Balinese Cats: Siamese In Ermine?

It is late. The house is dark and quiet; not a sound disturbs you as you lay peacefully in your bed sleeping. Outside the birds have all stopped singing and are safely tucked into their nests, snoozing until that moment during the predawn hours when they will once again awaken and begin their morning songs. Slowly a man approaches your house and begins to quietly jiggle the lock on your kitchen door. You are unaware of the would-be intruder until suddenly, your faithful Balinese cat senses that something is wrong and sounds the alert. Turning on lights, dialing 911, you scare off the miscreant and all returns to normal.

Yes, your Balinese has acted like a dog, but that is just how loyal they are to their owners. They also like to retrieve toys and make up other games to play. The Balinese not only gets along with your dog or other cats if you have them, but also is independent enough that it does not mind being left alone while you are at work or school.

Yet another breed to emerge from the popular and beloved Siamese, the Balinese was developed with the intervention of man, unlike the naturally evolving Siamese. But occasionally some Balinese have been born to purebred Siamese litters. There are actually two types of Balinese. Originally, the Traditional Balinese had a long coat and were typically a larger, rounder-headed version of the Siamese. However, the more modern version is smaller, longer, and thinner, and more angular with large ears and a short coat, with the only long hair being in its plume-like tail. It is this modern version that is the only type acceptable now as a show quality cat. But breeders of the older versions still continue to breed the longhaired version today, even though they aren't accepted within the show ring.

Although some believe that the longer coat can be attributed simply to mutation, others believe that it is an outgrowth of the domestication of the Palas cat that originated in western China, which has very dense fur and also comes in a variety of colors. To put it simply, put an ermine coat on a Siamese and you have a Balinese. In other words, a Balinese is pretty much a Siamese through and through. But watch out when you talk to a Balinese owner, for it is reputed that they will talk for hours about their little darlings until they drop with exhaustion.

Demonstrative, affectionate, much like their Siamese forebears, the Balinese has a softer voice and is somewhat less vocal. He is also easy to care for, unlike some longhaired breeds, as his fur just does not tend to mat.