The Balinese is a long-haired Siamese, developed in the United States from the 1940s, with a silky coat that has no undercoat and is easy to keep.
It is as vocal and sociable as the Siamese, and the name Javanese, used in America for some colours, is not used in Britain.
The Balinese is a long-haired Siamese: the same slender build, pointed pattern and blue eyes, with a fine, silky coat and a plumed tail.
Long-haired kittens appeared from time to time in Siamese litters. In the United States in the 1940s and 1950s breeders began to develop them as a breed in their own right, and named it after the dancers of Bali for its graceful movement. The cats have no other connection with the island.
The body is long, fine-boned and muscular, with a wedge-shaped head, large ears and deep blue, almond-shaped eyes. The coat is medium in length, lies close to the body and has no woolly undercoat, so it looks sleeker than that of most long-haired cats; it is longest on the tail. The face, ears, legs and tail are darker than the body, in seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, red, cream, tortoiseshell or tabby.
Balinese share the Siamese character: intelligent, vocal, energetic and strongly attached to their people. They follow members of the household about, join in every activity and dislike being left alone. A companion cat of similar energy helps.
Because the coat has no undercoat it seldom mats, and combing once or twice a week is enough. The inherited conditions are those of the Siamese family, including a form of progressive retinal atrophy for which a DNA test is available, kidney and liver disease caused by amyloid deposits, and dental problems.
In North America the name Javanese was used for many years for Balinese in colours beyond the four traditional Siamese ones, such as red, cream and tabby points; those cats have since been merged into the Balinese. In parts of continental Europe the same name was once used for the Oriental Longhair. British registries have not used it: every pointed colour is a Balinese.
The Balinese is recognised by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy and by the international registries. It is scarce in Britain, with only a handful of kittens registered in a typical year.