Cat Breeds History of the Balinese The "Balinese" is not actually from Bali or any part of Indonesia.

It is not a naturally occurring breed, but originates from human-controlled breeding efforts. The Balinese was originally registered as a "long-haired Siamese", and examples were known from the early 1920s. The occasional long-haired kittens in a Siamese litter were seen as an oddity, and sold as household pets rather than as show cats. This changed in the mid-1950s, when two breeders, Marion Dorsey of Rai-Mar Cattery in California and Helen Smith of MerryMews Cattery in New York, decided that they would commence a breeding program for these longhaired cats. The name was chosen on subjective grounds: Smith - it's unknown whether or not she actually visited Indonesia - named the cats "Balinese" as she felt they showed the grace and beauty of Balinese dancers, and because "long-haired Siamese" seemed a rather clunky name for such graceful felines. The breed became quite popular after this, and a number of breeders began working on "perfecting" the Balinese appearance. This led eventually to the development of two entirely separate "strands" of Balinese cat - some owners prefer a traditional or "apple-headed" Balinese, while breeders and judges tend to prefer a more contemporary "wedge-head" appearance. The traditional Balinese has a semi-rounded muzzle and a coat approximately 2 inches in length, whilst the contemporary is identical to the Siamese in all ways but for a silky plumed tail. History of the Burmese Cat The earliest records of a type resembling Burmese come from Thailand, then known as Siam. A series of 17 illustrated poems written in Siam during the period of the Ayutthaya mention three types of cat which appear to correspond to known breeds. These were the Vichien Mat (Siamese), the Si-Sawat (Korat), and the Thong Daeng (Copper, now known as Burmese). These cats are thought to have remained in Thailand until it was invaded by the Burmese in the 18th century; returning soldiers may have taken the temple cats with them back to Burma. However, it is worth noting that cats from South East Asia often share characteristics and it is further breeding that gives them their distinct features. In 1871, Harrison Weir organised a cat show at the Crystal Palace. A pair of Siamese cats was on display that closely resembled modern American Burmese cats in build, although Siamese in marking. This means that these cats were probably similar to the modern Tonkinese breed. After this, cat fancy began with cat clubs and cat shows forming, although it took many years for breeds to be worked-out and developed. The first Burmese cats in the late 19th century in Britain were considered Chocolate Siamese rather than a breed in their own right, and this view persisted for many years, encouraging cross-breeding between Burmese and Siamese and attempts to breed Burmese to more closely conform to the Siamese build. The breed slowly died out in Britain. Dr JC Thompson imported Wong Mau, a brown female cat, into San Francisco in 1930. As had happened earlier, many breeders considered the cat simply to be a colour variant of the Siamese, but Dr Thompson considered the build sufficiently different to be something else. Without any male of a similar type, Wong Mau was bred with Tai Mau, a sealpoint Siamese from Thailand. Wong Mau was then bred with her son to produce dark brown kittens that were called Burmese cats. In 1936, the Cat Fancier's Association granted recognition to the Burmese breed. However, due to the extensive breeding with Siamese cats that had been used to increase the population, the original type was overwhelmed. CFA, the leading US cat registry, suspended recognition of the Burmese as a purebred cat on 8th May 1947. Other American cat registries continued to register the Burmese in America. In 1954, CFA lifted the suspension, and Gerstdale's The Princess of Re-Ru and Hassayampa Spi-Dar of Regal were entered in the Foundation Record of CFA.

