Here are the words of the cheif person in the Association of Siberian Cat Lovers in Moscow, from her recent article, published in magazine "Mezhdu Koshkoy i Sobakoy" (Between Cat and Dog) #12'2001, where she clearly states how Neva cats became to be...Sorry for not translating the whole article - it's really boring and commercial...

Siberian Cat - Pride of Russian Felinology

by Tatiana Pavlova (President of The Association of Siberian Cat Lovers)

When they first appeared in St.Petersburg, Neva Masquerade cats attracted attention of public right away. Characteristic features of colour taken from Thai (old type Siamese) cat, together with professional breeding and selection, not only didn’t make the type of Siberian worse, but also added charm and exotica to the breed, as a result Neva Masquerade became almost the most popular breed today.