Cat Breeds 101: Javanese

Cat Breeds 101: Javanese
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The Javanese is a domestic cat breed recognized by the Cat Fanciers Association as a show cat. It is a breed that lives on contradiction: it’s elegant, refined and almost fragile in appearance but in reality has a hard, muscular body that is capable of astounding acrobatic feats. The Javanese cat is neither from Java which is an Indonesian island nor has ever existed in Java. The breed was actually developed in North America and its name was derived from the tradition of naming oriental type cats from south-east Asian places. ^[1][2]

The Javanese is a breed that is in line of Siamese-style cats which includes the Balinese, Colorpoint Shorthair, Oriental Shorthair and Oriental Longhair. These breeds were created by breeders who wanted to take the qualities of the Siamese and alter the coat and colors to their liking. All of these breeds share similar conformations and personalities. The differences between them lie in their coat length, colors and patterns. ^[3] The Javanese and the Colorpoint is so similar that many associations consider the Javanese as a variety of the Colorpoint Shorthair. The only exception is the Cat Fanciers Association (CFA) which recognizes the Javanese as a separate breed. The CFA considers both Colorpoint Shorthair and Javanese to be hybrids and hence deserving of their own identity and not just extensions of the Siamese and Balinese. ^[2]

The Javanese is a highly intelligent, agile and athletic breed. These cats like to play fetch, willing to go on a leash and can learn tricks easily. They like to be “helpful” and will follow their owners around to supervise their every move. They are perhaps not quite as loud as their relative the Siamese. ^[4] Cat trees and high perches are necessary equipment for them. If these are not provided, they will make anything tall their own special perch. They are excellent jumpers and can leap effortlessly to the top of the refrigerator, bookcases and even the top of doors! ^[5]