The Russian Blue cat originated in an area of the White Sea named Archangel and was brought to England early in the 19th century. It appeared in cat shows as the Archangel Blue. At the end of the 1800's the cat became known as the Russian Blue. After a long history of of being rejected at cat shows because the judges preferred British blue breeds, and the distain for the name Russian due to politics; the breed almost died out. By the end of the Second World War, there were so few individuals left that inbreeding was a fear, so they were bread with Siamese Blue Points which caused them to take on the look of a Blue Oriental Shorthair. In the mid-sixties, a group of breeders succeeded in breeding the original characteristics back into them. The coat on these cats is blue-grey, and the nose and paw leather are also blue-grey. but some are being born with an all black coat or an all white coat. These anomalies are not recognized by most cat associations as pure Russian Blues. All Russian Blues have intense green eyes. These are very agreeable, gentle, and docile cats that love peace and quiet.  Source: Encyclopaedia of Cats by Esther J. J. Verhoef - Verhallen  ⓒ  1998