Balinese Cat
Introduction You could almost summarize this cat in several words, a Siamese cat with longer fur but it is not quite as straight forward as that, not for me in any event.It is said or is accepted that the breed originates in the introduction of a gene into the Siamese cat's genetic make up that causes semi-long hair. This gene is recessive so its effects can be hidden for a long time. The question is, how was this gene introduced? The gene may have been in one of the early imports from Siam. Longhaired Siamese cats appear to have been in existence in the Far East well before importation to the West. Or, it may have been a genetic mutation. A number of breeds are due to the mutation of a gene (e.g. Dwarf Cats). Finally, it is more probable that the Siamese or their offspring imported into Britain were outcrossed with longhaired cats such as the Turkish Angora. Once the possibility of a longhaired Siamese was presented to the Cat Fancy then in time it came about that a new breed was created and developed (well delineated from other breeds) through selective breeding.
History
Balinese cat history This is a narrative vesion of the above and provides more detail.  Modern
(contemporay) Balinese cat photo ©Helmi Flick
The Associations and the Balinese Cat Athena, the cat in the two photographs above, would be a Lynx Point Balinese if she was registered with TICA (The International Cat Association). If she was registered with the CFA (Cat Fanciers Association) she would be a Javanese, a separate breed. Click on the link to see a Lynx point Siamese.This is because the CFA only register the conventional Siamese point colors for this breed, namely seal, lilac, chocolate and blue (the solid colors). Whereas the other associations, including TICA allow registration of all the additional point colors namely, lynx (tabby), tortoiseshell, flame (red) and cream. The lynx point incidentally is the tabby gene having an effect on the points of the cat (i.e. causing the classic "M" marking on the forehead and banding on the limbs). To complicate matters more in Europe a Javanese cat means an Oriental Longhair with a solid-color. This is confusing and it is probably time to rationalize the various criteria for registration and the breed names. When discussing the Balinese it is impossible not to mention the Siamese cat and it could be argued that the Balinese and the Javanese are types of Siamese cat.
Appearance and Character The Balinese Cat's elegant and stylish appearance is in contrast to her demonstrative character and desire to clown around. Apparently she is a little less vocal than the Siamese (who is known to be vocal) or so some people claim. This breed may have a slightly softer voice than the Siamese. She is intelligent. It is thought that the Siamese and Balinese are in the top rank of cat breed intelligence. Well actually the Siamese is but it is far to include the Balinese as well. In fact the Balinese is the most intelligent of the long haired cats. Persians are probably the least intelligent.It seems that the Balinese cat's intelligence serves her well in being able to adapt more easily and this might mean getting along with children and other animals. It also depends though on how well adjusted the individual cat is. Sometimes the character of that outweighs the cat breed characteristics.
During development of the Balinese Cat, and as a result of breeding with the Modern Siamese to improve the "contemporary" long and slightly fragile look, the coat became more like a shorthaired cat in texture, while the tail retained its magnificent plume. The coat is about 1-2 inches in length for the Modern Balinese. The coat is not thick as in other long or medium long haired cats such as the Maine Coon or Persian but fine, silky and it lies close to the body. For the Traditional Balinese the coat is about 2 inches in length all over. There are 2 cat associations that are concerned with promoting traditional cats including the Traditional Balinese. These are the Traditional and Classic Cat International (new window) and The Traditional Cat Cub (new window).  Contemporary
Balinese cat - photo ©Helmi Flick
The Traditional and Classic Cat International (TCCI) call the Traditional Balinese the, "Classic Balinese". For Siamese cats the word "classic" is usually used for cats than fall in between the traditional and the modern. Their breed standard emphasises the need for a balanced cat (meaning in proportion, no outstanding elements). The fur has no undercoat (this should help in minimizing grooming mantenance). TCCI allow the classic pointing of seal, blue, lilac and chocolate. In breeding back to Siamese cats, breeders produce short haired Balinese, which they call Variants. This process is important as it improves type and eye color (appearance more inline with the breed standard). Variants are fine cats but obviously not show cats. The Traditional Balinese cat could be confused with the Himalayan cat (a color pointed Persian cat). They look similar but even the Doll Face (Traditional Himmalayans) have more rounded faces and are more cobby and have much denser fur (higher maintenance). Click on the link to see a fine Himalayan and see what you think.
Another cat that is similar is the Ragdoll, another long haired cat. Ragdolls can have pointing that is the same as a Balinese. But often they have white fur on the points (like the Snowshoe) and mitted feet. The main differences are that Ragdoll is a larger cat and more docile character (hence the name of the cat). Ragdolls though have fur similar to Balinese cats, silky and fine but it needs more grooming. The Ragdoll is also thought to be less intelligent, less active and less vocal. Balinese are mid ranged in weight and size. The contemporary Balinese cat being so closely associated with the Modern Siamese cat may have inherited some of the health issues of the Modern Siamese. The traditional cats are generally more healthy and this is the case with the Siamese cats. I discuss general cat health on this page. One last point, click on the following link to see some information about Balinese cat genetics.
Clubs Balinese and Siamese Cat ClubUK located and a well established club being founded in 1988. Breeders This is a list of breeders with their own websites that are listed by Google on the first three pages - that's my criteria for listing here, currently. I have listed Balinese and Javanese cat breeders. They are listed in the order in which they appear on the search result.Montessori Balinese and Javanese Cats Located in Florida, USA. Sehnsational Balinese Kittens Small cattery in Tucson, AZ, USA, specializing in dilute-pointed, lynx-pointed, and bi-colored kittens Sources:
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