Balinese

The Balinese cat is basically a long-haired Siamese, and originated from Siamese cats that were carrying a mutant gene for long hair. They were first noticed in the early 20th Century when breeders at first gave away their long-haired kittens, until after the Second World War, when Marion Dorsey of California began to breed to intentionally produce them. At first they were known as Long-haired Siamese, but the Siamese fraternity protested about the similarity in the name, and 'Balinese' was suggested, due to the cats' resemblance to elegant, Far Eastern temple dancers. In 1961 the Balinese was recognized in America but it was not until the mid 1970's that the Balinese was imported into Europe. The breed achieved recognition and championship status in this country in 1986.

The Balinese cat is a beautiful elegant medium sized cat. The head is long and carried on an elegant neck, wide between the ears and tapering in straight lines to a fine muzzle and showing a straight profile. The ears are large and may have tufts. The eyes are bright blue and oriental in shape and setting. The body is slender and graceful with the hind legs longer than the fore legs. The legs are slim and the paws are small and oval. The tail is long, tapering and plumed.The Balinese coat is fine and silky and the hair is from half an inch to two inches long. The tail is plumed and the hair on the tail can be as long as five inches. There is no woolly undercoat and the hair lies flat against the body. The coat features the same coloured points and mask as the Siamese; the ears, face, legs, feet and tail are densely coloured and clearly defined with the colour on all the points matching. 

The Balinese temperament is similar to that of the Siamese but some owners think the Balinese is quieter, possibly because of the influence of the longhair gene. However, it is likely that the Balinese will be something of an extrovert and will demand attention from its human companions. They are playful and can be taught to retrieve. They are extremely vocal and almost seem to talk to their owners. They are immensely loyal and don’t always suffer rivals for their owner’s attention lightly. They need to be part of the family and to have nearly constant company and they are possibly not an ideal cat to have if you are out to work all day. This can be overcome by having two cats! They are quite content to be indoor cats. 

* This information was gathered from www.purina.com.au