|
The Scratching Post
Nebelung
The Nebelung (pronounced NAY-bel-ung) is a medium-sized cat with a unique long-haired coat. The coat has a soft and downy undercoat with longer blue guard hairs with silver tips. These silver tips give the coat a shimmering appearance. The head has a medium wedge shape with a blunt muzzle. The face has a broad appearance due to the wide-set eyes and the thick fur. The ears are large, wide at the base with rounded tips. The eyes are round in shape and are customarily dark and vivid green. The neck is long and slender, but looks short because of the long coat. The body is long, firm and muscular and the paws are small and slightly rounded. The tail is long and fluffy.
|
|
Temperament
|
The Nebelung is a long-haired re-creation of the Russian Blue. They are very intelligent, affectionate and loving to their family members but can be a bit shy around strangers and children. In time, they will become devoted companions. This gentle and soft-spoken companion tends to dislike disorder, changes in their environment and alterations in their usual routines. Loud noises make them nervous. This breed is recommended for households with no children or older ones. Some in this breed like to sit on their human?s lap, but most will enjoy sitting near their person and observing human behavior. Kittens in this breed should have early handling and loving attention to grow into well-socialized pets. A Russian Blue or another companion cat will be great for the Nebelung if you are absent from the home for long hours.
|
|
Height, Weight
|
Male Weight: 8-11 lbs. ; Female Weight: 6-9 lbs.
|
|
Health Problems
|
This is a hardy, healthy breed with few health problems and no known breed-related diseases.
|
|
Living Conditions
|
The Nebelung will do great in an apartment. Its soft double coat is suitable for all weather and is resistant to water.
|
|
Exercise
|
Cats receive valuable exercise from playing. Playing builds the bond that you share as well as burns calories, releases aggression and burns off excess energy in younger cats. The Nebelung should be encouraged to play and exercise to prevent them from becoming overweight.
|
|
Life Expectancy
|
About 13-15 years
|
|
Grooming
|
Nebelung?s double-layered coat resists matting and does not require the amount of grooming that some long-haired breeds do. Comb twice a week with a steel comb and every other day during the shedding season. The Nebelung shedding season is in the Fall and in the Spring.
|
|
Origin
|
Although the longhaired Russian cat was shown in England over a century ago, it has not been seen in the cat fancy world until the latter part of this century. In the early 1980s, computer programmer Cora Cobb of Denver, CO was given a shorthaired black female kitten who she named Elsa. In 1984, Elsa produced a litter of her own by a male shorthaired cat of the Russian blue type. This litter included five blue shorthairs and one beautiful blue longhaired male. Cobb named the cat Siegfried and began to think that he was really something special. Elsa had another litter which included a longhaired blue female, Brunhilde, who looked like Siegfried. Now Cobb had a set of beautiful longhaired solid blue cats. She contacted TICA to learn how to start a new cat breed and the Nebelung breed was born. Nebelung is loosely translated to mean ?Creature of the Mist? in German. In 1990, the Nebelung was accepted by CFF and gained championship status in TCA in 1994. In 1997, the Nebelung was accepted for championship in TICA.
|