Russian White, Black, and Tabby cats are the result of an Australian breeding program that began with a white Siberian cat and a Russian Blue cat. The White Siberian cat had no pedigree, however when she was mated to a Russian Blue, she produced two white offspring. The breeders, Dick and Mavis Jones of Myemgay Cattery, kept a white kitten and named it White Rose. When she reached adulthood, she looked like a pure white version of a Russian Blue.
White Rose was mated back to her Russian Blue sire, Myemgay Yuri. She gave birth to two more White Russian kittens, which were eventually paired with Russian Blue stud cats. The best white kittens were continually bred back to Russian Blues until the breed was fully established. The Royal Agricultural Society (RAS) of New South Wales, Australia, granted Championship status in 1975, but only to the Russian White.
Russian Black and Russian Tabby kittens can occur when two Russian Blue cats are mated to one another, and they sometimes occur when one parent is a Russian White.
Not all registries recognize all “Russian” cat colors or place them all in the same category. For example, The Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) and Federation International Feline (FIFe) only recognize Russian Blues. The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) recognizes Russian White and Russian Black cats, and the American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA) has distinct breed standards that separate Russian Blues from Russian Shorthairs in blue, white, and black colors.