Breed · Cat

Balinese

A longhaired Siamese, arising from the breed rather than crossed in from elsewhere.

The Balinese is a Siamese carrying a recessive longhair gene. The coat is silky and single-layered rather than dense, so it is far less work than it looks, and the tail is the showpiece. The temperament is Siamese unchanged — vocal, insistent, closely bonded, and genuinely unhappy alone. Read the Siamese page and add a comb.

At a glance

Lifespan: 12–16 years
Adult weight: 3–5 kg
Daily attention: 90+ min
Alone time tolerated: Poorly
Grooming: Twice weekly
Noise level: Very vocal
With children: Good
With other pets: Prefers company
Indoor only: Recommended

Colours · 6 listed

Points in the Siamese colours. The coat is single, not double, which is why it does not mat the way other longhairs do.

Seal Point
Blue Point
Chocolate Point
Lilac Point
Red Point
Tortie Point

Right for you if

You want the Siamese temperament with a softer outline.
Somebody is home most of the day, or there are two cats.
You will comb twice a week, which is genuinely all it needs.
You want a talkative, closely bonded cat.

Wrong for you if

You want quiet.
You will be out ten hours a day with one cat at home.
You wanted a longhair that also happens to be independent.
You expect the coat to be as much work as a Persian — it is not, and buying on that misunderstanding cuts both ways.

Same family, same questions

Amyloidosis runs in the Siamese and Oriental group. Of 194 Siamese and Oriental cats examined post mortem, 12 had it, and pedigree analysis pointed to a familial trait.¹ Ask the breeder directly whether it has appeared in the line.
Progressive retinal atrophy testing is available for this family of breeds, though not in a Balinese-specific form.²
The single coat does not mat like a double one. Twice a week with a comb is genuinely enough, and over-grooming it is a real thing.
Keep two, or be home. This is the breed where that advice is least negotiable.

Sources

van der Linde-Sipman JS, Niewold TA, Tooten PC, de Neijs-Backer M, Gruys E. Generalized AA-amyloidosis in Siamese and Oriental cats. Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology 1997; 56(1-2):1-10. International doi:10.1016/s0165-2427(96)05717-0 PMID 9220576 Of 194 Siamese and Oriental cats examined post mortem over seven years, 12 (6.2%) had amyloidosis, affecting liver, spleen and intestines. Pedigree analysis suggested a familial trait, and the amyloid protein in Siamese differed from that in other breeds.
Siamese — available DNA tests. Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, University of California, Davis 2026. Accessed 2026-08-31. International Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, University of California, Davis The laboratory offers a progressive retinal atrophy test (the rdAc variant) for this breed. No amyloidosis test is offered for any cat breed.

Every source here was checked, not recalled. Where this page makes a health statement and no source appears against it, that is not an oversight we have hidden — it means the claim is not yet sourced, and the build reports how many are in that state.

Availability, registration and keeping requirements differ from place to place. Check the rules where you live before you commit to any animal — we describe animals, not law.