Permes Bailey (Seal Point Balinese)
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What is a Balinese?
The Balinese is a long haired cat.
The Balinese is a spontaneous long haired mutation of the siamese. It also may be a natural hybrid of the Angora. Whichever school of thought, the longhair gene is very recessive and it can easily disappear without careful breeding.
Where did they originate?
Records show that a long-haired cat of pure siamese ancestry was registered with the Cat Fancier's Federation in 1928. However, records are sketchy from then until the 1940's. Long-haired kittens probably turned up in pure siamese litters for years, but were given away as undesirable. Helen Smith of New York and Marion Dorsey of Southern California diligently pioneered to have these cats recognized for championship status. Helen Smith gave them the name Balinese because their elegance and grace reminded her of Balinese dancers. But despite the name -- the Balinese is -- of United States Origin.
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Permes Liliana (Lilac Point Balinese)
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It would be impossible to speak of the Balinese without mentioning the late Sylvia Holland. Without a doubt, she had to be one of the determined pioneers of this breed. By 1968, the Bali was accepted by all associations but CFA. Thanks to Sylvia's tireless efforts and dedication, the CFA accepted the Balinese to be shown for championship competition in May 1970.
Today, this is the only association to allow the Balinese to be shown only in the 4 traditional colors: Seal Point, Chocolate Point, Blue Point and Lilac Point. Unusual point colors such as the Lynx point, Red point (Flame Point) and Tortie point are shown in the CFA as Javanese. These cats have been developed because of a cross of the Balinese with the Colorpoint Shorthair and are considered hybrids.
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