Why is it so hard to get a Russian Blue?
In 2004 949 kittens were registered with the CFA
By 2013 we were down to 459 kittens registered with the CFA
2014 the total was 434 kittens registered including Europe and Asia
2016 the total was 422 kittens registered including Europe and Asia
From 1959 to 2014 20,169 kittens have been registered
In the 1970's their popularity was such that you could go to a show with 20+ Russians entered
Today it is generally 0-5 entered in a show
In the USA there are about 20 active breeders for the entire country.
2 on the West Coast
2 in Arizona
5 in the South
4 in the Great Lakes Region
2 in New York
2 in Canada
If all 20 had 5 litters of 4 that would get you close to the total number registered: 434. Don't forget to take into account the Chinese and Europeans registering.
I'd estimate everyone having a max amount of about 4 litters of 4 a year in the USA.
That leaves 16 kittens a year available per breeder
but they are keeping or trading probably a quarter of them with other breeders.
You're down to the final number now:
12 Kittens for pet owners per breeder
That becomes:
24 kittens on the West Coast (Great Lakes area to the Pacific Ocean)
24 kittens in Arizona
60 in the Southern states
36-48 in the Great Lakes
24 in New York
24 in Canada
Total = 204
This is the high number estimate for available pets per year. Most people don't breed this much.
The human population is 318.9 Million in the USA. Divide that by the amount of kittens and....
You get roughly
1 kitten per 1.56 Million people every year
