Javanese cats

Javanese cats history

The history of Javanese cats begins in the late 1970s. Then a group of Balinese cat breeders began experimenting to create a new colorpoint variety.

In 1978 Barbara Harr who was editing the newsletter of the Progressive Colorpoint Cat Club, received numerous letters from various south american cat breeders, informing her that they were all breeding a Pointed Balinese cat of different colors and therefore needed to subscribe to the newsletter, since its contents were more than useful. They were also asking her for advice in getting their cats recognized in the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA).

Although Harr at first demurred this initiative, she finally gave in.

Of all the breeders, Maureen Davies was the leader of the new-color Balinese cats. She and her partner Ann Sandner were already achieving a type superior to that of most standard-color Balinese cats.

Harr, Davies and Sandner launched a campaign that would lead to the new cat breed’s official recognition and registration. On October 1979 Harr, Davies and a few more breeders appeared before the CFA Board in Chicago in order to show them a lynx pointed named Pippi and a tortie pointed named Free Spirit.

The CFA board granted registration status to these cats with exotic colorpoints, but requested that they were given a new name as the Balinese cats were considered a natural mutation, while the Javanese cats were hybrids created by deliberately crossing Balinese cats and Colorpoint Shorthairs and then breeding them with Siamese cats, Abyssinian cats, American Shorthair cats and red domestic shorthair cats to create unique qualities of colorpoints and coat. And since the Balinese cats were named after the island of Bali, the new breed was named after Bali's border island Java.

On May of 1986 that the CFA officially accepted the Javanese cats for championship competition.

Javanese cats personality

Javanese cats are sociable and very people oriented. They love to play with their human fellows and participate in their everyday activities. Intelligent and by far demanding, Javanese love being at the center of every activity. They are very quick learners and can be taught to perform tricks. Fetch is their favorite activity, while they can jump amazing heights.

Inquisitive and mischievous, they like investigating closets, drawers, shopping bags and in particular purses. They can be very determined when they want something, as well as curious about what goes on behind closed doors. They will use apply their sharp and agile skills to find a way in.

Javanese cats become loyal and affectionate companions while they get on well with the entire family. They love playing with children and do not mind other pets.

They are by far active, so they wouldn’t fit in a household with elderly people. They would obviously drive them crazy. On the other hand, their craving for attention makes them inappropriate for people who travel a lot or spend all day at work. The same goes for people who would like a pet that can be seen and not be heard, since they will find the Javanese distinctive yowl more than annoying. On the other hand, if you are looking for a playful and active friend, who will join you in every activity and even discuss with you, Javanese are more than ideal.

Javanese cats breed standards

According to the Cat Fanciers’ Association standards, Javanese cats have a long, medium sized head that forms a tapering wedge. The 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. When the whiskers and face hair are smoothed back, the under- lying bone structure must be apparent.

Their skull is flat. When viewed in profile, a long straight line is felt from the top of the head to the tip of the nose. There is neither a bulge over the eyes, nor a dip in the nose.

Their ears are strikingly large, wide at the base and pointed at the tips. They continue the lines of the wedge.

Their eyes are deep vivid blue, medium sized and almond shaped, neither protruding nor recessed. They are slanted towards the nose in harmony with the lines of the wedge and the ears and the distance between them is no less than the width of an eye.

Their nose is long and straight, forming a natural expansion of the forehead with no break. The muzzle, is fine and wedge-shaped.

Their chin and jaw are medium sized. The tip of the chin lines up with the tip of the nose in the same vertical plane. They are neither receding nor excessively massive.

Javanese cats possess a medium sized, graceful, long, and svelte body, with a distinctive combination of fine bones and firm muscles. The shoulders and the hips continue the same sleek lines of tubular body, and the hips are never wider than the shoulders. Their abdomen is tight, and males can be somewhat larger than the females.

Their neck is long and slender.

The bone structure of their legs is long and slim, while the hind legs are higher than the front. Their paws are dainty, small and oval, and they should possess five toes in front paws and four in the hind.

Their tail has a long bone structure. It is also thin and tapering to a fine point. The tail hair is spread out like a plume.

Their coat is medium long, and a bit longer on the tail. It has a fine and silky texture without downy undercoat lying close to the body, which makes the coat appear shorter than it is.

The body coat color is even, with subtle shading when allowed. There is a definite contrast between body color and points (mask, ears, legs, feet and tail). The mask covers the entire face including the whisker pads and is connected to the ears by tracings. It does not extend over the top of the head. The points are of the same shade and do not bear ticking or white hair.

The following colors and patterns are officially recognised for Javanese cats:

Solid red point Javanese cats (including smoke and silver)

The body is clear white with any shading in the same tone as the points. The points are bright apricot to deep red. At the cat shows the deeper shades with lack of barring are preferred. The nose leather and paw pads are flesh or coral pink.

Solid cream point Javanese cats (including smoke and silver)
The body is clear white with any shading in the same tone as the points. The points are pale buff cream to light pinkish cream, preferably without barring. The nose leather and the paw pads are flesh or coral pink.

