FAQ RUS4OSH
Who approves the rules and development of the crossbreed?
FIFé approves this crossbreed as in art. 9.1 of the B&R Rules. The cross-breeding can only occur if the FIFé National Club which each breeder belongs to, grants permission for the cross-breeding to occur. The permission granted for any breeding programme can be for an unspecified period of time, until the target breed standard is achieved.
Is the Russian Blue a random choice or a specific one?
We chose the RUS because of the many similarities with the OSH/SIA:
- the elegant body on high legs
- the straight profile and nose and the wedge shaped head
- the green eye colour (for OSH)
- the large and low set ears (on the CFA typed RUS cats).
We will try to preserve these characteristics and of course work with future generations of cross-breed kittens, in order to re-establish our own breed features, we are not going to create anything new.
How do I apply?
You can contact us if you need of advice, and we will be happy to advise you which lines are the healthiest lines to use, and how to correctly register your crossbreed litter. Feel free to ask us to use our "sample request to a FIFé Club", to apply to join the rus4osh programme.
Are you keeping tracks of the offsprings?
All the cats born into of the RUS4OSH project are registered in the RIEX book of the FIFé Club, and a copy of all the litters and destination of the kittens will be held online, on the website of the project, to make it available to everybody who might want to know more. We would like to thank Pawpeds (www.pawpeds.com) and Kris Wilson (www.pedigrees.subali-klm.com) for keeping track of our pedigrees online too!
Is the crossbreed going to solve all of the health problems?
We hope to dilute and eliminate many genetic diseases that are threatening our cats and our breeding experience, but a crossbreed is not a cure or a miracle. If your cat is sick and you are breeding with cats affected with viruses and bacteria, a mating will not solve that problem. It is the responsibility of all breeders to treat your cats with the right drugs or consider neutering a sick cat and getting a new, healthy, breeding one.
Why are you doing this crossbreeding?
We are doing this crossbreeding because there are so many difficulties with dead litters, cats who seldom reach the age of 5-6 years, and the high rate of genetic disease which bring such pain into the lifes of our cats and our breeders. We can not focus on type, when health is missing.
Which breeds might join this project?
All cats in FIFé category IV who are related to the Oriental breeds such as the Siamese, Oriental Shorthair, Oriental Longhair, Peterbald, Balinese, Seychellois Shorthair and Longhair can participate in this crossbreeding programme. After receiving the written approval of their own FIFé club, these FIFé category IV breeds will be allowed to mate to a Russian Blue, preferably of CFA bloodlines. No longhair or coloured cats -supposedly connected with Russian Blue breed- are allowed into this programme, as Fifé does not accept any other RUS types than shorthair only, and blue only.Hereafter, all reference to “FIFé category IV breeds” in this document, will only refer to the following breeds: Siamese, Oriental Shorthair, Oriental Longhair, Peterbald, Balinese, Seychellois Shorthair and Longhair.
Do you guarantee the health of the cats used?
All of the cats who enter the project must follow our scheduled check up and provide: FIV/FeLV tests, ultrasound results of heart, kidneys and liver. FIFé category IV breeds must also provide the results of PRA test and GM1 and MPSVI tests. It is preferable for all cats to be tested as negative for herpes virus, calicivirus, mycoplasma felis and chlamydia.
Can I show the F1 and F2 kittens?
Of course you can! You must! We encourage people to show the super results which we are achieving. The F1 cats must first enter a FIFé show as XSH * (EMS-code of target breed) as also written in the pedigree, and enter the 13b class. Then if any of the following points are met, the cat might be re-registered as OSH/SIA/OLH/BAL/PEB/SYS/SYL (please remember that re-registration must be marked in the Pedigree book and on the pedigree by adding “(RR)” after the registration number):
a) being exhibited at a minimum age of 4 months during an international cat show in the “Control Class” (class 13b) and,
b) being judged by at least two international FIFe judges whom the FIFe member must provide with a written explanation as to why the cat is presented in this class and,
c) by obtaining the qualification “Excellent” (for recognised breeds) according to the target breed standard from both the judges.
All the XSH cats will be shown and get an evaluation from a FIFé judge, even if not re-registered. They will be present at the show but they will not take part in the best in show.
What are the rules for selling the RUS4OSH cats?
All the kittens that will be bred under the RUS4OSH project will be sold only to catteries who will join this project in FIFé and who agree to our rules. No kitten will ever return to a russian blue cattery for any reason, nor to join any other crossbreed project. The crossbreed kittens are supposed to help the FIFé category IV cat breeds and nothing else. All those kittens not suitable for joining the project must be neutered before being sold as pets.