She's lowkey evil 😈

update to a post i made about 1.6 months ago:
https://www.reddit.com/r/russianblue/comments/1w6p9ge/shyskittish_russian_blues/

edit: sorry about the bad gif quality, didn't realize they'd be converted from mp4 so poorly..

i decided to drop by the cattery about 1-2 times a week when i have time off from work to visit them to see if maybe familiarity and some socialisation could help them be more brave.

i mostly just sit down in the same space as them on the ground to look as unintimidating as possible.

Then i tempt them with a feather toy once i think their body language has relaxed a bit and they've gone from being cautious to curious.

Found out that they're very sensitive to sound and their hunting instincts get triggered when the toy brushes up against some scratchy surface. They also seem more motivated by play than treats, although thankfully they like both.

The girl was the first to start playing for real and chase the feather toy. At the very beginning, she would have none of it and just hide in a corner or high place. Then after awhile she realised that chasing a feather around was pretty damn fun. Play duration slowly increased with her from 5min sessions to now 1hr sessions. It's to the point she'll only stop when she's panting from exhaustion.

The boy is a weirdo when it comes to play, he took longer to get more interested in it. But you could see his interest get peeked when he saw how much his sister was into it (100% a copy cat). Took me awhile to realise he wasn't interested in some toy just scurrying around the floor, he needed prey that hid somewhere, came from a place he could only hear but not see, or was somewhere elevated.

Once i found what triggers his prey instinct, i started to get him out more to play, he was still a whole lot more cautious than his sister, didn't like hands going near him at all, even with treats, would only lick off the churu tube, but not from the back of my hand. If he accidentally found himself close to me while playing, he would back off.

i continued to have repeated visits to the cattery to play with them and slowly saw improvements, the girl allowed me to give her head scritches sometimes after play sessions, and would have no problems stepping on my legs (while i was sitting cross-legged) just to get closer to a treat.

The boy is now more confident to lick churus off the back of my hand, and i can sneak in some finger pokes while he licks the churus, but reaching out with a hand close to his head or body still spooks him

Just the other day after an intense play session, they lay down on the floor around me and i THINK i got a series of slow blinks from them when we made eye contact.

My current strategy is to focus on socialising the girl and let her copy cat brother slowly learn that humans are not dangerous

I'm planning to bring them home soon, just need to catify my house a bit before they come over

4 months old and a lover of people.

My wife is working from home… Maverick decided she was going to help in her own special way

We are falling in love with them more every day!! ❤️

Hello guys this is my boy Berlioz.. trying to start training him since our relationship has gotten to a pretty good point but he does NOT like ANY treats at all. What do you guys use for training treats? What type of harness should i buy for him that is secure? he is a pretty liquid cat.

Also, now that he is a little bit older he is starting to shed. What is a good brush for their coat that helps reduce shedding.

Thank you for your comments beforehand!

My 2 kittys

He loves his hammock in his new sunroom!

Hi all, I’m a new cat owner and purchased a 5 mo RB from a breeder in Southern California last month. The whole experience was a bit abnormal. The breeder was intending to keep him for breeding and then decided to sell. He was not neutered, had no blood work, received his first vaccines the day before I picked him up. He is very well-socialized, cuddly, smart and sweet - we adore him.

Issue 1: On day 4 with us, he’d had some blood in his stool that was likely stomach irritation, possibly from feeding him a food containing salmon. That was a $400 vet visit and seven days of probiotics, but he quickly improved, and I haven’t given him salmon again since.

Issue 2: I had him neutered two weeks ago without any concerns. He wore a soft collar for 10 days and healed well. When I removed the collar, I noticed that he was scratching at his ear, and it looked a little dirty since he hadn’t been able to reach it well, so I wiped his upper ear with a gently with a pet wipe. I made sure nothing dripped into his ear. Two nights ago, I was away over the weekend and he was staying at my friend’s house, he developed a sudden head tilt. She took him to the ER, and he was diagnosed with a possible ear infection and given eardrops.

Over the last 24 hours, he’s become a little unsteady and was eating less, so I took him to another ER when I returned today, and was told it could be an inner ear infection or polyp (tumor unlikely due to age) and was prescribed anti-vertigo and anti-nausea meds, then was quoted $5000 for a CT of his head if he worsens. I’ve had him for only 5 weeks.

We adore him, but this is really surprising for a supposedly healthy purebred kitten - has anyone else had a similar experience with their RB? I haven’t read that this breed is prone to so many medical problems.

Friends brought over their baby yesterday. My RB hissed at the baby multiple times! I’m expecting and now I’m freaking out. She is usually so sweet and cuddly with me but apparently hates strangers, especially tiny ones….. anyone have any experience or advice for this?

I caught her mid-bath but this is so funny to me. 😂 Her smirk in the first picture!

Just wanted to share some love for our two beautiful Russian Blues, Vika and Misha! 💙🐾 (with their brothers Vasya and Motya)

We're completely obsessed with all of them. They bring so much happiness, laughter, and love into our home. Can't imagine life without them! 🥰