Cat Breeds In 1958, the unaffiliated breed club, United Burmese Cat Fanciers (UBCF) wrote a single standard that was to be used for judging ideal Burmese in all registries. The UBCF standard has remained essentially unchanged since its adoption. This standard is used in all American registries, but European registries maintained their own standard. Recently, The International Cat Association (TICA) and CFA clubs have started holding shows in Europe and use the American breed standard for judging the Burmese in Europe. During the early period of breed development, it became clear that Wong Mau herself was genetically a hybrid between a Siamese and Burmese type. Such hybrids were later developed as a separate breed, known today as the Tonkinese. The history of the breed unfolded differently in England. The breed was recognized by the United Kingdom Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) in 1952. From about 1949 to 1956, the British Burmese population was being enriched with cats imported from America. The cats which fed the British breeding programme were of a variety of builds. By 1952, three generations had been produced in Britain and official recognition was granted by the GCCF and the breed was accorded the breed number 27. As a result of these separate breeding programmes, British Burmese are different from American Burmese. The British build tends to be more Oriental, with a more triangular face, while the American Burmese is stockier and rounder in the body, head, eyes, and feet. It has markedly full cheeks and a short muzzle, sometimes called "pug-like". In the British type, both the American Burmese's "cobbiness" and the obvious Siamese influence long seen in the breed are today considered grave, even disqualifying faults. For the past 30 years, there has been controversy over the appearance of the breed, which can now be divided into two camps. American breeders prefer the "contemporary Burmese" ("American Burmese") which has shorter noses and rounder skulls. The "traditional Burmese" (or "British Burmese") was declassed by the Cat Fanciers' Association in the 1980s. The UK's Governing Council of the Cat Fancy took the opposite approach and banned the registration of all Burmese imported from America in order to preserve the "traditional" bloodlines. The controversy revolves around the fact that "contemporary Burmese" sometimes carry alleles for the "Head Fault", a lethal head defect. The head fault rarely occurs with "traditional Burmese". Its widespread presence in the American lineages goes back to a cat named Good Fortune Fortunatas, a fine example of the "contemporary" body / head type, although the defect was present in Burmese cats before Fortunatas. This individual was extensively mated to Burmese cats in the USA, and today's show-type American Burmese cats can usually trace their lineage back to it. "Contemporary Burmese" breeders have continued with their stock because defective kittens are stillborn or euthanized soon after birth, and because sterilization of all possible head fault carriers would greatly reduce the North American Burmese gene pool. While the average, non-breeding pet owner does not ever have to deal with the head fault, it is hoped that the "head fault" allele will eventually be eliminated by a genetic test, and then by a period of controlled breeding. LA Lyons (PhD) from University of California, Davis led the research to locate the recessive gene mutation that causes the head fault. Elimination of the defective gene from the gene pool is currently on-going. In order to preserve diversity of blood lines some carriers of the gene are mated to non-carriers in order to produce further non-carriers. This breeding model is preferable to the immediate removal of all carriers from the gene pool because it helps to protect against a reduction in genetic diversity. Until the late 1960s, the gene pool in Britain was very small, with most Burmese being descended from 6 initial imports and a Burmese/Chinese hybrid from Singapore. In 1969, more were brought over from Canada, and the genepool was widened. The first blue Burmese was born in 1955 in England. This was to be followed by red, cream, and tortoiseshell kittens over the next couple of decades. Much effort was put in to remove banding patterns from the coats, and to decide whether these new colours counted as Burmese. Champagne coloured cats (known as "chocolate" in

