Bombay | Cat Breed Information & Facts – Pictures

Bombay is a medium sized cat, with black fur like patent leather. His head has a gently rounded skull, rounded ears and a broad, blunt snout. Their beautiful copper or golden eyes are well separated and intense and expressive.

The body is firm and muscular, with a straight back and strong. The truffle and the eye contour are black and the pads of the legs are black or dark brown.

The Bombay cat is undoubtedly one of the most popular and beautiful breeds of cats that exist. If you are thinking of adopting a cat of this breed, do not hesitate to educate yourself properly on all its characteristics, the character it usually has as well as the basic care it requires. We will also talk about food and common health issues, which you need to know before you bring it home.

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The Bombay is a cat of great beauty, domestic by nature, calm and of medium size. Among its characteristics are the muscles of its body, which can make it seem very heavy at first sight. However, it is a strong and agile animal, even more so than its ancestors. The breed is designed as a mini version of the black panther.

Despite the fact that Bombay cats are muscular pets, they do not reach more than 30 cm at the withers. While their weight can be 4-6 kg for males and 3-5 kg for females.

• Head: The head is round, the muzzle wide and elongated. A moderate stop is seen in profile. For this reason, the animal is deprived of the arrogant “face” expression. The nose is slightly rounded downwards.
• Ears: The ears are of medium size. They are spread apart and tilted slightly forward. The ears are rounded at the tips.
• Eyes: The eyes of the animal are round and large. Honey eye color is predominant for the breed. However, it is difficult to obtain this particular color and a rare color in the standard can be replaced by gold.
• Body: Medium. Its shape is slightly elongated. But at the same time, cats of this breed have well-developed muscles.
• Legs: The legs of the animal are slender, medium in size. There are 5 toes on the front legs and 4 on the back legs. The standard does not allow a different number of fingers.
• Tail: The Bombay cat has a straight and strong tail, its structure is proportional to the body. A tail that is curved or has the wrong proportions to the body is considered a breed defect.

The Bombay cat is generally a very sociable and affectionate cat, greatly appreciates the company of his loved ones and deeply hates loneliness. In some cases, if this cat spends too much time alone, it may suffer from separation anxiety, a psychological condition that can affect its well-being. He likes to meow to communicate his mood or ask us something, always with a pleasant and soft tone of voice.

Although it is generally a fairly lazy cat, as it spends long hours sleeping and resting, the Bombay cat is a great lover of games and fun, particularly suitable for families with children and other cats, as we said, he is particularly sociable. They adapt well to any lifestyle of the family, provided that he is in charge of offering regular attention to the affectionate Bombay.

In addition, it is a particularly intelligent cat, which can learn different tricks and exercises if positive reinforcement is used as the basis of its “education”, like play and seek, games based on jumps and physical activity and even take a walk with the leash.

Like many artificially bred breeds, the Bombay cat is prone to certain genetic diseases. These include:

• Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Heart disease inherited from an American great-grandfather. It is almost impossible to determine the disease in the early stages. But if the cat suddenly faints, this is the main signal for action. Also, frequent prolonged sleep, shortness of breath and rapid breathing of the animal speaks of the disease.
• Skull defect.
• Eye diseases.
• Cystitis.
• Gum disease.
• Towards.

Also, it is important to know that Bombay cats are prone to colds. Therefore, owners should avoid drafts and not allow the cat to sleep on tiled or “bare” floors.

To avoid the above ailments, the animal should be periodically shown to the veterinarian.

Since the breed belongs to the short-haired breed, no special care is required for the coat. These cats are usually brushed once or twice a month. Otherwise, all care procedures are the same as for other cats. The animal should be bathed in time (twice a month is enough), if necessary, clean the ears from deposits and dirt (usually they want it at least once a week), cut the claws.

• Due to discrepancies in standards, the “American” and “British” Bombay cats are conventionally distinguished, the latter were obtained without the participation of the American Shorthair.
• The nature of exotic pets is docile and friendly, so they will easily fit into the life of families with children.
• Compared to other purebred cats, they are undemanding to care.
• Bombay cats are prone to overeating, so owners must control portion sizes and frequency of feeding.
• Pets prefer home comfort to free walking, although they easily get used to short walks in a harness.
• They are very thermophilic; they do not tolerate temperature changes and drafts.
• Bombay cats can be called animals with good health, their average life expectancy is 13-15 years.

The origin of the Bombay cat dates back to 1950, in Louisville, Kentuky (USA), thanks to the breeder Nikki Horner. His main intention was to create a panther-like cat, with short, shiny black hairs. To do this, he was inspired by his favorite panther, the black leopard from India Bagheera, from “The Jungle Book”, the famous Disney children’s film.

Starting in 1953, Horner began selective breeding of Bombay cats, starting with a short-haired American black cat next to a Burmese cat. It is therefore a hybrid breed and by no means of wild origin. It took a while to properly establish the breed standard, but finally in 1976, the Bombay cat was created: a black cat with shiny hair and copper eyes.