During the 1980’s, along the river Neva, just south of Saint Petersburg, Russia, the non native Siamese cat breed was imported to Russia and allowed to interbreed with the natural native cat, the Siberian. This is where and how the colorpoint Siberians began. Some cat registries will allow this cross breed too be registered as a Siberian Cat; but other, more prestigious registries such as FiFe, The International Feline Federation, consider these colorpoints to be a subspecies of the Siberian Cat and are registered as “Nevas or Neva Masquerades”. Nevas are not the Traditional Siberian breed and it is important for the reader to understand these differences. Nevas are a combination of Siamese genes and Siberians genes and should be considered as a diluted or crossbred version of the Traditional Siberian Cat. Because of the new pointed color patterns, these cats became interesting and popular. This accidental or intentional cross breeding of the Siberian occurred prior to the full understanding of all the wonderful characteristic of the Natural Traditional Siberian Cats, such as itʼs being hypoallergenic.
I do not understand why breeders would want to experiment with such a perfect gift of Mother Nature that took over 1000 years of refinement, but there its is, man applying eugenics ignorantly. Breeders continuing to promote this cross bred version or Neva Masquerade, do this at the risk of loosing the Traditional Siberian Cat breed forever. The only advantage is to produce a new color pattern not native to the Siberian, but at the risk of genetic dilution. This genetic dilution is by a very high (FEL D1) antigen producing cat. Siamese cats are not hypoallergenic, so why would anyone want to dilute the Natural Siberian genes with those of a Siamese. If you need to provide the most hypoallergenic cat for your family, the Traditional Siberian Cat should be your first choice.
Traditional Siberian Cat breeders are dedicated to preserving the natural Siberian Cat, sometimes referred to as the Siberian Forest Cat, just as Mother Nature intended. This breed does not need to be improved, rather it should be respected, perpetuated, and cherished. The dog like characteristics, desire to please its two legged friend, is astonishing to me. The focus and depth of understanding across species lines (human- Feline) is simply amazing. Some refer to it as telepathic, psychic, or just simply magical. I hope everyone takes the time to research their breed, to open their minds to all the wonders of nature, especially those that we share our homes and lives with. Those that greet us at the door each day with unconditional love, those that wake us in the mornings because they canʼt bare another minute without you, and those that politely remind you its dinner time. They are our best friends, loyal confidents, and the best stress relievers know to man. What is there not to love about a Siberian Cat.