Balinese History

<BGSOUND SRC="kissfromarose.mid" LOOP=TRUE> Sasha & Oksana as Kittens

BALINESE HISTORY

The balinese breed is simply described as a "siamese with long hair." Although they were shown to be registered with the Cat Fancier's Federation as early as the 1920's, there was no serious effort to promote the breed until much much later. In fact, it wasn't until the late 1940's-early 1950's that there was any effort to promote the breed at all. Until then, the longhaired fuzzy kittens appearing in siamese litters were considered "mutants" and were only being sold as household pets. Then the late 1940's 2 adventurous breeders from the U.S. by the name of Helen Smith(N.Y.) and Marion Dorsey(Calif.)decided to breed these longhairs to see what would happen and suddenly they became recognized as more than just household pets. In 1961, they finally becaume accepted for champion competition as a separate breed from the siamese and in 1970, through the efforts of Sylvia Holland, they became accepted for competition in the CFA. Today they are known for what they are. The name balinese (coined by the breeder Helen Smith) describes then perfectly. They have svelt body lines, a long flowing coat with a luxurious tail plume and the effortless grace of a balinese dancer. Because of their siamese history, they have vivid blue eyes and pointed colors including blue, lilac, chocolate and sealpoint. They are good natured, content to live indoors, are highly intelligent creatures and have an active and loving temperment. Their behavior and loyalty often resembles what most people expect of a dog more than a cat, as they follow their owners about, sleeping outside of the door of any room you occupy, that they cannot enter, and amusing themselves for hours with a toy or play a game of "fetch the ball" until they can once again be on your lap. They are the result of hard working breeders throughout the years such as Helen Smith, Marian Dorsey and Sylvia Holland to produce a "long haired siamese" of distinction.

BALINESE COLORS SEAL POINT: body even pale fawn to cream, warm in tone, shading gradually into lighter color on the stomach and chest. Points: deep seal brown. Nose leather and Paw pads: same color as points. Eye color: deep vivid blue.
CHOCOLATE POINT: body ivory with no shading. Points: milk-chocolate color, warm in tone. Nose leather and Paw pads: cinnamon-pink. Eye color: deep vivid blue.
BLUE POINT: body bluish white, cold in tone, shading gradually to white on stomach and chest. Points: deep blue. Nose leather and Paw pads: slate-colored. Eye color: deep vivid blue.
LILAC POINT: body glacial white with no shading. Points: frosty grey with pinkish tone. Nose leather and Paw pads: lavender-pink. Eye color: deep vivid blue.

WHAT TODAY'S BALINESE SHOULD LOOK LIKE! HEAD: long, tapering wedge. Medium size in good proportion to body. The total wedge starts at the nose and flares out in straight lines to the tips of the ears forming a triangle, with no break at the whiskers. No less than the width of an eye between the eyes. When the whiskers and face hair are smoothed back, the underlying bone structure is apparent.
SKULL: flat. In profile, a long straight line should be felt from the top of the head to the tip of the nose. No bulge over the eyes. No dip in nose.
NOSE: long and straight. A continuation of the forehead with no break.
MUZZLE: fine, wedge-shaped
CHIN and JAW: medium size. Tip of chin lines up with tip of nose in the same vertical plane. Neither receding nor excessively massive.
EARS: strikingly large, pointed, wide at base, continuing the lines of the wedge.
EYES: almond shaped. Medium size. Neither protruding nor recessed. Slanted towards the nose in harmony with lines of wedge and ears. Uncrossed.
BODY: medium size. Graceful, long, and svelte. A distinctive combination of fine bones and firm muscles. Shoulders and hips continue same sleek lines of tubular body. Hips never wider than shoulders. Abdomen tight. The male may be somewhat larger than the female. Male 12-16lbs Females 8-12lbs
NECK: long and slender.
LEGS: bone structure long and slim. Hind legs higher than front. In good proportion to body.
PAWS: dainty, small, and oval. Toes: five in front and four behind.
TAIL: bone structure long, thin, tapering to a fine point. Tail hair spreads out like a plume.
COAT: medium length, fine, silky without downy undercoat lying close to the body, the coat may appear shorter than it is. Hair is longest on the tail.
COLOR: Body: even, with subtle shading when allowed. Allowance should be made for darker color in older cats as Balinese generally darken with age, but there must be definite contrast between body color and points. Points: mask, ears, legs, feet, tail dense and clearly defined. All of the same shade. Mask covers entire face including whisker pads and is connected to ears by tracings. Mask should not extend over top of head. No ticking or white hairs in points.
Balinese pictured on this background is Oksana

Breed Information supplied for this page from CFA Breed Profile: Balinese