Want a panther , but also revel both of your arms ? The Bombay cat breed is the kitty for you !

The Bombay is the perfect cat for anyone who hasever consider " I ’d care to have a puma , but maybe smaller and less bitey . "

Bred specifically to look like the Amerindic black panther , the Bombay is a mix of theBurmeseand the blackAmerican shorthair . The result is a qat that does indeed resemble the adult hobo camp cat , without having a single drib of barbarian blood in his bloodline .

black bombay cat in tall green grass

Viktor Sergeevich / Shutterstock

aggregate some of the best traits of both parent breeds , the Bombay has the hardiness , loyalty , andintelligenceof the Burmese without being quite asoverwhelmingly vocaland while sporting a gorgeous , solid black coating .

Appearance

They do look like picayune living elbow room panthers . Easily the most noticeable thing about the Bombay is that purpose - bred pelage . Short and aerodynamic , the pelage is self-colored blackand very glistening . Many breeder liken the coat of a healthy , happy Bombay to patent of invention leather .

Visually , the Bombay has a similar physical body to the Burmese , though slightly less thickset and a footling longer rather . They are well - muscled cats with a round head word ; short , around - tipped ears ; and medium - sized , round eyes that are gold to copper in color .

When the Bombay cat walk , he has a particular , swaying gait that further heightens his law of similarity to the black Felis concolor .

bombay cat sitting in grass with sunlight

Temperament

The Bombay cat ’s personality draws a lot from his Burmese roots . The Bombay is a extremely social , intelligent , people - driven cat . They form strong bail bond with their family unit and greatly prefer to be in the ship’s company of humans . Though , it ’s important to remember each cat is an soul with his own personality .

" Since Bombays were breed from Burmese and a smutty American domestic shorthair , they are apt to have a all-inclusive image of personalities [ and ] activity stratum , " says M. Leanne Lilly , DVM , DACVB , assistant professor - clinical at theOhio State University Veterinary Medical Center . " The biggest driving factor for gregariousness , or being an outgoing , societal cat , is actually in the male parent ’s genetics . So there ’s a wide range of individual magnetic variation . Most big cat breed Page list them as social , affectionate , brave , playful , and unspoiled family cat . "

Their typically playful , yet restrained nature make them particularlygood with child . They also do very well in home with other cat , as they quickly establish a pecking rules of order within the household and exist well in their post .

bombay cat with wide eyes surrounded by green foliage

As a people - lover , the Bombay follow their human companions around a peck , observes all they do , and want to be in the centre of as many things as possible . They are strong , agile climbers and jumpers , and they areextremely playful as younger cat . As they mature , the Bombay will mellow out some , appreciating a petty couch clip , but will stillenjoy a plot of fetchnow and then .

Because of their highly societal nature , Bombay cats don’tdo well on their own for protracted menstruation of time , Lilly say . This is , of course , a non - issue for multi - cat house . But for individual - cat household , tenseness issues may start to manifest themselves if the Bombay is left alone for more than a distich time of day at a clock time .

Living Needs

Mumbai are strong , nimble climbers and pinny , so amulti - level scratching post or climbing toweris apprise . They ’re by nature active cats , so avariety of toysare good to have , particularly I that let you to be activewiththem , as the Bombay loves occupy in activities and represent with their human companions .

Bombay can also betrained to walk on leash , so if you want to spend some ( supervised ) time outdoors or take them for a walk , chance are your Bombay will welcome the fresh air and time outside with you .

Care

That unforesightful , silken coat about train attention of itself . And while Bombaysdo shed a small , with traditional desquamation time of year being a picayune big , a weekly brushingshould be enough to keep most of their pilus off your lounge and clothes .

Bombay can be prostrate to gingivitis , sobrushing their teetha brace times a week would n’t be a terrible idea as well . If anything , at least provide some regular , tartar - fighting treats . Adental exammight be necessary at some point , too .

And , like all cat breeds , Bombaysneed their nail trimmedevery couplet of weeks , and theirlitter box should be kept clean .

cat owner wearing a brown sweater holding her bombay cat

Виктор Иден / Adobe Stock

Health

This is another country where their Burmese genetics help out . The Bombay is a comparatively healthy breed with no major genetic disposal for health concern .

That said , sinus issues can be a nagging job , and keeping an optic on their gums and dentition is recommended .

" Being descend from the Burmese and with generally libertine typeface , they may be prone to rhinal problems such as sinus issues andasthma , which may also be link up to allergic reaction or just poor drain in a less - elongated side , " Lilly says . " They may also be at hazard of gingivitis or dental disease if their dental alignment is somewhat tight . "

bombay lying on cement railing

Osaze / Adobe Stock

Also , the breedcan get a bit chonkyif their intellectual nourishment breathing in is n’t monitored , peculiarly as they get old . To avail combat this , many veterinarian press meal - manner feeding over plunk a cup of tea of food for thought out and allowing cats to release feed .

" Overall , I incline to recommend meal feedings — generally twice a day — and having that intellectual nourishment down for 15–20 min , then picking it back up again so the cat knows that ’s their windowpane , " pronounce Michelle Beck , DVM , CCRT , CVA , of theBacklund Animal Clinicin Omaha , Neb. " In a multi - preferent menage especially , if you ’re doing repast feeding , then those are time you’re able to specifically separate out those animals , so they each get a set amount of food for a set amount of clip . "

Beck also caution owners to be mindful regarding thediets of catswho have beenspayed or alter .

" The bags of food that we purchase , the recommendations on the label on how much solid food to eat animals , that ’s for animals that are inviolate , " Beck says . " But most of our pets nowadays are spay or neutered , [ and ] removing those endocrine unconscious process from a cat ’s body commute how they metabolize food . calorie need to be foreshorten on modal by 30 percentage versus what ’s on the bag . "

The average Bombay cat lifespan is 15 year , but because they incline to be so hardy , object lesson of well - tended cats hold up 20 years are not uncommon .

History

The Bombay is the brainchild of Nikki Horner , a breeder from Louisville , Ky. , who wanted to produce a breed reminiscent of the Amerindic grim leopard . To reach her facial expression , she bilk Burmese cats with shameful American shorthairs . Her goal was a cat that had the mesomorphic , whole body-build of the Burmese , with the shorthair ’s jet - black coat . She also specifically searched out shorthairs with golden optic colors to nail the face and , in 1965,succeeded in producing a full litterof smuggled - haired , golden - eyed kitten that became the grounding of the Bombay breed .

The breed was name after Bombay , India , in an exertion to suck up the judgement towards the black panthers the cat is mean to emulate . While Burmese and American shorthairs are still accepted outcrossing better half for the breed , the Bombay is a genetically distinct breed that was given recognition by theCat Fanciers Association(CFA ) in 1970 andThe International Cat Association(TICA ) in 1979 .

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