Size: Small to medium.
Coat Length(s): Medium hair.
Body Type: Semi-foreign.
Grooming Requirement: Twice a week.
Talkativeness: Quiet.
Activity Level: Average.
Affection: Affectionate.
Usually Good With: Adults, seniors, and children (11+).
Time Alone: 8 hours per day.
Attention: Needs average attention.
Handling: Moderately docile.

The beginning of the Nebelung breed was influenced by a chance meeting of recessive genes—and a love of opera. In the early 1980s, a shorthaired black female cat named Terri produced a litter of three: two shorthaired black females and one longhaired black male. The father was thought to have been a longhaired black cat of the Angora type. One of the shorthaired black females was given to the son of computer programmer Cora Cobb of Denver, Colorado, who named the kitten Elsa. In 1984, Elsa produced a litter of her own. The father, a neighborhood tom, was a shorthaired cat resembling a Russian Blue. Apparently, however, both Elsa and her blue-haired boyfriend possessed the recessive gene for long hair, because the litter of six included five black or blue shorthairs, and one beautiful blue longhaired male. Quite taken with the little blue fuzz ball, Cora Cobb adopted the kitten and named him Siegfried after the hero in her favorite Wagner opera, "The Ring of the Nibelung."

As Siegfried grew, Cobb became very attached to her blue longhaired cat and began thinking that he was really something special. At maturity he was big and beautiful, with long legs, a long tail, glorious medium-long hair, and a sweet, loving personality that won Cobb’s heart. She felt he was that one-in-a-million cat with whom she could develop a lasting bond. For his part, Siegfried showered Cobb with feline love and the two became inseparable.

To Cobb’s surprise, Elsa’s next litter of seven, fathered by Elsa’s steady date, the shorthaired blue tom, included a longhaired blue female who looked like Siegfried, except that her fur was silkier, lighter and longer. Cobb named Siegfried’s female counterpart Brunhilde, after the heroine in Wagner’s Ring opera. Now Cobb had a matched set of beautiful longhaired solid blue cats who looked like longhaired Russian Blues. And since Cobb was already so enthralled by Siegfried’s personality and appearance, it occurred to her that perhaps she could create a new breed by breeding brother to sister. If all of the cats would be as beautiful and loveable as Siegfried, everyone would want one!

When Cobb moved to El Paso, Texas, in 1985, she took Siegfried and Brunhilde with her. Brunhilde was not opposed to accepting her brother as her mate, and in 1986, to Cobb’s delight, they produced a litter of three blue longhairs. All three inherited Siegfried’s Russian Blue body type and Brunhilde’s longer, glossy fur. Since at the time Cobb was new to breeding cats, she didn’t know that blue, longhaired kittens were the only possible outcome of Siegfried and Brunhilde’s tryst. Both long hair and blue coloration are governed by recessive genes, and therefore, to express those traits in their physical appearance each parent had to possess two copies of each gene for both traits.

When the kittens were a few months old, Cobb decided to find out how to start a new cat breed. She called TICA and was referred to their genetics committee chairperson, Dr. Solveig Pflueger. Pflueger was very encouraging and suggested Cobb describe the breed as a longhaired Russian Blue. She also told Cobb to write a breed standard, get other fanciers involved in the breeding program, and get other cats to add to the gene pool—Pflueger suggested Russian Blues that possessed the recessive gene for long hair, if they could be found. Such cats would improve the conformation of the breed and broaden the gene pool so it wouldn’t become inbred and unhealthy. Since the breed started by breeding brother to sister, that was a real concern.

Having never seen a breed standard before, Cobb sent for a copy of TICA’s breed standards and, on the advice of Dr. Pflueger, wrote a provisional standard that, except for the coat length and the general opening description, was almost the same as the Russian Blue’s.

The breed needed a name, too, and again Cobb thought of the Wagner opera. At first she thought to call the breed Nibelung, but then remembered that the Nibelung were greedy, ill-natured dwarves—not the sort of image she wanted for her breed—so she changed one letter and named the breed Nebelung. For her cattery name, she chose Nebelheim, which translates to "home of the mist."

Cobb had to recruit breeders, too. First she asked the help of Patty Pendergrass, who had requested a kitten. Cobb asked if she’d take two females from Siegfried and Brunhilde’s second litter, Schatzi and Liebchen, and breed at least one of them to a Russian Blue male that Cobb would find some way of providing. Pendergrass agreed and became the Nebelung’s second breeder.

Cobb knew she needed to get the Nebelung into the spotlight. She entered Schatzi in the non-champion New Breed and Color (NBC) category at the TICA-sponsored City Kitty Cat Club show in Dallas. Showing her cats in the NBC class meant the breed would gain exposure and, hopefully, recognition from judges, exhibitors and the cat-loving public. At that show, Cobb met a breeder of top-quality Russian Blues who agreed to let Schatzi mate with her supreme grand champion male, but only on the condition that Cobb not reveal her name. Not many other Russian Blue breeders welcomed Cobb’s upstart blue longhairs.

Schatzi, perhaps impressed with her Russian Blue suitor’s credentials, was agreeable to the match, and in 1988, she produced a litter of five shorthaired Nebelungs who all carried the recessive gene for long hair.

Cobb called Dianna Zinn, a breeder in Ocean Grove, Mississippi, who happened to have a male Russian Blue with longer than usual hair. Cobb purchased the cat and soon found that nearly half the kittens he fathered were longhairs, a boon to the breed. Zinn also became one of Cobb’s small but dedicated group of breeders. It took time and a great deal of hard work, but the efforts paid off and the Nebelung family tree began to branch and sprout more furry blue leaves. Other breeders joined the cause and helped expand both the gene pool and the Nebelung’s reach.

