Russian White, Black, and Tabby facts for kids

The Russian White, Russian Black, and Russian Tabby are types of cat breeds. They were first created in 1971 and come from the Russian Blue cat. The Russian Black and Russian Tabby cats were developed from the same breeding process that created the Russian White.

History of Russian White Cats

The story of these beautiful cats began in the 1960s. In the United Kingdom, a breeder named Frances McLeod started working on Russian White and Russian Black cats.

How Russian Whites Started in Australia

In Australia, the journey to create the Russian White cat officially began on May 4, 1971. This project was led by Dick and Mavis Jones, who owned the Myemgay Cattery.

Mavis Jones shared how their project started:

• They found a special white cat from Siberia. Even though she didn't have a family tree (pedigree), she was a family pet of someone from the Thai Embassy.
• The Jones family traded one of their Russian Blue cats for this white cat.
• They then bred the white cat with one of their male Russian Blue cats.
• This pairing resulted in two white kittens. They kept the best one and named her White Rose.
• They believed that only white cats from Russia or Siberia were suitable to breed with Russian Blues to create this new type.
• White Rose grew into a lovely, elegant cat, looking and acting much like a Russian Blue.
• Later, they bred White Rose with her father, Myemgay Yuri. He was a very famous male cat.
• Their first two Russian White kittens were officially registered in November 1971. They were very happy with them.
• Sadly, White Rose got sick and passed away when her kittens were three weeks old.
• The two tiny female kittens were raised with a bottle until they could eat solid food.
• The breeders faced many challenges, but they worked through them to continue their program.
• They bred their first-generation white cats with different Myemgay Blue male cats. This created the second-generation whites.
• Then, they bred the best second-generation whites to get the third generation.
• They continued this process until they reached the fourth generation of white kittens.
• In July 1975, their Russian White cats were fully registered. This meant they could compete in cat shows.

Official Recognition in New South Wales

The Royal Agricultural Society of New South Wales (RAS) Cat Club officially recognized the Russian White cats in November 1975. This was a big step for the new breed.

Breeding Program Details

The breeding program for the Russian White cats was carefully planned. It started with the white "Siberian cat" and a blue male cat named Myemgay Yuri.

Key Cats in the Russian White Line

• The Siberian cat and Myemgay Yuri had two white kittens. The best one, a female named White Rose, became the main mother for the Russian White breed.
• White Rose was then bred with Myemgay Yuri. This produced the first-generation Russian White kittens. One important cat from this pairing was Myemgay Arctic Girl.
• Myemgay Arctic Girl was bred with a blue cat named Myemgay Little Lemon. This resulted in Myemgay Arctic Star, a second-generation Russian White.
• Myemgay Arctic Star was bred back to Myemgay Yuri. This produced Myemgay Arctic Snowflake, a third-generation Russian White.
• Myemgay Arctic Snowflake was bred with Eastern Ninotchka, a blue cat. This led to Myemgay Arctic Kosack, a male and a fourth-generation Russian White.

At this point, no Russian White cats had left the Myemgay Cattery. This was because the RAS Cat Club only gave full registration to cats that reached the fourth generation. Before that, they were on a temporary register.

Where Russian Whites Are Recognized Today

Today, the Russian White cat is fully recognized in several countries. These include Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa. They are also working towards full recognition in the United Kingdom, many countries in Europe, and the United States.

In 2010, the American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA) officially recognized the Russian Black and Russian White cats. This meant these cats could compete for championship titles in their shows. You can learn more about the ACFA Russian Shorthair Standard here.