Maltese cat

The Russian Blue is one of a number of cat breeds whose fur is always Maltese all over.

Maltese cat is a name that is often given to any cat whose fur is either completely, or primarily, gray or blue and is of indeterminate breed.^[1] Many cats with such colouration are supposedly present on the island of Malta, which may have given rise to the use of the adjective in this context. There are several cat breeds that always produce blue or gray fur, of whom the adjective may be used. These are the Russian Blue, the Chartreux and the Korat. There are several other breeds that often produce blues such as the British Shorthair. The blue variant of this breed was so common that many thought it was its own breed called the British Blue.

Other meanings

In literature, "The Maltese Cat" is the title of a short story by Rudyard Kipling.^[2] The story is about a polo match set in British colonial India, told from the point of view of one of the ponies, a gray named the Maltese Cat.^[3]

Notes

1. ^ "maltese cat". Online Dictionary from Datasegment.com. Accessed March 24, 2010.
2. ^ "The Maltese Cat" by Rudyard Kipling
3. ^ Wilson, Alastair. "The Maltese Cat". January 30, 2006. Notes on and explanations of the story. Accessed March 24, 2010.