The Javanese, also known as the Colorpoint (or Colourpoint) Longhair in some registries (though that name has other meanings), is a variety of

purebred Purebreds are cultivars of an animal species achieved through the process of selective breeding. When the lineage of a purebred animal is recorded, that animal is said to be pedigreed. Purebreds breed true-to-type, which means the progeny of l ...

domestic cat The cat (''Felis catus''), also referred to as the domestic cat or house cat, is a small Domestication, domesticated carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species of the family Felidae. Advances in archaeology and genetics have sh ...

. In the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA), it is an offshoot of the Balinese breed, out-crossed to Siamese, Colorpoint Shorthair, and Balinese cats. Individuals have medium-longhair and non-traditional point coloration (

lynx A lynx ( ; : lynx or lynxes) is any of the four wikt:extant, extant species (the Canada lynx, Iberian lynx, Eurasian lynx and the bobcat) within the medium-sized wild Felidae, cat genus ''Lynx''. The name originated in Middle Engl ...

/ tabby point, tortoiseshell point or red/cream point). The variety was developed in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

; its name is derived from the tradition of naming Oriental-type cats after

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

n places. Depending on the

cat registry A cat registry or cat breed registry, also known as a cat fancier organization, cattery federation, or cat breeders' association, is an organization that registers domestic cats (usually purebred) of many breeds, for exhibition and for breedi ...

in question, the Javanese may be treated as a stand-alone

breed A breed is a specific group of breedable domestic animals having homogeneous appearance (phenotype), homogeneous behavior, and/or other characteristics that distinguish it from other organisms of the same species. In literature, there exist seve ...

, considered a Javanese division of the Balinese, or subsumed with the Himalayan into a merged breed called simply Colourpoint. In others, the cats considered non-traditional colored Balinese cats by the CFA, are also accepted as Balinese cats. Confusingly, some registries refer to what other registries refer to as the '' Oriental Longhair'' as ''Javanese''.

Origin

The term ''Javanese cat'' was coined by a Helen Smith of MerryMews Cattery circa 1950, but for a different variety she was working on. It is unknown if she had ever traveled to

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. The name was derived from the tradition of using the names of the countries and islands of south-east Asia for Oriental cat breeds. Around 1978, breeders of Balinese cats in Canada and the United States, affiliated primarily with the clubs Balinese Internationale and Balinese Breeders and Fanciers of America, sought acceptance from the US-headquartered, international Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) of their "new colors" (variations on the traditional point-colored Balinese). The cats were accepted for registration but not

competition Competition is a rivalry where two or more parties strive for a common goal which cannot be shared: where one's gain is the other's loss (an example of which is a zero-sum game). Competition can arise between entities such as organisms, indi ...

into the CFA in 1979, but only as a new breed rather than as a division of Balinese; the name "Javanese" (independent of Helen Smith's use of it in the 1950s) was selected by looking at a map and picking Java, an island near Bali. CFA awarded "Provisional" status in 1984, and the CFA Javanese gained full "Championship" status in the organization in 1986. The Javanese, under CFA definitions, was merged back into Balinese as the Javanese Division in 2008, to be more consistent with other registries' coat-color rules.

Classification

In the Cat Fanciers' Association, the Javanese, now a sub-breed, is a generally Balinese-ancestry cat with a

coat A coat is typically an outer garment for the upper body, worn by any gender for warmth or fashion. Coats typically have long sleeves and are open down the front, and closing by means of buttons, zippers, hook-and-loop fasteners (AKA velcro), ...

that does not follow the traditional and strictly defined point coloration patterns of the Balinese. Only "traditional" colored seal, blue, chocolate, and lilac solid colorpoints fall under the Balinese cat in CFA, and thus referring to all lynx (tabby), tortoiseshell and other point colourations in Balinese cats as Javanese. Well into the 1990s, it was still permissible to back-cross Javanese to Balinese, Siamese, and Colorpoint Shorthairs for genetic diversity within the Javanese line. Under current CFA rules, and after intervening breed redefinitions, only "certain limited outcrossing" is allowed (by special permission from CFA), and only to the Oriental Longhair (a related breed that has the same broad color range but body-wide, lacking the colorpoint pattern). All outcrossing will stop at the end of 2025. Such Balinese with non-traditional colors are, in some other registries, named Colorpoint Longhair, though this term is ambiguous, and can refer to different breeds in some registries. In the World Cat Federation (WCF) scheme, cats that would be classified in other registries as Javanese or Colorpoint Longhair have been merged with Himalayan into a single breed, Colourpoint. In most registries aside from the WCF, the Himalayan cat is a separate breed, a cross between the Balinese and the Persian, limited to traditional Balinese/Siamese colors. To complicate matters further, some registries have instead applied the name ''Javanese'' to what other registries call the Oriental Longhair, which has no point coloration.

Features

The Javanese breed has a long, silky coat in a variety of colors (unlike the actual native domestic cats of Java which have short hair). It is a single coat, in contrast to the double coat (with guard hairs) found in most long-haired breeds; as a result, it lies close to the skin, and produces a longer, sleeker look than is typical for long-haired cats. Like the Colorpoint Shorthair, the Javanese has point coloration (with a pale body and darker face and extremities), but is permitted to have coat colors and patterns not found in the Balinese or Siamese. These may range from dark brown to near white, and may be ruddy to bluish, tabby, lynx point, cream point, tortoiseshell (tortie), tortie point, and others, including unusual combinations ("blue-cream point", "cinnamon-tortie lynx point", etc.). In total, CFA defines 24 Javanese-division color combinations in addition to the four Balinese basics. Standard Javanese always have blue eyes.

Behavior

It is noted as an intelligent cat and tends to vocalize, often for no apparent reason; this is also a trait of the Siamese ancestor. They are notably fond of play, jumping and human contact, vocalizing, and getting into whatever their owners are doing and can become depressed if not regularly entertained by humans or other pets. They are reportedly good mouse hunters.

Genetic disorders

Common

genetic disorder A genetic disorder is a health problem caused by one or more abnormalities in the genome. It can be caused by a mutation in a single gene (monogenic) or multiple genes (polygenic) or by a chromosome abnormality. Although polygenic disorders ...

s are shared with the Balinese and Siamese breeds. These include: dental issues, Amyloidosis, IBD, HCM and eye issues.

References