The Balinese is a Siamese cat with long, silky, close lying coat and a plumed tail. They have the same wonderful temperament as the Siamese, noisey and loving and very intellegent.

The Balinese was originally registered as a 'Longhaired 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, Mrs. Marion Dorsey of Rai-Mar Cattery in California and Mrs. Helen Smith of MerryMews Cattery in New York, decided that they would commence a breeding programme for the longhaired cats. Helen Smith named the cats 'Balinese' because she felt they showed the grace and beauty of Balinese dancers, and because 'Longhaired Siamese' seemed a rather unwieldy name for such graceful felines. The breed became quite popular after this, and a number of breeders began working on 'perfecting' the Balinese appearance. There are two rather separate 'strands' of Balinese cat - some owners prefer a traditional or 'apple-headed' Balinese, while breeders and judges tend to prefer a more contemporary appearance.

We like to see the fine Siamese type in the Balinese, with the large ears set quite low, almond shaped eyes obliquely set with that wonderful wicked expression, a tall elegant body with a silky close lying coat and a graceful silky plume. So that is the look that we are working towards.