The Story of the Breed: Neva Masquerade

(translated from Cat and Dog, Moscow, No. 1 (63), 1996)

The Neva Masquerade represents only the colorpoint shade of our native, aborigenal, fuzzy Siberian cat, native to the Russian land. The cat which from times immemorial has warmed the freezing soul of man, curling up in a purring ball, bringing with him warmth and coziness. The cat which could rid his owner of uninvited boarders in the blink of an eye with his sharp-clawed preditor’s paw.

So noble in color (for colorpoints are traditional only for Persians, Birmese, Siamese), the Neva Masquerade has sought recognition for so long! And if no one can dispute the well-deserved authority of the Siberian breed of cats, for overseas experts it is something exotic, arousing delight and … doubts. Oh, the Neva!

So they are trying to discover—where is the Persian hidden in the Neva Masquerade?

They examine the cats, palpate them, pet them, and check them over and over again against the standard written by Mrs. O.S. Mironova, which was accepted by WCF [World Cat Federation] in 1991 (we owe great thanks to her and to the felinologists of the “Fauna” cat club for earning recognition for them among our Siberian breed). They ponder them, add up the points up on the rating scale, and ponder some more—should they be given championship status or not?

This is roughly how many foreign judges first react when faced with the Neva Masquerade. Therefore experienced breeders and owners of Siberians strive to get evaluations from Russian judges first—indeed our judges are the real pros when it comes to Siberians.

The long road toward world recognition of the Siberian breed began in 1987, when the first cat fanciers’ clubs appeared in Russia and controlled breeding was undertaken.

The Siberian standard has been revised and honed by the “Fauna” Cat Fanciers’ Club in Moscow, through the painstaking and tedious breeding efforts of O.A. Sizova and T.P. Bobina, by the “Kotofei” Cat Fanciers’ Club in Saint Petersburg (previously Leningrad), and with the collaboration of numerous affiliates and spin-offs of these original clubs. The official standard was given final approval on December 4, 1994 at a WCF session attended delegates from Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (SNG), to which felinologists from other international cat associations were also invited.

What does the standard call for in a Siberian cat?

• General description: Strong, massive, muscular cats of large and medium size. Females are significantly smaller than males.
• Head: Taking the form of a short, wide trapezoid, it should be in good proportion to the body. The forehead is not high; there is a smooth, gradual slope from the forehead to a broad and straight nose line. The nose is of medium length without any upturn. The cheekbones are low, the cheeks are full, the jaw is strong. The chin is wide and rather strong, but not prominent.
• Neck: Strong, short.
• Ears: Medium length, wide at the base, set more than one ear-width apart at the base. The outer line is vertical, the outer side of the base starts slightly higher than eye level. The ears are tilted slightly forward. The tips are rounded. Lynx tipping and tufts are desirable.
• Eyes: Large or medium, rounded, wide, and slightly angled. Green or yellow of any shade, evenly colored. Blue is allowed in color-points and whites.
• Type: Strong, dense.
• Body: Compact, dense, with well-pronounced muscles, of medium length on strong, short limbs. Feet are large and round. Tufts between the toes.
• Tail: Wide and strong at base, length almost to the shoulders, well draped, blunt at tip.
• Coat: The outer hair is hard, shiny (oily), water resistant. Longer past the shoulder blades, draping down at the sides and at the base of the tail. On the sides the coat is softer, close, very thick. The undercoat is of two types, depending on the season: in warm weather it is slight, short, and close; in winter it is rich, long, very thick and tight, with a beautiful texture. The ruff is long, but thick in the form of a collar and bib. The coat is shorter on the shoulders. Fancy britches and well draped tail. During seasonal shedding the ruff, bib, and britches may almost totally disappear.
• Color: All colors are allowed, preferred are the tabby and agouti with their characteristic texture. Colorpoints and colorpoints with white are called “Neva Masquerade” (Siberian colorpoint). Judging is separate according to colors.
• Condition: Healthy, strong, with power and stature.
• Penalize: Straight profile, like that of the Persians; long, light, narrow muzzle; flat cheeks; weak cheekbones; weak chin. Small, round, deeply seated eyes. Large or low ears, straight or high setting, Persian type (small, low, excessive draping). Short body, elegant type, weak bones, small feet. Lack of tufts between the toes. Long, thin neck. Short tail, poorly draped, sharp tip. Coat without undercoat, hard, matted, not shiny on the back and flanks. Too much undercoat (like Persian).

57 specialists representing 21 leading cat clubs from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus participated in the discussion and approval of this standard.

I am confident that after comparing the characteristics of their pet Vaskas and Muskas against the standard, many owners will discover, that their furry pets are really Siberians.

It was nature here in Russia which has created and bestowed upon us an exceedingly rich gene pool in which the features of the breed have been established and refined. It is no coincidence that the most famous Siberian tomcat, the first world champion DIMKA LASKOVYI ZVER (Dimka the Affectionate Beast; owner T.E. Pavlova) was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth: in the Parents column of his pedigree the owner writes “unknown.” But what a beauty! And how many more cats worthy of this term could adorn cat shows large or small. Whether lying peaceably on an armchair in a city apartment or defending the territory of their garden against a neighbor’s cat, they may not even suspect that they are purebred by Mother Earth, the Sovereign of Life.

Thus, the color-point variant of the Siberian cats has also been identified by felinologists among the natural cat population of St. Petersburg.

Such amazingly beautiful, noble cats of such varied colors (the result of many long years of breeding) gather at cat shows featuring only our native Russian breeds! Even the names of the shows are fitting: the “International Show of Russian Cat Breeds” (organized by the club “FAR”), “Russia’s Pride” (“MoKKo”), the “Siberian Wonder” (“Sozvezdie”). The names of these cat shows, which have already become a tradition in Russia, sound proud and beautiful.

And the Siberian color-points—big, powerful, bright-colored cats which have become so popular in recent years—not only adorn these cat shows, qualify for Best of Best, but are even named Best of Show.

How many times have the owners of Morris and Jessica, Stepan and Greta, Seliverst and Max, Young, Bazir, and other Nevas shed tears of joy!

Now has come the time for their children and grandchildren to win. On October 7 at the “Siberian Marvel” show the Best of Best was the beauty Glafira (owner L.I. Smirnova), and the second day honors were won by Grand-Alkor (owner E.I Stroyeva) from “Zoopraktika-Rosich”.

And they charm judges from Japan and Belarus at the show of best animals at the prestigious exhibition held by “Felis”.

The gorgeous Grand-Alkor is again the talk of cat fanciers. The Third International Cat Show of the Russian Breeds “The Pride of Russia”, held by “MoKKo” added one more Best of Best win to his ascendant career.

The club “Zoopraktika-Rosich” is explicitly working with 16 breeds, and considers the Neva Masquerade its proudest accomplishment. They are planning a parade of Neva Masquerades representing all the various colors of the points. Well done!

Good luck to you, Neva Masquerades! I am certain that, now that you have won love and fame in our country, you will proceed proudly around the globe, bringing well-deserved glory to Russia.

Larisa Ovchinnikova
President of FPC "Zoopraktika-Rosich"
Telephone (095) 358-75-51
Picture by Valeriia Sinitsina