Nebelung Cats of Caloosa

Is this a natural breed?

 

Footie cat at 7 months

If you've ever visited the upscale equestrian community called "Caloosa" in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida you might have noticed the barn cats, and wondered why there exists so many beautiful long-haired blue (gray) ones. Unlike most feral cat colonies where one sees a general mix of cat colors, in Caloosa there exists an anomaly, as so many of the stray cats in this community resemble the elegant long-haired Nebelung or the short-haired Russian Blue breed.  

Rumor has it that about ten years ago, there lived a cat breeder in the area who allowed his regal Russia Blue stud tom cat to run free.  The rogue cat mated with the queens living in the area and his off spring continued to thrive by living in the barns and being fed and cared for by Caloosa homeowners.

But the question -- why have most of the cats evolved to looking like the much desired Nebelung? These cats are fantastically gorgeous as shown in the picture above, so many of them with a medium to long blue (grey) coat, sporting a majorette-style plume of a tail, especially when held high.  Many of these cats look like the Russian Blue, but much prettier because of the long fur!  

The answer in knowing how these cats developed genetically over the past several years to look so much alike, or in my words, to become their own special breed, a person can only apply the science of exclusion, with a little knowledge of genetics.  In some areas where these cats thrive there exists an island of land formed by intersecting canals where an intruding male tom cat might have difficulty getting in--or getting out. Most would have to swim or else find one of the two bridges to cross. Anybody who knows cats understand that swimming is not an option for most felines.  

 

Muffin Monroe at 3 months

I was first introduced to these lovely creatures by two homeowners in Caloosa when a Breezy, Russian Blue look-alike was born -- the only cat in the litter -- to their gray spotted Egyptian Mau mix named Windstar. There had been a long-haired gray tom cat canvassing the neighborhood for quite some time and he was assumed to be the father. Breezy grew into a full grown cat and soon gave birth to three more Russian Blue look-alikes, this time with long hair! With still no other toms around, it was assumed she had mated with her father. 

When I first saw these cats, I knew they were strays, but surprised they all looked like one breed. I was awed by their beauty. What kind of cat is this, really?  I began to check their obvious traits against the various cat breeds I found on the internet.  Interestingly, these Caloosa cats have features resembling that of the Russian Blue, and many with long fur. In addition, their personalities seemed to match what was described as a Nebelung cat, a new breed developed in the 80’s by Cora Cobb of West Virginia. 

I decided to email Cora Cobb, and described these cats to her and asked if she had ever sold to a cat breeder in the Palm Beach area.  She soon wrote back to say that she did have record of selling one of her cats to someone in the Palm Beach area, but could not confirm for me anything else.  

So I put aside that idea for a while, that perhaps the earlier talked about rogue Russian Blue might really be one of Cora Cobb's Nebelung cats, I continued reading about her breed.  I learned that her breed is the true Nebelung cat, one started by Ms. Cobb when she bred her two favorite long-furred vagabond house cats and used the Russian Blue as the standard.  I particularly made note in my mind of a comment on her website about there being the idea among some people in the cat world, that the Nebelung might be considered a "natural breed."  This got me started on a theory that these Caloosa cats were bred naturally and by accident, starting with the the rogue Russian Blue tom cat years ago. 

To back up my theory, here's what I read about what cat breeders in other countries have to say about the Nebelung:  Outside of the United States, breeders seem to consider a Nebelung cat nothing less than a long-haired Russian Blue!  Because the short-haired gene is dominant in the Russian Blue breed and finding a Russian Blue with a long-haired recessive gene is rare; it might be easier to create a long-haired Russian Blue by breeding with a long-haired gray house cat! 

3-month old Caloosa Nebelung kittens

So is this what has happened in Caloosa -- a naturally created colony of Nebelung cats ? 

Below is a description (from various websites) referring to Cora Cobb's original Nebelung breed which so closely matches the "Caloosa Nebelungs" in Palm Beach Gardens.

NEBELUNG DESCRIPTION

“The primary difference in conformation between the Nebelung and the Russian Blue is coat length, otherwise, the standards are almost identical. Whereas the Russian Blue's coat is short and dense, the Nebelung's fur is medium-long, silky, and possesses a dense undercoat.  The bright blue color is contrasted with silver-tipped guard hairs and therefore the coat catches the light, giving the fur a luminous, misty quality. Even with a dense undercoat that makes the coat stand away from the body, the fur resists matting and does well with a good once-a-week brushing….”  (petfinder.com)

“The word Nebelung is German and means “creature of the mist.” That’s an appropriate description for this quiet feline who moves like a shadow. The Nebelung loves its family but may disappear when strangers arrive. It enjoys sitting in a lap and being petted and will follow its favorite person devotedly from room to room. A Nebelung will enjoy the company of another cat that shares its quiet personality, but it may be less satisfied in the presence of rowdy dogs or highly active cats. This is a cat that likes routine and may require a little time to adjust to changes in the household. Early socialization can help it become more adaptable… “  (catster.com)

Below is a more comprehensive list of Nebelung traits:

- Medium-length to long blue gray fur that avoids matting and shedding

- Blue Gray (velvet) double coat on legs, with silver tipped sheen.

- Tall, plume of a tail

- The fur on the tail is longer than that on the body

- When flying high, tail resembles the feathers in a majorette's hat!

- Tufts of fur are found behind the ears and between the toe pads

- Hind legs sport pantaloons

- Straight nose; regal  features

- Fine chiseled features resemble that of a Russian Blue

- Long body, medium sized, well muscled cat

- Docile, gentle nature

- Shy cat that prefers company of one person; hides when visitors come (mine, for example make a bee-line for the dresser when people come to visit, to crawl under and over, hiding flat inside the dresser drawer.) There is not much better in life than opening a drawer to find it full of cats!

- Very gentle with claws and teeth while playing; given the unpredictable nature of humans, this is a sign of high intelligence.  I would also like to note that I have owned and played the attack game with many kittens in my life, none of which were Nebelung cats, and always socks were required in bed or else I would wake up from the pain of tiny claws attacking my feet.  Hilarious as it was back in those days, socks were a necessity for survival.  With these long-haired Russian Blue Nebelung kittens, however, socks were never a necessity, as they seemed to be born with a strong sense of whether or not they were hurting me.

 - Amber colored eyes with slight halo of green

- Kittens are born with ghost stripes, but disappear into adulthood

- Blue nose leather; blue toe pads, and did I tell you about the adorable tufts of fur between their toes?