Cobb found out that Nebelungs were being bred and shown in Russia. Since the Russian Blue originated there, and since Russian longhairs were shown in the first modern-day cat show held in 1871 at London’s Crystal Palace, this confirmed Cobb’s belief that the Nebelung is a recreation of a natural Russian breed. Long hair would be a useful adaptation in an area of the world where temperatures were frigid part of the year. Several Nebelungs have since been imported from Russia to incorporate into the North American bloodlines, and these cats have done very well in shows.

In 1990, the Nebelung was accepted by CFF in the experimental class. The breed gained championship status in TCA in 1994, and in 1997 the Nebelung was accepted for championship in TICA. Being accepted by TICA, the second largest cat association in North America, was a huge step forward. Before the Nebelung was accepted for championship, the TICA board voted to have the designation "Russian Blue/Longhair" removed from the Nebelung registration certificates. This means the Nebelung is recognized as a separate breed, and if the Russian Blue standard changes in the future, Nebelung breeders will not be required to change their standard accordingly.

Nebelungs are sweet, gentle and soft-spoken companions who are playful and affectionate but not pushy or intrusive. Most wait until you are free to give them the affection they crave. They are wary or absent when strangers come around, and usually need a "getting to know you" adjustment period. But once they get used to the sights and sounds of their new environment and learn that they can trust their human companions, Nebelungs become devoted companions. They tend to bond with one person and give him or her all their bountiful loyalty, love and attention. Moderately active, they’re neither laidback like the Persian nor hyper like the Abyssinian.

Some enjoy sitting in your lap, but more commonly they prefer sitting beside you, quietly observing the enigmas of human behavior. Just because they are more reserved than some breeds doesn’t mean they don’t desire love and attention from their chosen human companions. They need affection from their preferred persons if they are to lead happy lives. If you must leave a Nebelung alone for long hours, provide a compatible cat companion to keep your Nebelung company while you’re away earning the cat food. Generally, a breed like the Russian Blue or a random-bred cat who shares the Nebelung’s intelligently cautious nature is a good choice.

Nebelungs tend to dislike disorder, environmental changes and alterations to their accustomed routines. They can adapt to new situations but it generally takes them longer than other breeds. Loud noises make them nervous, which is one of the reasons this breed is recommended for households with no children or older ones. Nebelungs adapt to some cat-friendly dogs if properly introduced when they are kittens and allowed time to adjust, and generally will adjust well to compatible cats if the proper introductions are made. Time and patience is needed to make this breed comfortable with changes.

Nebelungs are rare and can be hard to buy because most longhairs are kept for breeding unless they have flaws that make them unsuitable. In particular, show-quality Nebelungs are always kept or sold to other experienced Nebelung breeders. However, since the shorthaired Russian Blue is used in breeding programs to keep the gene pool large and the breed healthy, shorthaired Nebelungs are sometimes born. Some of the shorthaired offspring are kept in breeding programs, particularly if they have excellent body and head type. Since they usually carry a copy of the longhair gene they will produce an average of 50 percent longhaired Nebelungs when bred to longhairs. But others are sold as pets and can be considerably easier to obtain than longhairs. These shorthaired Nebelungs still have the intelligently shy, loving Nebelung temperament.

Since they are so closely related to the Russian Blue, they have the same health heritage. Happily, that means the Nebelung is generally a healthy, hardy, and long-lived breed with few health problems and no known breed-related genetic diseases.

Although it’s important for all kittens to have early handling and loving attention to grow into well-socialized, loving cats, it’s particularly important for Nebelungs because of their naturally reserved natures. Look for a breeder who raises their kittens "underfoot," and observe the kittens with the breeder, if possible. If that’s not possible, ask for references. Photos won’t tell you what you need to know about the temperament.

The Nebelung is a long-bodied, muscular, medium-sized cat of semi-foreign type. The overall body structure is long and graceful with medium boning. The breed should appear neither rangy and leggy nor cobby and short-legged. The legs are long with medium boning, ending with medium-sized, well-rounded oval paws with generous tufting between the toes. The breed appears to stand and walk on the balls of its feet. The tail is long and in balance with the body’s length, although ideally the tail is at least equal to the body length from rump to shoulder blades. Males weigh 8 to 11 pounds and females weigh 6 to 9 pounds. Proportion and general balance are desired over size.

The head is a modified wedge in good proportion to the body, more pointed than rounded, although the longer hair may give the cat a rounded look. The muzzle is medium in length with puffy whisker pads, which may give a pouty look to the females. In profile, there is no stop, break or nose bump. The ears are large, pointed and set to continue the modified wedge shape of the head.

The eyes are medium size, very slightly oval and widely spaced. Eye color is vivid green at maturity, which can be two years of age or older. The more richness and depth of color the better, although a yellow-green mixture is allowed.

An ideal Nebelung is a rhapsody in blue: The breed’s most striking feature is its medium-long, silky, bright blue fur that’s solid to the roots. Only one color, blue (better known as gray outside the cat fancy), and one pattern, solid, is accepted. The blue is contrasted by silver-tipped guard hairs so the coat catches the light, giving it a luminous, almost ghost-like quality.

The soft double coat is suitable for all weather and is resistant to water. The outer coat is fine and silky, semi-long over the body and slightly shorter at the shoulders. The hind legs have pantaloons. The hair on the tail is longer. Males often display a neck ruff, and females to a lesser extent. Feathering behind the ears in a lighter shade of blue is desirable. Allowance is made for seasonal changes in coat length and density. The coat may take up to two years to fully develop. The only allowable outcross is the Russian Blue.