Ruske plave mačke poreklom su iz oblasti Arhangelsk u zapadnoj Rusiji. Istoimena luka na Barencovom moru, Arhangelsk, u 19. veku razvila se u veliki trgovački centar i stecište moreplovaca iz cele Evrope. Engleskim mornarima je brzo zapala za oko neobično lepa i graciozna autohtona mačka metalik sivo-plave boje i neobično gustog, blistavog i kompaktnog krzna poput vidre.  Krzno arhangelske plave mačke bilo je i otporno na vodu! Upravo su neobična lepota i vodootpornost njihovog krzna bile i njihovo prokletstvo. Naime, pretpostavlja se da su arhangelske mačke bile lovljene, čak i gajene samo zbog krzna. No, davne 1860. godine ove jedinstvene mace isplovile su iz arhangelske luke sa britanskim mornarima, i spustile svoje šapice boje lavande na englesko tlo.Na prvoj zabeleženoj izložbi mačaka, 1871. godine u Kristalnoj dvorani u Londonu, pojavila se i arhangelska mačka. Plavi anđeli, kako su ih Englezi tada nazivali, vrlo brzo stiču popularnost na Ostrvu i počinju da se gaje. Poznato je da su bile ljubimci i na engleskom i na ruskom dvoru. Do prve decenije 20. veka arhangelske mačke su često menjale ime. Već smo pomenuli  da su ih zvali plavi anđeli (Blue Angel), potom su bile poznate i kao plave pridošlice (Foreign Blue), a jedno vreme se čak odomaćio naziv zec-mačka (Rabbit Cat) zbog upadljivih visoko podignutih ušiju. Međutim, 1912. rasa je zvanično registrovana u Velikoj Britaniji i priznata kao jedinstvena pod imenom koje i danas nosi - ruska plava mačka. Tokom Drugog svetskog rata ruske plave mačke su gotovo nestale. Ostalo ih je svega nekoliko, te su nakon rata odgajivači iz Engleske i Skandinavije pokušali da rasu rekonstruišu uvođenjem plave kolor-point sijamske mačke, zbog elegantne i graciozne građe koja krasi te dve rase. Na žalost, ovim ukrštanjem karakterističan tip i kvalitet krzna tradicionalne ruske plave mačke se izgubio – ove mace bile su manje, nežnog skeleta i mišića,uskog  valjkastog tela i ravnog dugog profila glave. Takav  tip mačke je u felinološkoj istoriji ostao zabeležen kao istočni tip ruske plave mačke (Eastern type).  

Tekst: Jasmina Lechleitner i Svetlana Lalović. 

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Engl.

Russian blue cats originate from the Arkhangelsk region of western Russia. The port of the same name on the Barents Sea, Arkhangelsk, in the 19th century developed into a large trade center and gathering place for sailors from all over Europe. The English sailors quickly caught the eye of an unusually beautiful and graceful autochthonous cat with a metallic gray-blue color and unusually thick, shiny and compact fur like an otter. The fur of the archangel blue cat was also water resistant! It was the extraordinary beauty and water resistance of their fur that was their curse. Namely, it is assumed that archangel cats were hunted, even bred only for their fur. However, back in 1860, these unique cats sailed from the archangel port with British sailors, and dropped their lavender paws on English soil. At the first recorded cat show, in 1871 in the Crystal Hall in London, an archangel cat also appeared. Blue angels, as the English called them at the time, very quickly gained popularity on the Island and began to be cultivated. They were known to be pets at both the English and Russian courts. Until the first decade of the 20th century, archangel cats often changed their name. We have already mentioned that they were called Blue Angels (Blue Angel), then they were also known as Blue Newcomers (Foreign Blue), and for a while the name Rabbit Cat even became familiar due to its conspicuous high raised ears. However, in 1912, the breed was officially registered in Great Britain and recognized as unique under the name it still bears today - the Russian blue cat. During World War II, Russian blue cats almost disappeared. There are only a few left, and after the war, breeders from England and Scandinavia tried to reconstruct the breed by introducing a blue color-point Siamese cat, because of the elegant and graceful material that adorns the two breeds. Unfortunately, with this cross, the characteristic type and quality of fur of the traditional Russian blue cat was lost - these cats were smaller, with a gentle skeleton and muscles, a narrow cylindrical body and a flat long head profile. This type of cat has been recorded in felinological history as the Eastern type of the Russian blue cat.
Text: Jasmina Lechleitner and Svetlana Lalović.