Balinese

The Balinese is an oriental breed with a fine, silky coat and dark markings (called “points”) on its wedge-shaped face, slender legs and long tail. In overall appearance, the Balinese resembles a longer-haired version of the Siamese, which is actually what it is. They do not have a woolly undercoat and are much less hairy than most other long- and semi-longhaired breeds. They are not predisposed to developing matted coats. The American Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) only recognizes certain coat colors in the Balinese, which are the same as those of the purebred Siamese: seal point, blue point, chocolate point and lilac point. However, other color variants were added to the breed standard in May of 2008, under what is now called the Javanese Division. These include: cream, red, smoke and silver solid-color points; lynx (tabby) points in blue, blue-cream, chocolate, chocolate-tortie, cinnamon, cinnamon-tortie, cream, fawn, fawn-cream, lilac, lilac-cream, red, seal, seal-tortie, smoke and silver; and parti-color points in blue-cream, chocolate-tortie, cinnamon-tortie, fawn-cream, lilac-cream, seal-tortie, smoke and silver. Balinese kittens are born with pale coats, developing their darker points as they age. Adult cats tend to keep darkening over time. Balinese have brilliant sapphire-blue eyes and large, wide-set ears. The CFA describes them as being “a svelte, dainty cat, with long tapering lines, very lithe but muscular.” Everything about the Balinese is L-O-N-G, from the tip of its nose to the end of its dramatically-feathered tail, which is among its most distinguishing features. These cats are easy-keepers, require little grooming and are generally less vocal than their Siamese cousins. All in all, this is an elegant, refined, graceful and extremely intelligent breed.

Despite their aristocratic appearance, Balinese are affectionate, friendly, clown-like cats with distinct individual personalities. They are inquisitive and can be quite demanding of attention from their owners. However, at times they only show their personable sides to their human and feline family-members. Some authors have described the Balinese as being curious but a bit aloof with strangers, although this is the subject of debate among breed enthusiasts.