Balinese cat
Long-haired Siamese mutation known for grace and vocal personality.
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A domestic cat breed with long hair, the Balinese displays point coloration like a Siamese and has sapphire-blue eyes.[1] This breed came about as a spontaneous mutation from the Siamese, sharing nearly all traits except for its medium-length silky fur and a tail that forms a plume.[1] Balinese cats are outgoing, talkative, curious, playful, and smart, mirroring the temperament of their Siamese forebears.[2]
Quick Facts
- Also known as
- purebred long-haired Siamese
- Coat length
- medium-length, silky, without fluffy undercoat
- Eye color
- sapphire-blue (pale blue to violet)
- Pattern
- point coloration (seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, and others in some registries)
- Temperament
- sociable
- vocal
- playful
- inquisitive
- intelligent
- high-energy
- dog-like
Facts from the source article.
Biology and range
The Cat Fanciers' Association standard accepts the Balinese in only seal, blue, chocolate, and lilac points, with other colors classed separately as Javanese.[3] The pointed coat pattern is a type of incomplete albinism caused by a change in the tyrosinase enzyme, which is crucial for creating melanin.[4] Because the altered enzyme is sensitive to heat, it stops functioning at typical body warmth but becomes active where the skin is cooler.[4] Consequently, darker fur appears on the body's coolest areas, such as the face, paws, and tail.[4]
One health issue that has been identified in Balinese cats is Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA), a condition where the retina deteriorates and can cause poor eyesight.[5] Despite its name, the Balinese cat has no connection to the island of Bali or any part of Indonesia.[6]
What the specialist sources record
A 2013 book by Helgren states that the Balinese gradually split into two varieties based on physical type, with the traditional "apple-head" type used in the breed's early development.[2][7] The same source notes that a trend toward a more elongated, slender type with a wedge-shaped head emerged as the Siamese gained popularity.[2][7] A 2007 book by Somerville records that breeder Sylvia Holland worked to establish the breed standard in the 1960s and 1970s.[8][9] The Cat Fanciers' Association website states that the Javanese is a Siamese-type cat with a medium-long coat in Colorpoint colors, with parent breeds being the Siamese, Colorpoint Shorthair, and Balinese.[10]
A breeder's website explains that Helen Smith chose the name "Balinese" because the cat's svelte lines and flowing coat reminded her of Balinese dancers.[11] The same source notes that effective May 2008, the CFA merged the Javanese into a division of the Balinese breed.[11]
References
- Wikipedia, "Balinese cat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Balinese - Trupanion Breed Guide", breedguide.trupanion.com (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Balinese cat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Helgren, "Barron's Encyclopedia of Cat Breeds: A Complete Guide to the Domestic Cats of North America", Barron's Educational Series, 2013 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Balinese cat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Breed Standard Balinese", World Cat Fancy; "Breed Standard Balinese", Cat Fanciers' Association (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Balinese cat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: D. L. Imes, "Albinism in the domestic cat (Felis catus) is associated with a tyrosinase (TYR) mutation", Animal Genetics, April 2006, p. 175–178 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Balinese cat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Balinese International Cat Care", icatcare.org; "Balinese International Cat Care", icatcare.org; "Progressive retinal atrophy International Cat Care", icatcare.org (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Balinese cat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "CATS 101 - Balinese [ENG] - Video Dailymotion", Dailymotion, 24 February 2015 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Open Library record, ISBN 9780764165801 ("Barron's Encyclopedia of Cat Breeds, 2nd Edition"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
- Wikipedia, "Balinese cat" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Somerville, "The Ultimate Guide to Cat Breeds", Chartwell Books, 2007, p. 52 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Open Library record, ISBN 9780785822646 ("The Ultimate Guide to Cat Breeds"). CC0 (metadata); book content not read. openlibrary.org
- "Javanse cat", www.cfa.org. facts only, no text reused. cfa.org
- "What is a Javanese Cat?", www.subali-klm.com. facts only, no text reused. subali-klm.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Balinese cat (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Balinese cat (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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