Cat Breeds the UK) appeared in America, but breeding was impeded by the refusal of breed clubs to acknowledge that Burmese cats could be any colour other than Brown. In 1971, the first lilac kitten was born, being the latest solid colour introduced in Burmese. Throughout the 1970s, brown, chocolate (champagne), blue, and lilac tortoiseshell types were developed in England. In America, the chocolate (champagne), blue, and lilac (platinum) colours were accepted for registration as a separate breed, the Malayan in 1979. In 1984, the champagnes, platinums, and blues were accepted for registration as Burmese. Until 2010, CFA organized champagne, blue, and platinum Burmese into the "dilute division" and the sables into the "sable division," where each division was judged as if it were a separate breed. CFA discontinued the divisions as of 1st May 2010. In 1989 a cinnamon breeding programme was started in Holland by Mrs M Henderson and Mrs D de Kok. Successfully they bred the first Cinnamon Burmese in 1993: Bunny van d'Ekster, Burdie van d'Ekster, and Kallistra Glenfiddich. The first Fawn was born in 1998 and was Kallistra Inarna. Cinnamon, Fawn, Caramel, and Apricot Burmese were also developed in New Zealand from a breeding programme initiated by geneticist Dr Rod Hitchmough. The first cinnamon Burmese born in New Zealand was Arsenios Cinnamon Dream Boy in 2001. From the 1950s onwards, countries in the Commonwealth and Europe started importing Burmese cats from Britain. As a result, most countries based their Standard of Points for this breed on the British model, rather than the American. Burmese cats have been instrumental in the development of other domestic cat breeds, including (but not limited to) the Tonkinese, the Bombay, and the Burmilla. History of the Burmilla This breed was the result of an accident in 1981 - a chinchilla Persian and a lilac Burmese were left in different rooms. A cleaner left the door open and the cats mated. Four kittens resulted. With the GCCF (Governing Council of the Cat Fancy), the Burmilla is considered part of the Asian cat breed. It is accepted by FIFe as the Burmilla. Only the shaded and tipped silver varieties have been recognised by FIFe, CCCA, ACF, and CFA as the Burmilla. As of late 2011, the golden shaded and tipped Burmilla is also recognised by FIFe. One governing body in Australia has used the name Australian Tiffanie, however, there is not international acceptance and standardisation for this breed - Tiffany has been used to describe many different breeds having the appearance from Ragdoll to Birman and may contain any of these breeds and more. Many Australian Tiffanies in Australia contain more than three-quarters Persian chinchilla and retain the appearance and temperament of the old-fashioned chinchilla. The name's use is declining in favour due to the lax standards for the breed name, the lack of unique identity, and varied genetic makeup. History of the Oriental Shorthair The effort to produce a Siamese-style pointed cat in colours other than the traditional four began in the UK and US in the 1940s, carried out by breeders who used foundation crossings between the Siamese, Abyssinian, and the red domestic shorthair. Initially, the Colourpoint breeders experienced setbacks and failures; in the effort to achieve the proper colours in the proper places, the Siamese body type was often sacrificed. The breeding was further complicated by the difficulty of working with the red colouration because it is a sex-linked colour. The Cat Fanciers' Association is the only registry that recognizes the Oriental shorthair as a standalone breed. In all other registries, they are part of the Siamese and Oriental breeds.

Cat Breeds

History of the Tonkinese Tonkinese cats are the result of a recent crossbreeding between the Siamese and Burmese cats, although some assert that Tonkinese-like cats have existed since at least the early 19th century, and the founding cat of the Burmese breed was probably a mink hybrid-coloured cat named "Wong Mau," a small walnut-coloured cat imported to California by Dr JC Thompson in 1930. Some claim that the appearance of the breed is closer to the original appearance of the Siamese, before Siamese breeders developed today's triangular head and very leggy body. The name is not related to the Tonkin region of Indochina or to the incident in the Gulf of Tonkin during the Vietnam War. When the breed was first established in Canada, the breed name was actually spelled "Tonkanese," which was a reference to the island in the musical South Pacific where "half-breeds" suffered no discrimination. The mistaken idea that the name was a geographical reference paralleling the Siamese and Burmese breed names resulted in a gradual switch to the current spelling, under which the breed was recognized by the US registering associations. The Bombay There are two breeds known as the Bombay - in the UK, a cat of Burmese type with a short black coat and eyes of green, gold, or copper. In the US, the Bombay was created in 1958 when an American shorthair was bred with a Burmese to try breed "miniature black panther"-type cats. The Persian The Traditional Persian, also known as Doll Face Persian, is a recent name for what is considered to be essentially the original breed of Persian cat, before the variety was selectively bred to have extreme features. The domestic cat breed today called the Traditional Persian did not change its physical appearance, but some breeders started to interpret the Persian breed standard differently - the short nose and clear break became shorter and higher, resulting eventually in the "ultra-typed", "peke-face" or "flat-nose" Persian, now banned by some organizations because of that variety's health problems. As their name suggests, Persians originate from Persia (Iran). The cats were introduced in Europe by the Phoenicians and Romans in the 1500s as highly valued items of trade. The Europeans were impressed by the Persian's long silky coat and purposefully bred the cats to perpetuate the trait. Other long-haired cats such as Angora came from Turkey and added to the breed. References to such cats dating back to 1684 BCE were found. Later, in the beginning of the 20th century, these cats were called Longhair in Europe while in America they were called Persian. The Traditional Persian is the modern but barely changed descendant of the original Persian cat from which the present day ultra-typed or peke-faced Persian cat was developed through controlled breeding programs, especially in the US. Today, the "ultra" Persian cat is the recognized breed by the Cat Fancier's Association as well as The International Cat Association, the world's two largest cat associations, as the exemplary pedigreed Persian cat in cat shows. The Traditional or Doll-faced Persian is no longer shown in international cat show-rings under the title Persian.