British Shorthair vs Russian Blue?

From your description, its certainly NOT a Russian Blue (I bred and showed RB's). Its more of a British SH TYPE. While its possible to be more purebred, w/o papers to prove it, the cat is a blue domestic shorthair.

I never go by just characteristics - but from the body type it does sound more like a Brit.

To Cafe' - you are mostly right, but a few things wrong. All cats are basically tabbies and purebred solid blue kittens/cats WILL show ghost tabby markings on the tails till they are older - I show a lot and seen many kittens have them (even my RB kittens had tabby markings on the tails). And the full eye color doesn't come in till over a year. Not all Brits have deep copper eye color - many of them have medium to dark gold eye color.

If he was only five to six months old VERY unlikely he's either breed. A pedigreed British Shorthair starts around $600 and you won't find a Russian Blue for under $800. Anyone spending that kind of money wouldn't give it up to a shelter just a few months later. PLUS the fact that breeder contracts state that THEY have the right to the animal back if the person doesn't want it anymore.

Another fact proving it isn't either breed - stripes on the tail. All domestics - cats of no breed - are inherently tabby. So "ghost" tabby markings show up in even solid Blue and Black coats. You'd never see these in a Blue Brit or Russian Blue. Further proof? Russian Blues ALWAYS have Emerald Green eyes and Blue Brits have Copper eyes. Blue domestics have gold or green eyes.

He's not likely a "mix" either since breeders of pedigreed cats tend to sell kittens altered and never allow crossbreeding.

Why do people assume he's not a pedigreed cat? Only 3% of cats are a breed and less than one percent of shelter cats. And sorry - you're wrong - shelters don't see "purebred" cats "come in all the time". I've volunteered with shelters for over twenty years and I've seen one straight eared Scottish Fold, two elderly Bengals, a few Exotic Shorthairs and lots of Persians - since people buy them on a whim not realizing how much grooming they require. Shelters often put cats are a "breed" in their petfinder.com listings but 99.9% of the time they're WRONG.

Your cat is simply a blue domestic - a cat of no particular breed just like over 97% of the cats on this entire planet. Post a few pics of it if you want those of us that know breeds to confirm this but odds are so, so slim it's anything other than that.

once a British Shorthair, always a British Shorthair....they're above all races.

If you got him from a shelter he's a "mutt", not a "breed". Meaning, if you don't have papers, he's not a purebred. I was once given a barn cat that my vet was convinced was a Russian Blue "mutt", yet her sister (I saw them being born) was a gray tiger with some blue cream "splotches".

Sounds like your cat is a typical domestic short hair.

And, behavior has nothing to do with breed. Except..."mutts" are the best cats.

I've had mine both ways too... but our husband prefers it short... he never ever complains when I grow it long, but is always all over himself w/the complements when I cut it off

Odds are he is a domestic short hair. Only three percent of cats on this planet are purebreds. It is very unlikely that a intact purebred had kittens with a stray cat, or that he is a purebred.

We personally think guys look extremely hotter with short hair. I had any guy friend that had a afro and he cut it in seventh grade year and he suddenly obtained soo much cuter.