Javanese (Cat)

Like their Siamese ancestors, Javanese cats have their roots in the Orient and are marked by colorpoints on the face, ears, feet and tail. They are very similar in look and personality to the Balinese cat breed, but are distinguished by non-traditional colorpoints such as Cream, (yellowish white), Flame (reddish points) Tortie (tortoise-shell banding) or Tabby (striping similar to the tabby breed).Javanese have long, silky coats and plumelike tails.

The Javanese coat is single-layered, unlike that of most other long haired cats which are double layered. Double layered coats are rougher, prone to matting. The single layered coat of a Javanese lies flat along the body and requires less grooming than other long haired cats.

As is the case with purebred Siamese and Balinese cats, Javanese are available in both Modern and Traditional body types. The Modern Javanese has a wedge-shaped head, with large flared ears positioned so as to give a strong triangular appearance to the head; body is long, lean and muscular. The Traditional Balinese cats are stockier overall, with rounder faces and less angular body types.

Javanese are affectionate, social and intelligent cats that enjoy playing an active role in the day-to-day lives of their owners. http://fanciers.com/breed-faqs/bali-javi-faq.html



Pioneers of the breed named the cats "Javanese" to reference their close relationship with the Balinese breed. The island of Java sits next to Bali, and the two islands share a common language, culture and religion. In fact, the Balinese and Javanese cats are so similar that only the Traditional Cat Association (TCA) still currently considers the Javanese a separate breed; otherwise, they are considered to be Balinese cats that simply happen to have more exotic variations in their colorpoints. http://www.iams.com/iams/en_US/jsp/IAMS_Page.jsp?pageID=CBD&breedPage=javanese.html

The roots of the Javanese breed can be traced back to the late 1970's, when a group of Balinese cat breeders began experimenting to bring out unique possibilities for colorpoints. In an article published by the CFA (Cat Fancier's Association), Barbara Harr recalls the genesis of the breed: "About 1978, when I was living in Peekskill, New York, and editing the newsletter of the Progressive Colorpoint Cat Club, I received letters from Nina Boal (Bernadette Cattery, then in Chicago), Linna Reusmann (Cobwebbe Cattery, then in South Whitley, Indiana) and Maureen Davies (Balimoor Cattery, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada). They were all breeding what they considered new-color Balinese, or Balinese in Colorpoint colors. They wanted to receive the Colorpoint Club newsletter because much of its information (genetic information, the different tabby patterns, etc.) was also useful in breeding their cats. Also, they asked for advice in getting their cats recognized in the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) ... Maureen Davies was the leading breeder of new-color Balis at that time, and she worked closely with Ann Sandner (Tassam) near Seattle. Maureen and Ann, who regularly bred their longhairs to the typiest Siamese and Colorpoints in their region, were achieving type superior to that of most standard-color Balis at that time. Their cats are the foundation stock behind most good Javanese shown today." http://www.cfa.org/breeds/profiles/articles/javanese.html

In 1979 the CFA board granted registration status to these cats with exotic colorpoints, but requested that they be given a unique name as opposed to just accepting them as part of the Balinese breed. Their reasoning was that the Balinese was created solely from Siamese bloodlines and therefore was considered a natural mutation. The Javanese breed was not a natural mutation; it was a hybrid created by deliberately crossing Balinese and Colorpoint Shorthairs, and then breeding them with Siamese, Abyssinians, American Shorthairs, and red domestic shorthairs to create unique qualities of colorpoints and coat.

It was in May of 1986 that the CFA officially accepted the Javanese for championship competition. In 2008 the Javanese became a part of the Balinese category, and a single standard was adopted under the logic that the Javanese and the Balinese were identical in every way except color, and the hybridization that created the Javanese was now something that existed in the distant past. Currently, the TCA is the only cat association that considers the Javanese a separate breed. http://www.iams.com/iams/en_US/jsp/IAMS_Page.jsp?pageID=CBD&breedPage=javanese.html

Javanese are playful, talkative, and intelligent cats who seek a great deal of interaction with their owners. They get along well with other animals, and with children so long as they are treated respectfully. If you spend extended periods of time away from home, a Javanese might not be right for you; these are highly interactive cats who thrive in homes where they will enjoy a daily dose of human contact. If you are looking for a pet that truly enjoys spending time with you, a Javanese cat would be an ideal choice.

They love high places, and will often enjoy taking a ride on the shoulders of their owners. They are also master contortionists, and given their insatiable curiosity will squeeze into narrow places to explore.

Javanese are very intelligent cats, and can be trained to play fetch or do tricks if you are diligent in working with them. But it's ultimately more likely that you won't train the Javanese cat; rather, the Javanese cat will train you! http://fanciers.com/breed-faqs/bali-javi-faq.html