Cat Breeds : Nebelung

The Nebelung is a characteristic and elegant cat breed which is just beginning to be recognized by breeders. Nebelungs typically have long bodies, wide-set green eyes, long and dense fur, and mild dispositions. The name Nebelung--apparently a portmanteau of the German word (Nebel) for Mist or Fog and a medieval Germanic saga, Nibelungenlied--is perhaps derived from the cat's distinctive silky blue-grey coat as well as from the breed's progenitors Siegfried and Brunhilde, named after two major figures in the Nibelungenlied.

Origin
The American foundation of this cat breed has been laid by the cats Siegfried (1984) and Brunhilde (1985). Cora Cobb, the owner of Siegfried and Brunhilde, was very impressed by the beauty of her beautiful blue/grey cats. Siegfried and Brunhilde looked like a Russian Blue but with a semi-long coat. To find out if it was possible to start a new breed with these cats Cora got in touch with the geneticist of the American Cat Association. This geneticist, DR. Solveig Pfleuger, told that the race was defined best as Semi- long haired Russian Blue. Supported by DR. Pfleuger, Cora Cobb wrote the breeding standard according to the blue Russian, but with a difference; its coat length.

In the breed standard of TICA, the first association which recognized the Nebelung, you can find the description of the breed. The goal of the Nebelung breeding program is to produce a blue cat with the same type as those imported from Russia in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and to combine this type with a thick shimmering coat of medium length. The body and tail are long, the ears large in proportion to the head and the eyes range in color from yellowish green to green. Size is medium and the body well muscled. The coat is medium long on the body, longer on the tail, with lighter colored guard hairs. The overall appearance is long, sturdy and well muscled.

Character
Nebelung cats are lively, playful, affectionate, good-natured and intelligent cats. In spite of the fact that it is an active cat, it can live very well indoors. The Nebelung prefers their own family and often keep a distance to strangers. It is, however, a cat which gladly accepts company of its people or of another cat.