Balinese

The Balinese carries the warm, interactive personality of the Siamese. According to the CFA's breed profile, Balinese are a little less talkative than Siamese and have softer voices, but they're never quiet cats: there's always a conversation going, from a contented purr to a protest when they feel neglected. The GCCF describes them as curious, outgoing and intelligent cats with strong communication skills, and adds that they often sense their owner's mood.

According to the CFA, a Balinese wants to join in with everything you do during the day and likes to sleep close to you at night. It learns fetch easily and is clever enough to track down a hidden toy. It has a playful, comic side, but once it has burned off its energy, it knows how to curl up in a lap and rest.

The Balinese suits people and families who love the Siamese personality but want a slightly softer-voiced, longhaired cat, and who spend plenty of time at home.

If you're out all day, a second cat can ease its loneliness; our guide to introducing two cats walks you through it step by step.

Despite its name, the Balinese doesn't come from Indonesia. Because the longhair gene is recessive, longhaired kittens occasionally turned up in Siamese litters; the CFA says this has been known since the early 1900s and that those kittens were placed as pets. The GCCF points to a British magazine that mentioned a longhaired Siamese as early as 1871.

In the United States, two Siamese breeders, Helen Smith and Sylvia Holland, began developing these longhaired cats as a separate breed. The name was chosen to evoke the graceful movements of Balinese dancers. The CFA granted the breed championship status in 1970, at first only in the four classic Siamese colors (seal, chocolate, blue and lilac). Other colors were recognized in 1979 under the name "Javanese," and in 2008 the CFA merged the two into a single breed. The first Balinese reached Britain in the 1970s, and the GCCF granted championship status in 1985.

The Balinese has the same slender, long and muscular build as the Siamese: a long, wedge-shaped head, large ears that are broad at the base, and almond-shaped, sapphire-blue eyes. According to the CFA, the breed's most distinctive feature is its fine, silky coat, which lightly covers the body, flows into a plumed tail and should never look thick.

• Weight: According to the GCCF, males weigh about 6–8 pounds (2.7–3.6 kg) and females 5–7 pounds (2.3–3.2 kg).
• Colors: Seal, blue, chocolate, lilac, red, cream, and tortoiseshell and tabby points of these. The GCCF recognizes 34 colors.
• Eyes: Always blue. The CFA notes that crossed eyes and kinked tails, inherited from Siamese ancestors, can occur.
• A changing type: According to the GCCF, today's Balinese are leaner and have less coat than the heavier, thick-coated cats of the 1970s.

Why are the cooler parts darker?

The Balinese gets its pointed coloring from the same gene as the Siamese. As Langford Vets explains, the Siamese form of the coat-color enzyme is temperature-sensitive, and a cat needs two copies of this gene to show the pointed pattern. According to a 2026 genetics review, the enzyme doesn't work at normal body temperature, but does work on cooler areas like the ears, face, paws and tail, darkening the coat there. Kittens are born almost white because the womb is evenly warm, and the points develop after birth. The same genetics explain the blue eyes.

Even though it looks longhaired, the Balinese is easy to groom. The CFA says its single coat, with no undercoat, isn't prone to matting, and recommends combing or brushing a few times a month to manage shedding. The GCCF also says a wide-toothed comb is enough and that the breed sheds very little.

• The occasional bath: According to the CFA, natural oils can make some cats' coats look greasy; a short bath with a gentle shampoo made for cats is enough then. Keep your cat in a warm room until it's dry.
• Play and challenges: Fetch, food puzzles and climbing space are musts for this energetic breed. Our guide to playing with an indoor cat has ideas.
• Jumping and climbing: The GCCF recommends a home with room to jump and climb.
• Ears: The GCCF recommends checking the ears regularly and keeping them clean; ask your vet about any redness, odor or discharge.

To build a grooming habit while your cat is still a kitten, see our cat grooming guide.

Balinese don't need a special food; a complete, balanced cat food suited to their age is enough. Although it's an active breed, cats that live indoors or have been spayed or neutered can gain weight, and on a slender, longhaired cat, weight changes are easy to miss.

• Measure food; decide the daily amount with your vet based on your cat's ideal weight.
• Weighing your cat once a month shows changes early.
• Count treats as part of the daily food.
• Always have fresh water available.

The CFA says Balinese are generally healthy but can be predisposed to some problems inherited from their Siamese ancestors, and that most breeders now do genetic screening. The information below is for awareness only; ask your vet about diagnosis and treatment.

Inherited retinal disease (PRA, rdAc)

This disease causes the light-sensing layer of the eye (the retina) to gradually break down, leading to blindness. Langford Vets lists the Balinese and Javanese among breeds at risk of the rdAc gene change. Affected cats are born with normal vision; changes usually show up on an eye exam at 1 to 2 years, and blindness often develops by 3 to 5 years, later in some cats. The disease is recessive, and there's a DNA test. The GCCF also notes that the test is available for Balinese.

Asthma-like bronchial disease

The GCCF says that because of their Siamese ancestry, Balinese can also have problems such as feline asthma. According to UFAW, this chronic bronchial disease, which is especially common in Siamese, can cause frequent coughing, wheezing, tiring quickly during play and difficulty breathing; open-mouth breathing is an emergency.

Sources differ on amyloidosis

The GCCF says Balinese appear free of the liver amyloidosis seen in some Siamese and Oriental lines. PetMD's vet-reviewed profile, however, says the disease can be an issue in Siamese-derived breeds such as the Balinese. According to UFAW, in Siamese the disease usually starts between 1 and 5 years and can cause poor appetite, weight loss, drinking a lot, and pale or yellowish gums. Since the sources disagree, ask whether the disease has appeared in your kitten's lines.

We couldn't find a scientific lifespan study specific to the Balinese. The GCCF puts its lifespan at about 18 years, and at 18–22 years in its care section. That's a registry estimate; real population data may paint a lower picture. For example, in UK data from 2019, its closest relative, the Siamese, had a life expectancy at birth of 11.69 years, and the longest-lived cat in that group was over 21.

Scientific life tables include cats lost at a young age, which pulls the average down; that doesn't mean most cats die at that age. Spaying or neutering, a healthy weight, regular vet checkups and parents with completed genetic tests are the most concrete steps toward a long life.

• Consider a shelter: Purebred cats end up in shelters and rescues too. If you're set on a breed, follow breed groups and adoption listings.
• If you buy from a breeder: Ask to meet the parents, and ask for PRA (rdAc) DNA results, whether asthma or amyloidosis has appeared in the lines and vaccination records.
• Red flags: Steer clear of sellers who won't show you the mother, always have kittens available, can't provide test certificates or rush you to "buy now."
• Registration: Rules vary by country; many places require or recommend microchipping. In Türkiye, owned cats must be microchipped and registered in the PETVET system.
• Think about your time: A Balinese is happiest with attention and play; if you're out for long hours, factor that in.