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 Cat Breeds - There are a variety of different cat breeds. Read about the many domestic cat breeds, including the Maine Coon and Siamese cats. And view the many cat breeds pictures to see how each breed differs dramatically in coat length and overall look.
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Balinese Cat. Balinese cat information. The History of the Balinese cat, Balinese cat breed description, pictures of Balinese cats and more.
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BALINESE CAT
The Balinese is part of the Siamese family. Named for graceful dancers
from the island of Bali, Balinese are very similar in temperament to
Siamese: busy, extroverted, curious, affectionate, demanding, loyal,
intelligent, and very good with children. They like to talk and can
be noisy cats.
History
Some believe the longhaired Balinese derives from Siamese-Angora or
Siamese-Persian crossing begun in the 1920s; others credit a
spontaneous mutation as the source of the longhaired gene. In the
1950s, a California breeder began a program to develop the Balinese
into a new breed.
Description
The Balinese cat, a longhaired Siamese, is chiefly
distinguished from its Siamese relatives by a slight fringe on the
underbelly and a modest plume of a tail.
Otherwise, the Balinese,
too, is a fine-boned, but firm-muscled cat, graceful, protracted,
and svelte; slim at the shoulders and hips.
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Balinese-type
cats with other point colours are regarded by CFA as a separate
breed called the Javanese, but no other registry makes this
distinction.
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Its legs are long and
slender, the hind legs being slightly longer than the front; with
dainty, oval and small paws. The head is long and triangular, with
large, pointed ears and blue, almond-shaped eyes.
The tail is long and plumed. The medium-long, silky coat is not
particularly prone to matting.
The Balinese comes in the four
Siamese point colours--seal, chocolate, blue, and lilac. The Cat
Fanciers' Association (CFA) believes that Balinese occur in four
colours only: seal, chocolate, lilac or blue point.
Special Requirements
They have the same
breed-related health problems as the Siamese: crossed eyes due to an
inherited neurological defect; nystagmus (a slight but very rapid
jerking back-and-forth of the eyes); congenital heart defects.
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Site written by Gemma Littlemore