Balinese (Cat)

The Balinese is medium in size, dainty, long and svelte.

General: The Balinese is medium in size, dainty, long and svelte. The body is hard and muscular without indication of flabbiness or emaciation. Overall, the Balinese should have a long and tubular look, the shoulders and hips continuing the same sleek lines. A gentle cat amenable to handling. The overall appearance should be that of a Siamese cat with a longer coat and plumed tail.

Head: The head should be a long tapering wedge, medium in size in good proportion to the body. The total wedge starts at the nose and flares out in straight lines to the tips of the ears forming a triangle with no break at the whiskers. No less than the width of an eye between the eyes. When the whiskers and facial hair are smoothed back, the underlying bone structure be comes apparent. Allowance must be made for jowls in the stud cat. The skull is flat, in profile a long straight line is seen from the top of the head to the tip of the nose. (Note: A straight profile can sometimes be felt better than seen and should therefore be traced with a finger.) Chin and jaw medium size. Tip of chin lines up with the tip of the nose in the same vertical plane and is included in the profile picture. Allow for growth ridge above the eyes in kittens and young adults, DO NOT PENALIZE.

Ears: The ears should be alert and large to go with the overall dimension of the other parts of the head (i.e.; the longer the head the larger the ear) wide at the base pricked slightly forward as if listening. Set not to flare too high on the head, but as a definite continuation of the line of the wedge. Ears should complete the narrow triangle of the head, the apex being at the muzzle, the base, the imaginary line from ear tip to ear tip. Penalize: Small or short ears, exaggerated spacing between the ears making them "fly" or ears to closely set giving a donkey effect. Ears too short or too large to put the head out of balance.

Eye Shape: Almond shaped, medium size, neither protruding nor recessed. slanted toward the nose in harmony with the lines of the wedge and ears. Penalize: Round, small or unslanted eye aperture.

Eye Color: Eyes should be clear and brilliant of a deep blue color.

Body Type: Medium in size, dainty, long and svelte. Hard muscular with no indication of fat or emaciation. Shoulders and hips continue the same sleek lines of the tubular body. Hips never wider than shoulders. Males in general to be proportionately larger than females.

Neck: The neck should be long and slender and carried to display length, not telescoped between shoulders. Penalize: Short or thick neck.

Legs and Feet: Legs long and proportionately slim, hind legs larger than front; proportioned to carry body length and weight gracefully. Feet proportionately small and oval in shape. Toes, five in front, four behind. Penalize: Short legs, heavy leg bones, large or round feet.

Tail: The bone structure of the tail should be narrow at the base, long, tapering to a fine point. Tail when brought down along the hind legs should reach the tip of the foot, or when brought along side of the body should reach the shoulder. Tail is to be in balance with the size of the cat. Penalize: Short or thick tail.

Coat and Plume: Short on head, medium length at shoulders getting progressively longer toward the tail. Lying close to body, fine textured and silky, tail hairs spreads and drapes like a plume. Allowance can be made for lack of coat in a young cat. Penalize: "Bottle brush" tail, excessive chest ruff or ear tuft as displayed by the Angora.

Body Color: The body color should be even no dark shading on shoulders and hips, allowance to be made for older cats. Penalize: Uneven body color or shadings, dark spots on the belly, hip spots, tabby or ticked markings. Allowance made for nursing spots on females.

Point Color: The mask, ears, legs, feet and tail should be clearly defined in darker shade, but to merge gently into body color on legs. Except in kittens, the mask and ears should be connected by tracings. Paw pads and nose leather to be included in point color as described in color standard. Penalize: Complete hood, light hairs in points, bars or tabby markings (except in the lynx point). White toes or definite patches of white in any of the points to be a disqualification. A sprinkling of white hairs in the points or pale whisker pads probably due to past illness should not be confused with definite patches or spots. Complete off-color tone to paw pads or nose leather (albino). Note: Long body hairs may hang over points and are not a fault.

NFA: Crossed or floating eyes, eye color other than blue: wrong paw pad color; incorrect number of toes; kinked or broken tail; plush or double coat, down undercoat.