential velvety double coat, gives the breed its unique charm.
Head –The wedge from tip of nose to eyes is short. The distance from eyes to ears should be equal to or slightly longer than the wedge. The top of the head should appear flat between the ears. The whisker pads are prominent giving a broad end to the head. In profile the forehead should appear straight to the level of the upper edge of the eye. The profile from here to the tip of the nose has such a shallow concave curve that it appears virtually straight. This creates a distinctive angle level with the upper edge of the eye. There must be no stop, break or nose bump, nor must there be a straight profile from top of head to nose tip. The tip of the chin should line up with the tip of the nose in the same vertical plane. The chin should be strong and deep with a level bite. The back of the head should not fall away. In kittens the top of the head may appear more rounded and the profile angle may not be as well developed.
Ears- Large and pointed, wide at the base and set vertically to the head. The ear placement is such that the outer line of the ears continues the line of the upper part of the face, although in mature males with jowls this will be less apparent. There should be little inside hair.
Eyes - Vivid green. Set rather wide apart, almond in shape, not small and deep set. In kittens allowance should be made for eye colour. Body - Long and graceful in outline and carriage. Medium strong bone, well muscled. Cobby or heavy build undesirable. The females may be slightly smaller than the males but should also be well muscled.
Legs and Feet - Long legs. Feet small and oval.
Tail - Moderately long and in proportion to the body. Tapering, neither blunt-ended nor whip.
Coat - The coat is double with a very dense undercoat: the whole coat is very fine, short and soft with no harsh feel to it, very different in texture from any other breed and the truest criterion of the Russian.
Condition and Temperament - In the Russian the condition and temperament of the cat are important considerations.
Note: We are looking for an even-tempered cat and it is hoped that Judges will distinguish between a balanced but temporarily upset or frightened cat and a cat with extreme or aggressive temperament. The latter is most undesirable in the breed and should not be encouraged.
SCALE OF POINTS

Head and Ears	20
Eyes	15
Body, Legs and Tail	20
Coat	30
Colour	15
Total	100

Withhold all Awards for:
Extreme aggressive temperament
Withhold Certificates or First Prizes in Kitten Open Classes for:
1.   Flat coat
2.   Oriental type
3.   Cobby or British type
4.   White anywhere in Blues and Blacks
5.   Any colour other than white anywhere in Whites
6.   Incorrect eye colour in adults
7.   Weak chin and/or uneven bite
8.   Any defect as listed in the preface to the GCCF SOP booklet

RUSSIAN BLUE (16a)
Colour - Clear blue and even throughout with a distinct silvery sheen. Medium blue is preferred. The coat must be blue to the roots, which may be fractionally lighter in tone, and the hairs must show no banding or silver tipping although there may be absence of pigment at the tip. In maturity the coat should be free from tabby markings or shading, although ghost markings may show in kittens.
Nose Leather and Paw Pads - Nose leather blue. Paw pads blue but not necessarily as blue as nose leather. Pinkish lavender pads acceptable in kittens.

Tica Nebelung standard

HEAD ..................30 points
SHAPE ..................3 points
EYES .....................5 points
EARS .....................5 points
CHIN ......................2 points
MUZZLE ................3 points
PROFILE ..............10 points
NECK ....................2 points
BODY .................35 points
TORSO .................5 points
LEGS ....................5 points
FEET ....................5 points
TAIL .....................10 points
BONING ...............5 points
MUSCULATURE 5 points
COAT AND COLOR 35 points
LENGTH ...............15 points
TEXTURE .............5 points
COLOR .................15 points

CATEGORY: Traditional
DIVISION: Solid
COLOR: Blue ONLY

Head:

Shape: modified wedge in good proportion to the body. More pointed than rounded, although longer hair may give a rounded look.
Eyes: Very slightly oval, of medium size and widely spaced. Color: Green with yellow/green mixture allowed. In kittens, changing from yellow to green. Should show green halo around pupil by eight months. As vividly green as possible at maturity, which could be at two years or more. The more richness and depth of color, the better.
Ears: Large and pointed, set to continue the modified wedge.
Chin: Straight line from the tip of the nose to the tip of the chin.
Muzzle: Medium length. Puffy whisker pads, which may give a pouty look in females. Allowance to be made for jowls in the stud cat. Nose pad is charcoal gray.
Profile: The forehead should appear straight to the level of the upper edge of the eye. The profile from here to the tip of the nose has such a shallow concave curve that it appears virtually straight. This creates a distinctive angle level with the upper edge of the eye. There must be no stop, break or nose bump, nor must there be a straight profile from the top of the head to nose tip. A straight line is seen from tip of the nose to the tip of the chin. These lines may be obscured by longer hair.
Neck: Long, gracefully slender, but may appear shorter because of dense fur.

Body

Torso: Should appear well proportioned and athletic, semi foreign in type. The overall body structure is long and graceful with medium boning. The cat should appear neither rangy and leggy, nor cobby and short. Males are proportionately larger than females. Proportion and general balance is to be desired more than mere size.
Legs: Long with medium boning.
Feet: Medium sized, well rounded ovals with generous tufting between the toes.
Appears to stand and walk on balls of feet.
Tail: Hair must be longer than on body. Length is in balance with the length of the body. Ideally, at least equal to the body length from rump to shoulder blades.
Musculature: Athletic, not bulky, and proportioned to carry the body length and weight. Both males and females should be well muscled.

Coat and color:

Length: Medium long over the body with increasing length from the shoulder area to tail. Males may display a neck ruff, but females to a lesser extent. Fur is longer on the tail. Feathering behind the ears of a lighter shade of blue is desirable.
Texture: A soft two-layered coat, suitable for all weather, resistant to water. Outer coat is fine and silky, semi-long over the body, beginning at the shoulders, where the coat is slightly shorter. Pantaloons on hind legs. Allowance for seasonal changes: winter coat is denser, fuller, longer and softer. Summer coat is less dense and tends to drape over the body. Adult coats may take up to two years to fully develop.
Color: Coat color is blue, sound to the roots, with a soft lustrous sheen. Silver tipping is desirable, but not mandatory. Often, silver tipping is only evident over the head and shoulders, since it is frequently covered by the outer coat on the rest of the body. Lighter shades of blue desirable but silver tipping may not be evident. Undercoat layer is very soft down, lighter blue in contrast to the guard hairs of the outer coat. May give appearance of being "shaded" when back brushed against the nap. Emphasis is to be on soundness of color, but not on individual hue. There should be no bias given to body color alone.

General Description: 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.

Allowances:

Seasonal changes in coat length and texture.
Ghost tabby markings permitted in kittens.
In kittens and young adults: yellow eyes changing to green (green halo should be around pupil by 8 months).
Allow for size differences between males and females.
Jowling of mature males.

Penalize:

Rangy or cobby body.
Underweight, poor condition.
Weak chin.
Any white spots or lockets.

Temperament must be unchallenging; any sign of definite challenge shall disqualify. The cat may exhibit fear, seek to flee, or generally complain aloud but may not threaten to harm.
Evidence of intent to deceive the judge by artificial means, cats with all or part of their tail missing (except those breeds whose standard calls for this feature), totally blind cats, cats having more or less than five toes on each front foot and four on each back foot (unless proved to be the result of an injury or as authorized by a Board approved standard), and, at the discretion of the judge, tail faults (visible or invisible) and/or crossed eyes shall be disqualified from championship competition.

See Show Rules, ARTICLE SIXTEEN for comprehensive rules governing penalties/disqualifications applying to all breeds.