The Balinese

The Balinese is a breed of domestic cat that has the same colorpoint markings as a Siamese and the same sapphire blue eyes but while the Siamese is shorthaired, the Balinese is longhaired. It is sometimes known as the longhaired Siamese as it is a naturally occurring mutation from the breed.

History of the breed
The name of these cats is a little misleading, as they don't come from Bali or any part of Indonesia. Instead their breed history behind with Siamese cats that were brought to the USA and UK in the mid-1800s, some of whom carried a gene that produced longhaired kittens.

Originally, these longhaired kittens were considered a fault in the Siamese breed and were just sold off as pets. Back in the 1920s, longhaired Siamese were first registered for cat shows with the Cat Fanciers Federation but it wasn't until the 1950s that serious efforts to work on the breed began. Early breeder Helen Smith called them Balinese in reference to the graceful Balinese dancers that the cats were reminiscent.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the work of a breeder called Sylvia Holland was instrumental in getting the breed standard for the Balinese organised. Her standard saw that only cats with seal, chocolate, blue or lilac points were true Balinese, with other colors rejected due to cross-breeding. When the new Siamese colors of red and cream were accepted by the Cat Fanciers Association, the longhaired variants of these colors were classified as Javanese.

As with the Siamese, the Balinese have gradually fallen into two categories based on their physical characteristics. The traditional, or apple head type was the vogue when the Balinese was developed. The modern or contemporary form of Siamese with the wedge-shaped head and extremely elongated body shape is also found and has become the most popular type.

Description
In shape and stature, the two types of Balinese follow the same lines as the two types of Siamese, simply having a long coat. This longhaired coat is actually more of a medium length when compared to breeds such as the Persian and is very soft and silky. There is no fluffy undercoat and their tail has a clear plume or fringe. The color of their eyes range from pale blue to sapphire and violet and can change with age slightly.

When Balinese kittens are born, they are either pure white or cream and the point color develops by around four weeks old. Because it is the colder parts of the body that develop the color, cats from warmer climates tend to be of a lighter shade than those from colder climates. The accepted colors for showing now include seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, red, cream, tortoiseshell and lynx points by some registries while the CFA only accepted seal, blue, chocolate and lilac, with other colors being classed as Javanese.

Personality
As with their looks, the Balinese have a personality that is much like the Siamese, being sociable and playful cats that take a large part in what happens around them. They are quite vocal and tend to have plenty to say, though are quieter than the Siamese is. Some breeders rank them as the most intelligent breed of longhaired cat and are also very acrobatic.

It is said by some breeders that these longhaired cats cause less problems to people with allergies than other longhaired breeds. This is believed to be due to them producing a lower amount of two protein allergens than other breeds, though scientific testing of this has yet to be carried out.

Conclusion
The Balinese are very much longhaired Siamese and share the same gentle and loving nature, as well as being very people-orientated cats. They do need attention and affection from their owners and will respond to it in kind. They are also active members of the household and will nearly always be at your side.