Well - two Russian Blue cats can only provide blue kittens! This is the genetic law; so how can Yngve and Agafja have both blue and black kittens? The first possibility is that there has been two fathers. At first I concluded that in my cattery I had no fertile male who was able to produce black kittens (a Burmilla and two chocolate Burmese). The next possibility was that the dam had been out running in the wild in the same week in which Yngve had mated her. This was completely out of the question!

I have sought information in many places. In Denmark I found no help whatsoever. Searching the internet I found out that the Russians in England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa are pedigreed in the colours of Black, White and even Tabby. Several breeders in USA and Central Europe are breeding these cats too.

I contacted the Australian Cat Federation and several breeders in Australia - including Betty Payne, who many years ago created the first Russian Black cats and had them accepted as pedigreed cats. From experienced breeders in these colours, I have been informed that black kittens from blue parents are not unusual but rare. They have put forward several theories for my case: There may have been mated with black somewhere in the parent cats up lines or there may have been a mutation; or the black kittens could in fact be genetically blue. The last possibility would be proven by a DNA test.

All Russian Blues carry genes for the creation of black, white and tabby; it is the existence of two not dominant dilution genes (dd)  that creates a diluted black cat that we call blue. If just one or both dilution genes are dominant (Dd or DD), the cat will be black. The Russian Blue cat has two not dominant white genes (ww). The dominant white gene that creates a Russian White cat (Ww or WW) has entered the breeding of Russians by mating a Russian Blue with a white cat.

The first DNA tests I received from Australia showed that Yngve av Buerlia was not the father and that he accordingly has no genetic colour defects. Even the Dam - Ferapont Agafja – has no colour defects. The blue kittens of the litter have as expected two declining dilution genes (dd) and are genetically normal Russian Blue cats and they have been granted correct RUS blue pedigrees by FIFé. The black kittens have one dominant and one not dominant dilution gene (Dd), and are thus not genetically blue, but black according to the “recipe”. They have been granted experimental pedigrees and named as shorthair XSH.

Where did the dominant dilution gene come from? What male cat is their father? Upon reflection it became clear to me that my chocolate Burmese males are able to provide a dominant dilution gene and as my Burmilla male cat carries Burmese genes himself, he could theoretically also be the father.

Parental tests of the three potential fathers revealed at a later date that my chocolate Burmese DK Margaard's Ottar is the father of the black kittens. The mystery was cleared up! I have been thinking and thinking about how such an uncontrolled mating could take place at all. I did have people working in my cattery at the time so that a fertile Burmese male was given access to a Russian Blue in heat can only be due to the fact that someone was careless allowing the cats to mix and have split them up again without telling it to me! But thanks to the culprit! Thanks for the creation of these wonderful and extraordinarily beautiful cats.

THE RUSSIAN BLACK AND WHITE BREEDING PROGRAMME
Sole breeder in Scandinavia

At first I kept a black female and a black male, Steenbergs Russian Black Nera and Nero from the unplanned Russian Blue/Burmese mating. Four kittens are sold as pets. My black cats created by accident are colour genetically identical with the pedigreed Russian Black cats in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa and England. It is believed that the first Australian black Russian cat have got its colour by mutation while my black cats got their dominant dilution gene from the Burmese breed.

These cats from the accidental Burmese mating will never be included in future breeding.

My new knowledge and interest for the extremely beautiful black (and white) Russians has had consequences. From England From Jennifer Sedgwick's "Catwo" cattery in England I have imported a Russian White female kitten (Catwo White Laika) and a Russian Black male kitten (Catwo Black Nikita) born on April 21st 2008. These beauties are pedigreed and decent in a straight line from the very first white Russians that appeared in England i the 1960's and in Australia in the 1970's. View the bloodline of Laika and Nikita - Push Here!

These two cats are the starting point of my breeding programme of pedigreed white and black Russian cats. They are siblings and will accordingly not be mated to each other. In the breeding of white and black Russians a pure blue Russian Blue cat is mated with a Russian White or a Russian Black. This has been the case in all pedigreed matings in the development of the Catwo cats since the 1960's except in one case where a Russian White was mated to a Russian Black. A litter of such matings may include white, black as well as blue kittens.

I will continue breeding Russian Blue cats based on 'pure' blue cats with exclusively blue cats in their bloodlines. Blue kittens by black or white parents will not be used by me in pure blue lines.

My pedigreed white or black kittens will normally not be sold for breeding purposes. They may be sold to breeders in other countries who already are breeding such cats. My white or black studs are available only to such breeders.
 

            
Catwo White Laika                        Catwo Black Nikita

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