Balinese

History
The Balinese is a variety of oriental cat, having long hair and Siamese-style markings, or points. The breed originated in early 1900s, and was originally registered as a "longhaired Siamese" with CFF in 1928, but this long-haired version was promoted as a breed after 1940's. The occasional long-haired kittens in a Siamese litter were previously seen as an oddity, and were sold as household pets rather than as show cats. Then in the mid-1950s, two breeders, Mrs. Marion Dorsey of California and Mrs. Helen Smith of New York, decided to begin a breeding program for the longhaired cats. Helen Smith named this breed of cats "Balinese" as she felt they have grace and beauty of Balinese dancers, and "longhaired Siamese" is not a suitable name for such graceful breed. After this, the breed became quite popular and a number of breeders started working on "perfecting" the Balinese appearance.

Appearance
Just like Siamese, the Balinese has a long & slim body with wedge-shaped head, and vivid blue eyes. A Balinese cat is quite aristocratic in appearance. It has a long body, big head, and tall legs. The Balinese has a fine, silky, single coat lying close to the body, with hair length of half inch to two inches. These cats are famous for their long, plume tail. The Balinese come in variety of traditional colors, like blue, chocolate, lilac, seal, lynx, etc; as well as less traditional colors, like cream and red. However, in the Cat Fanciers' Association, only the four traditional Siamese colors of Balinese are accepted, and all other colors and patterns are considered Javanese.

Types
There are generally two different types of Balinese cat found, one is traditional or "apple-headed" Balinese, which is preferred by some owners, and another is with more contemporary appearance which is generally preferred by breeders and judges. The traditional Balinese cat has approximately two inches long coat over its entire body and it is a well-built and healthy cat with a semi-rounded muzzle and ears. The traditional Balinese resembles a Ragdoll cat to some extent. A "contemporary" Balinese has a much shorter coat in comparison to traditional Balinese. Contemporary Balinese are also known as show cats, and thus are preferred by breeders.

Personality
Balinese cats are friendly, emotional, affectionate and extremely intelligent cats. They are known for their ability to communicate in their own way. These cats are very alert & active. They love attention of the people around. Like the Siamese, these cats are very playful and love human company. Though the Balinese is a social creature, it is sometimes even found talking to itself.