The History of the Siberian Cat
Updated: Sep 11
There is something rather wonderful about the history of the Siberian cat.
This is not a breed that was simply designed on paper and then produced by breeders. Siberians have a much older story.
Long before there were pedigrees, breed standards or cat shows, there were cats living alongside people across Russia — robust, intelligent, semi-longhaired cats that had adapted to an unforgiving climate and become valued companions and working cats.
The modern Siberian breed is relatively young.
But the cat itself is not.
An ancient Russian cat
Siberian cats have been part of Russian history for centuries, with recorded references dating back around a thousand years.
They developed naturally in the enormous territory of Russia, particularly in environments where a substantial coat, strong body and ability to cope with cold weather were useful rather than decorative.
These weren't pampered show cats.
They were working cats.
Farmers and tradespeople valued them for their ability to keep rodents under control, while families also kept them simply because they were wonderful cats.
And that combination — the practical working cat and the deeply bonded companion — is still very recognisable in the Siberian today.
The breed's history is also one reason I find their personality so interesting.
Siberians are often described as intelligent, curious, sociable and remarkably devoted to their people. The Cat Fanciers' Association describes them as intelligent and devoted, with a famously dog-like quality.
When you live with them, you can understand why.
Siberians in Russian culture
The Siberian wasn't simply a useful farm cat.
They also became part of Russian culture and folklore.
Stories and illustrations of Russian cats appear throughout the country's history, and Siberian-type cats became associated with the forests and countryside of Russia.
There are even Russian fairy tales in which cats appear as magical protectors.
That may sound rather romantic now, but it reflects something important: these cats were not created for the show ring.
They were already part of people's lives.
From landrace to recognised breed
This is where the history gets particularly interesting.
For most of their existence, Siberian cats were not a pedigree breed in the modern sense.
They were a natural population — what is often described as a landrace.
In other words, there were cats with broadly recognisable characteristics, but there wasn't yet a universally defined breed standard telling breeders exactly what a Siberian should look like.
That changed relatively recently.
The organised development of the modern Siberian breed began in Russia during the late 1980s. The first cat show in Leningrad, now St Petersburg, took place in 1987, organised by the Kotofei and Kis clubs. This period is generally regarded as the beginning of organised Siberian breeding in St Petersburg.
Suddenly, the cats that had existed naturally for generations were being carefully documented, described and selectively bred as a formal breed.
And that distinction is worth remembering.
The modern Siberian pedigree is young. The Siberian cat itself is ancient.
The first Siberian breed standards
One of the important names in this period is Kotofei, a felinological club in St Petersburg.
A breed standard was developed in the late 1980s to define the characteristics of the Siberian as a recognised breed.
The standard described a powerful, substantial cat with strong bone, rounded features, a full muzzle, substantial paws and a distinctive semi-long coat.
This wasn't about turning the Siberian into something completely new.
It was about defining and preserving the characteristics already found in Russia's native cats.
That is an important part of the breed's appeal to me.
There is something wonderfully authentic about a cat whose starting point was essentially: this is the cat that already exists here.
And then the Siberian began to travel
For centuries, Siberians were largely unknown outside Russia.
That gradually changed towards the end of the twentieth century.
The breed began to attract attention in other European countries before making its way further afield.
In 1990, the first breeding Siberians arrived in the United States, imported by Elizabeth Terrell. Their arrival helped establish the breed in North America, where Siberians gradually became known to a much wider audience.
International recognition followed.
The World Cat Federation recognised the breed in the early 1990s, and other major organisations subsequently established their own standards and recognition systems.
The Siberian that had spent centuries as a Russian cat was becoming an international pedigree breed.
The Neva Masquerade enters the story
And then there is the particularly beautiful colourpoint version of the Siberian: the Neva Masquerade.
These cats have the same fundamental Siberian type but carry the colourpoint pattern, giving them darker markings on the face, ears, legs and tail, together with those extraordinary blue eyes.
The history of exactly how the colourpoint gene entered the Siberian population is more complicated than the simplified stories you sometimes see online.
What we do know is that colourpoint Siberians became part of the Russian breeding scene and were included in early breed standards. The first Siberian standards developed around this period included colourpoint cats.
Today, different cat organisations handle the classification slightly differently.
WCF, for example, explicitly describes the Neva Masquerade as a colourpoint variety of the Siberian rather than a separate breed.
FIFe uses a sister-breed classification.
Either way, the close relationship between the two is undeniable.
And it is one of the reasons the Neva Masquerade fascinates me so much.
The Siberian arrives in the modern world
Today, Siberians can be found across Europe, North America and increasingly throughout Asia.
But they are still relatively uncommon compared with some of the more established pedigree breeds.
That is particularly true in parts of Southeast Asia.
And that is part of what makes working with Siberians in Thailand so exciting.
At Auralune, we are continuing a journey that began with those remarkable Russian cats many generations ago — but our Siberians now live in a completely different environment.
They are no longer hunting rodents around a Russian farmstead.
They're living with families, sleeping on sofas, supervising their humans, getting themselves into cupboards and generally behaving like the magnificent, slightly mischeivous cats they are.
Siberians in Thailand and Southeast Asia
There is an interesting irony to keeping Siberians in Thailand.
Their ancestors were shaped by some of the coldest environments on earth.
Our cats live in one of the world's tropical climates.
And yet Siberians are remarkably adaptable cats.
Their coat is not simply a static layer of fur. It responds to the environment, and Siberians living in warm climates do not need to develop the same dramatic winter coat that a Siberian living through a Russian winter would require.
At Auralune, we get to see this adaptation first-hand.
Our cats retain the magnificent Siberian appearance while living perfectly happily in Thailand's very different climate.
As Siberians become better known in Thailand and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, I think more people are discovering what Russian cat lovers have known for generations.
There is something rather special about these cats.
From Russian forest cat to family companion
Perhaps the most fascinating thing about the Siberian's history is how little the essential character has changed.
The modern pedigree Siberian may have a registered ancestry, a breed standard and an increasingly international following.
But underneath all of that is still the same basic cat:
Strong.
Intelligent.
Curious.
Adaptable.
Affectionate.
And very, very fluffy.
That combination is why I fell in love with the breed.
At Auralune, we specialise in Neva Siberian Colourpoints, but our love for the breed goes beyond one particular colour or pattern. My son is head over heels in love with his cat who is ginger/golden tabby Siberian. They are both deeply devoted to each other and it's beautiful to watch the grow up together.
Whether it's a dramatic blue-eyed Neva Masquerade, a magnificent golden tabby or another Siberian colour altogether, what we're really preserving is the character and beauty of the Siberian itself.
An ancient Russian cat with a surprisingly modern future.
And now, happily, part of life in Thailand too.
Auralune Siberian Cattery Thailand - Neva Masquerade Specialist
For more information about Auralune, our Siberian cats in Thailand and upcoming litters, follow us on Instagram. You can also find updates on available kittens and our waitlist there.
Contact us:
WhatsApp: +66 97 210 4130
Email: auralunecats@gmail.com
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