Javanese Cats

A javanese cat with its distinctive longer face

History

The Javanese shares a lot of its history with its close relative, the Balinese. With the Balinese essentially a long haired version of the Siamese, it comes as no surprise to learn that the Javanese is also closely related to the Siamese.

The longhair trait occurred due to a random gene mutation. This is thought to have happened in the mid-19th century, as there are records of long-haired Siamese kittens in the US dating from that time. They were considered a fault in the Siamese bloodline and nothing more. However, fast forward to 1928 and the ‘Long-haired Siamese’ was registered as a show cat by the American Cat Fanciers Federation.

The Javanese does not come from Java - they were given that name because Java is next to Bali, and the Balinese is a sister breed to this one. At first, the Cat Fanciers Association categorized the Javanese as a distinct breed, separated from the Balinese by color, but in 2008 the Javanese was declared a division of the Balinese breed. TICA considers it a variation of the Balinese and places both in the Siamese group. The Javanese can be outcrossed to the Balinese, Siamese, Colorpoint Shorthair and Oriental Longhair.

Behaviour

The Javanese has loads of personality. They are larger-than-life cats, very people orientated, inquisitive and attentive. Like their Siamese and Balinese counterparts they are very vocal and will chatter away to you all day long.

Javanese cats are very playful and tend towards the mischievous. They need lots of mental stimulation to keep them happy and out of trouble. They are very muscular and athletic, with amazing acrobatic ability. They cats make good family pets, as long as you have enough time to keep them stimulated and out of trouble, and they get on well with children and other pets too.

Varieties

The darker points of the face, ears, paws and tail come in solid colors such as red and cream, but also lynx point colors, including seal lynx point and seal-tortie point, and parti-color points. The eyes are always a deep, sparkly blue.