The primary difference between the Balinese and the Siamese is coat length, with the Balinese having long, silky hair and a plumed tail. The Balinese shares the svelte but muscular body of the Siamese, as well as his wedge-shaped head, blue eyes, large triangular ears and striking color points.
Did You Know the Balinese is Considered a Natural Breed?
The Balinese is named for the island of Bali, famed for its graceful dancers, but he doesn’t actually come from there.
Lots of adjectives apply to the Balinese: busy, outgoing, inquisitive, affectionate, demanding, loyal and intelligent. He’s the Siamese dressed up to the nines, sporting a long, silky coat with the same sophisticated color points that distinguish the Siamese.
Is the Balinese a Siamese in drag or is he a manmade creation? No one is really sure. A number of cat breeds have been created by crossing the Siamese with something else, but the Balinese is not thought to be one of them, although there are theories that he might have been the result of crosses between Siamese and Angora or Persian cats in the 1920s. He is generally considered a natural breed, the result of a spontaneous genetic mutation for a longhaired coat within the Siamese breed.
The primary difference between the Balinese and the Siamese is coat length. The five to nine pound Balinese shares the svelte but muscular body of the Siamese, as well as his wedge-shaped head, blue eyes, large triangular ears and striking color points.
Other Quick Facts About the Balinese
The Balinese looks like a longhaired Siamese and comes in the same Siamese point colors: seal, chocolate, blue and lilac.
The Balinese is highly active and vocal. He wants to be involved in everything that’s going on in the home.
Keep a Balinese indoors to protect him from cars, diseases spread by other cats and attacks from other animals.
The Balinese is a chatty cat; he will talk your ear off if you let him.
