Ashton, Balinese Blue Point
Photo by Jenni Ferreira
Origin
Pioneer breeders were Mrs Marian
Dorsey of California (Rai-Mar Cattery) and Mrs Helen Smith of New
York (Merry Mews Cattery), with
Sylvia Holland, an English lady living
in California, most closely associated
with the development of the breed
under her famous “Holland’s Farm’
Cattery.
At first the breed was referred to as
the ‘long-haired Siamese’ but by the
late 1950’s the breed was recognized
by the name Balinese and placed
on the Foreign Long Hair division of
the Cat Fanciers’ Federation. Over
the years, Cat Fanciers’ Associations
all over the world have recognized
them.
Since the early days, the look of
the Balinese cats has changed quite
dramatically due to out-crossing with
their Siamese cousins to achieve
a true long-haired Siamese. Many
Balinese breeders make a practice of
introducing Siamese blood into their
lines to improve the type and eye
colour of Balinese. The short-haired
kittens born as a result of these
crosses are referred to as ‘variants’.
These variants can make a valuable
contribution to improving the Balinese type. The Balinese cats seen
today are the result of much time
and effort by a dedicated band of
hard working breeders.
Physical Characteristics
Apparently Mother Nature decided
that the already gorgeous Siamese
could be made even more gorgeous
by adding the long flowing coat to
the sleek body lines of this graceful
oriental beauty.
The Balinese is a svelte cat with
long, tapering lines and a light but
strong body structure. The head
forms a long, tapering wedge with
a long, straight profile. Ears are
large and continue the wedge. Aside
from the coat, the standard for the
Balinese is identical to the Siamese
breed standard. The Balinese coat
is medium in length, fine and silky,
without a downy undercoat. It lies
close to the body, flowing toward the
rear where it ends in a long, thin,
gracefully plumed tail. Balinese have
deep blue almond shaped eyes and
pointed colours.
Photo by Dr Mirjam Kessler
The story of the Balinese began in
the United States in the mid 50’s,
when a long- haired kitten appeared
among its shorthaired Siamese
siblings. Initially the long-hair was
considered an unfortunate mutation, but a few breeders in the USA
were charmed and intrigued by these
long-haired kittens appearing from
time to time in litters of Siamese.
These kittens were Siamese in type
but had longer, silky hair and when
mated were found to breed true.
They consequently determined to establish them as a breed and to work
towards recognition by the American
associations.
Kittycat Issue 1 January/February 2014
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