Seal lynx point Javanese cats (including smoke and silver)

The body is cream or pale fawn, shading to a lighter color on the stomach and chest. The shading may take the form of ghost striping. The points bear seal brown bars, distinct and separated by a lighter background color. The ears are seal brown with a paler thumbprint in the center, the nose leather is seal brown or pink edged in seal brown and the paw pads are seal brown.

Chocolate lynx point (including smoke and silver)
The body is ivory, and the shading takes the form of ghost striping. The points bear warm milk-chocolate bars, distinct and separated by a lighter back- ground color. The ears are warm milk-chocolate with paler thumbprint in the center, the nose leather is cinnamon or pink edged in cinnamon and the paw pads are cinnamon.

Blue lynx point Javanese cats (including smoke and silver)
The body is bluish white to platinum gray, cold in tone with shadings to lighter colors on the stomach and chest. The shading takes the form of ghost striping. The points bear deep blue-gray bars, distinct and separated by a lighter background color. The ears are deep blue-grey with a paler thumbprint in the center, the nose leather is slate-colored or pink edged in slate and the paw pads are slate-colored.

Lilac lynx point Javanese cats (including smoke and silver)
The body is glacial white, and the shading takes the form of ghost striping. The points are frosty grey with pinkish tone bars, distinct and separated by a lighter background color. The ears are frosty grey with a pinkish tone and a paler thumbprint in the center, the nose leather are lavender-pink or pink edged in lavender-pink and the paw pads are lavender-pink.

Red lynx point Javanese cats (including smoke and silver)
The body is white, and the shading takes the form of ghost striping. The points bear deep red bars, distinct and separated by a lighter background color. The ears are deep red with a paler thumbprint in the center and the nose leather and paw pads are flesh or coral pink.

Cream lynx point Javanese cats (including smoke silver)
The body is clear white, and the shading may take the form of ghost striping. The points bear bars of pale buff cream to light pinkish cream, distinct and separated by a lighter background color. The ears are pale buff cream to light pinkish cream with a paler thumbprint in the center and the nose leather and the paw pads are flesh to coral pink.

Seal - tortie lynx point Javanese cats (including smoke and silver)
The body is cream or pale fawn, shading to a lighter color on the stomach and the chest. The body shading takes the form of ghost striping and/or cream mottling. The points bear seal brown bars, distinct and separated by a lighter background color. The ears are seal brown with a paler thumbprint in the center. A random mottling of red and/or cream overlays the markings of the points. The nose leather is seal brown or pink edged in seal brown, and flesh or coral pink mottling may be present. The paw pads are seal brown or seal brown mottled with flesh or coral pink.

Chocolate tortie lynx point Javanese cats (including smoke and silver)
The body is ivory, and the body shading may take the form of ghost striping and/or cream mottling. The points bear warm milk-chocolate bars, distinct and separated by a lighter background color. The ears should be warm milk-chocolate with a paler thumbprint in the center. A random mottling of red and/or cream should overlay the markings of the points. The nose leather is cinnamon permitted or pink edged in cinnamon, while flesh or coral pink mottling may be present and the paw pads should be cinnamon, or cinnamon mottled with flesh or coral pink.

Blue cream point Javanese cats (including smoke and silver)
The body is bluish white to platinum grey, cold in tone, shading to a lighter color on the stomach and chest. The body shading may take the form of ghost striping and/or cream mottling. The points bear deep blue-grey bars, distinct and separated by a lighter background color. The ears are deep blue-grey with a paler thumbprint in the center. Random mottling of cream overlays the markings of the points. The nose leather is slate-colored or pink edged in slate, while flesh or coral pink mottling may be present and the paw pads are slate colored or slate mottled with flesh or coral pink.

Lilac cream lynx point Javanese cats (including smoke and silver)
The body is glacial white, and the shading takes the form of ghost striping and/or cream mottling. The points are frosty grey with pinkish tone bars, distinct and separated by lighter background color. The ears are frosty grey with a pinkish tone and a paler thumbprint in the center. A random mottling of cream should overlay the markings of the points. The nose leather are lavender-pink or pink edged in lavender-pink, while flesh or coral pink mottling may be present and the paw pads should be lavender-pink or lavender-pink mottled with flesh or coral pink.

Seal-tortie point Javanese cats (including smoke and silver)
The body is pale fawn to cream, shading to lighter color on the stomach and chest, and the body color is mottled with cream in older cats. The points are seal brown and randomly mottled with red and/or cream. The nose leather and paw pads are seal brown, preferably with flesh or coral pink mottling.

Chocolate-tortie point Javanese cats (including smoke and silver)
The body is ivory. The points are warm milk-chocolate randomly mottled with red and/or cream. The nose leather and paw pads are cinnamon, preferably with flesh or coral pink mottling.

Blue-cream point Javanese cats (including smoke and silver)

The body is bluish white to platinum grey, cold in tone, shading to lighter a color on the stomach and chest. The body color is mottled in older cats. The points are deep blue-grey randomly mottled with cream. The nose leather and paw pads are slate-colored, preferably with flesh or coral pink mottling.

Lilac cream point Javanese cats (including smoke and silver)

The body is glacial white, and there might be some mottling in the shade of the points. The points are frosty grey with a pinkish tone, randomly mottled with pale cream. The nose leather and the paw pads are lavender-pink, preferably with flesh or coral pink mottling.

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