Balinese Kitten Breed

This is the longhaired version of the Siamese cat, named the Balinese because Siamese breeders disliked the use of the name Siamese Longhair and because a southeast Asian name, which also recalled the dancers of the Indonesian is land, seemed appropriate. Breeding began in the USA in the late 1940s but it was not until 20 years later that recognition was given by most American associations and more than another decade before it was recognized in Europe. The Balinese follows the Siamese conformation and is identical in all details except coat length, but the longer fur gives the appearance of softer lines and less extreme type. Unusually among the semi-longhair breeds the GCCF standard specifically expresses a preference for no neck frill or ruff. The breed inherits the inquisitive, talkative nature of the Siamese and its rather harsh call, and is usually very playful with its offspring. Kittens are born with short coats and without point markings, and, as with Siamese the color appears in the first weeks of life but the full coat may not develop until they are fully adult. The CFA excludes tabby, tortie, red and cream varieties from the breed and groups them separately under the name Javanese, a name used by other registries for quite different cats.

Medium size, lithe and graceful, set on long slim legs, hind legs longer than the front, with small oval feet; a long, thin tapering tail.

A long tapering wedge narrowing to a fine muzzle, flaring out to the tips of the ears to form a triangle with no break at the whiskers, with a strong chin and set on an elegant neck; large pricked ears, wide at the base, width between the eyes.

Almond-shaped and slanting towards the nose; clear blue in color.

Fine, silky and medium long without any woolly undercoat.

Seal, blue, chocolate and lilac are the only colors to be recognized by the CFA; other associations add red, cream and tortie, tabby and tortie-tabby variations of these colors and some an even greater range.