Cat Nebelung

The Nebelung cat breed is quite young and also rare. It was an American breeder Clara Cobb who first identified the ancestors of this breed in the offspring of a male Russian Blue and a short-haired dark domestic cat, which, however, had long-haired ancestors.

To create this new breed, Clara Cobb enlisted the help of a geneticist from the American Cat Association, Dr. Solveig Pfleuger. They basically created a long-haired Russian Blue. The name Nebelung comes from German and means ‘creature of fog’, because of its deep grey colour. A curiosity: this name is also said to derive from the first two cats that gave birth to this breed, named after the protagonists of the Nibelungenlied, namely Siegfried and Brünnhilde.

There are very few breeders of this breed worldwide. In Italy there is only one and it is amateur.

Character of the Nebelung Cat

The Nebelung cat can undoubtedly be defined as the classic flat cat. It is lazy and likes to spend long hours sleeping, preferably in a comfortable, warm place and on its owner's lap. He has a mild, sweet and affectionate character, with all family members, but especially with one he establishes a relationship of exclusive love and really follows him everywhere.

He is, however, a lively and active cat, but only when he decides so. And when he decides to be active, he loves to run, climb and play with family members. He is not a cat that likes to be alone, so he is not suitable for those who would leave him alone for most of the day. Lack of attention is likely to make him suffer from anxiety and also make him quite fearful. Nevertheless, when he is left alone he rarely causes trouble, in fact he respects space with elegance and delicacy.

He meows very little and has a soft, subdued voice. He is, however, very wary of strangers, so much so that he hides when they arrive and does not like their cuddles and attention. His mild disposition, however, hides a great intelligence; he is also a bit capricious and demanding. He has his own schedule for everything and does not like changes in his daily routine. For him, a change of home or rather major upheavals would be a drama. He is not very suitable for families with children as he does not like confusion and is rather independent and as I said, he plays yes, but when he decides so.

Appearance of the Nebelung cat

The Nebelung cat is a medium-sized feline, the male can weigh up to 6 kilograms, the female two less. It is a long-limbed, muscular cat with a slender bone structure. It is very elegant and harmonious in its movements, has a long neck and slender limbs ending in small, oval paws.

The head, covered with long, thick fur is of medium size with a slightly rectangular shape, pointed and sharp on the muzzle. The ears are straight, fairly large and pointed, the eyes are almond-shaped, well spaced, and of a beautiful emerald green colour. The tail is long and with abundant hair, thicker at the base.

But its charm comes from its coat, long, silky and very soft to the touch, grey with silver highlights, in fact the end of the fur has a silvery colouring that gives it a shiny appearance. The undercoat is waterproof and is itself covered with a thicker coat.

Care and health of the Nebelung cat

The Nebelung cat is a very robust and healthy animal and has a life expectancy of 15 to 18 years. Deriving from the Russian Blue, like its cousin it may suffer from bladder stones. There are no reports of hereditary diseases, but being a relatively young breed, it is uncertain what diseases it might suffer from. However, the normal care and visits to the vet for all cat breeds are also fine for the Nebelung; special attention must be paid to oral hygiene.

As far as coat care is concerned, as it is long it should be brushed at least once every two days, it loses enough hair even if it is not in moulting period, so it is good to take care of its coat to prevent it from swallowing too much.

For his mental health it is imperative that he is cuddled, much more so than other cat breeds.