Balinese Cat

In spite of his name, this cat does not come from the tropical island of Bali in Indonesia, but it was a breed raised intentionally in the United States. His graceful physicist and his balance inspired to the first breeders the name Balinese, in honor of the harmonious and elegant ballerinas of the temples of Bali. It was also a subtle way of indicating that this breed, though of aspect very similar to the Siamese, was an separate breed. In fact, the Balinese is exactly than a Siamese of long hair, but the name of a breed can be a very delicate political question in the world of the cats of pedigree.

There are kitties of long hair that appear occasionally in all the breeds of short hair and are not considered to be suitable for exhibitions. As this was happened in the United States in 1940s with the Siamese, some breeders decided to develop them as a new breed. It was not difficult: as the gene of the long hair is recessive, these cats of long hair were reproduced genuinely. In the 60s they were recognized by some American breeders of cats, but until 1970 they were not recognized officially as new breed on the part of the influential American Cat Fanciers'Association. However, the Balinese has overcome successfully his controversial beginnings and now he has a great popularity in the whole world.

He is not exactly of long hair
Though the breed started being of long hair, now the Balinese is described properly like of semilong hair. This one is the consequence of the generalized use of the Siamese in the programs of selective baby. The hair is not thick and double as Persian cats, but it is smooth and a plaster to the body and only it has the long hair in the back part, under the stomach and in the tail.

A Balinese can look like exactly a Siamese with the tail more bulky. The body shows an agility and length seemed, with slender long legs and small hoofs. However, the Balinese looks like more to the ancient Siamese, without the excessively triangular head that at this time; his standard is like the type of the Siamese of 1950 and 1960, when the Balinese was developing. The head has form neither of wedge, neither round nor in top. The sides of the "wedge" give him a straight shape and the neck is long and elegant. The mask, dark and complete of the face, frames the eyes blue sapphire that characterize the Siamese and his entire crossings. The mask connects with a few marks in the ears, big and straight, that continue the tracing of the wedge's form. Also they can have plumes. The tail is long and in decrease, though pluming.

Like the Siamese, the color is a controversial matter. In the United States, the Balinese are recognized to only four original colors of the Siamese: the tops coffee, blue, chocolate and lilac. It is also the colors that have developed recently in the oriental of short hair, but these cats are classified separately as Javanese. In Europe and in Australia the Balinese cat is recognized in a more wide scale of colors, as the Siamese.

An extraverted noise
The Balinese cat, as his ancestors, is undoubtedly a friendly cat: activate, curiously, meowing and demandingly, with the typically voice of the Siamese. Friendly and very affectionate, he wants to form part of the family and take coolly the bad acts of the children; but do not abandon him for a long time if you don't want that he destroys the furniture. To prevent him to getting bored and getting depressed, give him many toys and space in order that he does exercise. The Siamese type means also that he is of sexual precocious maturity, for what it is necessary to be prepared; the female Balinese can enter heat with only 6 months of age.

Q/A My Balinese, Sambal, hates when I brush him. What is the frequency I must brush him?

Lucky, the Balinese does not have the woolly interior coat that have the cats of long hair, so he doesn't need the excessive brushing. Try to brush him softly a couple of times a week, which surely he will accept. Even though he protests, clean him softly with a chamois or even to hand, caressing him from the head to the tail.

How much time should I wait to procreate my Balinese of blue coat, Ballerina? She is 7 months old and she can enter in heat any moment from now.

The ideal thing is to wait for it, at least, until she is one year old. Till then she has two possibilities: or you make her be inside house, far from the other cats, or ask to your veterinarian for a contraceptive.

I have just been going to see a cat announced as buckshot tortoise "tabby" of tops color coffee. He does not seem to be very oriental How it can be this?.

Certainly, it is possible and happens, though the American records of cats were considering this cat as Javanese that as buckshot. The combination Roman - tortoise or "tortie-tabby" is one of the varieties more new and more controversial. The unequal shading and the tops can confuse at sight, but the cat must have the brilliant and typical blue eyes, a graceful complexion and a friendly character.

Our Encyclopedia
has 10,000s of Pages of Great Cat Content ...