Amazing Bombay Cat Personality
Graceful, elegant, gentle, passive, playful, willful, and independent…They are not afraid to show their character and do not inquire in front of a person. What is a Bombay cat personality?
Table Of Contents
· Basic Information
· Body Constitution
· Weight
· Wool
· Color
· Bombay Cat Personality: Character
· Life Expectancy
· Story of the Breed
· Conditions of Housing
· How to Select a Bombay Kitten
· Tips for Care
· Wool Care
· Care for Teeth, Ears, Eyes, and Claws
· Toys
· What to Feed a Bombay Kitten
· What to Feed an Adult Bombay Cat
· Training and Education
· Health
· Questions and Answers
Basic Information
Little predators with panther’s habits are the representatives of the Bombay breed. The owner of this cat with black, short wool with a glossy shine, calm temperament, and unpretentiousness in everyday life has won sincere sympathies among the breeders of Bombay cats.
Let’s get acquainted with the Bombay cat and its character.
Body Constitution
An animal with well-developed musculature and a strong little skeleton, medium size. The height in the crest is 30 cm. Its head is round, neat. Not broad, strong chin. The bite is correct. The eyes are bright, widely spaced, and can be both copper and gold.
The muzzle is wide, the expression of a smile. Ears are of medium size, not downy, widely spaced, a little tilted to the animal’s muzzle. The tail is of medium length, straight; the hair on the tail is short.
The color of the coat is white with black spots — 2–3 mm. Black dots are large, without shading. The hair is short, shiny, not soft to the touch. The growth cycle lasts for three years.
Weight
Their weight ranges from 3 to 7 kg, which is above average for a cat. Male individuals are larger than females.
Wool
The hair of the animal is short but thick, satin-like, with a touch like velvet. The coat fits tightly to the body and shines with a glossy shine during cat movement.
Color
The black color of the animal is caused by the dominant genes. Bombay is an absolutely black cat, including the color of the paws and nose tip. The presence of other colors is unacceptable. Sometimes, bombs give birth to kittens with a sable color — they are considered Burmese kittens.
Bombay Cat Personality: Character
Bombay cats are very affectionate and attached to all members of their family. They love to show affection and care and dislike being alone for a long time. Delicate, playful, balanced, loyal, and intelligent cats can easily be trained.
Community animals are very fond of spending time with their owners. They get along well with children; if a child bothers them very much, they will not show signs of aggression but will simply move away from him at a safe distance. They get along well with other pets.
Life Expectancy
With proper care, Bombay cats can live up to 20 years.
Do you know? During children’s illness, it is not uncommon for a cat to lie down next to a child, cling tightly to the child’s body and not leave until they feel better. After a few days, the animal falls asleep in a secluded, dark place and does not eat or drink water.
Story of the Breed
The Bombay cat was born in 1953, thanks to the efforts of American breeder Nicky Horner, who decided to breed a cat that looks similar to a panther. In pursuit of this goal, she crossed two types of cats — Burmese and American breeds.
In 1958, the breed of cats with deep, black color and lacquer shine was registered. Still, it took about 20 years to fix the distinctive characteristics at the level of genes and select the new breed’s ideal representatives.
The result was a cat with a charcoal black color and bright yellow, round eyes. In 1976, WCF, CFA, and TICA organizations cataloged and set standards for a bomb cat.
Herb and Susanne Zweker continued to work on improving the breed of Bombay cats. In 1985, the cat Love It Black became famous as the second-best CFA Cat.
In 2000, only 97 representatives of the breed were registered in CFA.
The number has been growing since then, but the breed is still very rare.
It is believed that Bombay cat personality completely corresponds to his exterior feature — mysterious, charming and inaccessible.
A bomb cat’s behaviour is similar to a typical domestic animal’s behaviour because of centuries of selective breeding. Therefore it can be difficult to notice the distinction between the two breeds.
The first representative of the breed was a gift from India to an American ship captain after trading goods. To express gratitude, he gave his friend a black cat with unusual eyeshine. They say that if you make friends with this cat, she will help ward off the evil eye and bring good luck throughout life.
Do you know? English sailors believed that such a cat on the ship was the key to safe and profitable navigation, and in the case of a wreck, they were saved first.
Conditions of Housing
Bombays are quite indifferent to detention conditions. They appreciate much more communication with the owner and his attention and care. When arranging a corner for the animal, it is necessary to consider that the pet loves to watch everything. So, owners should create a place with an extensive and comfortable view.
It is necessary to bathe a pet once a month, or 3–4 days before the exhibition — so the pet’s fur will get its luster.
How to Select a Bombay Kitten
Before wondering how much a Bombay cat costs, decide for what purpose you need a kitten breed. If you plan to participate with your pet in all kinds of exhibitions, it’s one price. And if it’s just for the soul, it’s a completely different price question for the house.
Do you know? When cats wash their hair with their tongue, they release a substance that secretes their body to normalize their mental state. If you deprive a cat of the ability to lick its own hair, it will die.
Bombay cats with pedigree vary between $400–$2,000. They are sold in clubs and special catteries. The cost of a kitten is influenced by the gender of the kitten, its compliance with standards, its victory in exhibitions, and its participation in the breeding program.
Kittens that are sold by private individuals have an unclear origin, but their price is much lower.
Tips for Care
Bombay breed representatives are not very demanding in care. Still, if recommendations for care are followed, the life span of the pet may reach 20 years.
Wool Care
Care for the pet’s wool is difficult to call labor-intensive. You need to buy two items: a soft comb brush and a rubber-coated glove. The bombs are combed twice a week and daily during molting. Bombay males love the procedure of combing; they feel loved, and they enjoy expressions of affection and care.
Bombay cats are very clean animals, but they do not feel a special delight from bathing. It is rather stressful for them. Therefore, bathe them only as needed, using shampoos with natural ingredients.
Care for Teeth, Ears, Eyes, and Claws
Bombs have increased tearfulness of the eyes, so they need to be wiped with a cotton swab, moistened with chamomile infusion, tea, or boiled water.
Claws should be cut once a month, or as the claws grow back. To cut the claws, you will need special tweezers. The cut of the claws should be even. The length of the cut is 2 mm.
From time to time, wet, absorbent cotton should remove excess sulfur from the animal’s ears. And to prevent ear diseases, use special drops. Bombay cat toothpaste and toothbrushes are used for dental care. You should brush their teeth at least once a week.
Toys
Choose bright and safe toys for your pet; otherwise, with a lack of toys, your kitten will play with unexpected items: forgotten socks, toilet paper, empty packages. Bombays love to jump from heights, so if possible, buy for your pet suspended tunnels, mazes.
What to Feed a Bombay Kitten
Representatives of the Bombay breed have a good appetite. It is vitally important to maintain its diet.
Important! The bombs have no sense of satiety; they very often overeat and become obese.
The kittens are fed with food rich in protein, protein, and calcium. It is useful to feed the kitten porridge: oatmeal, buckwheat, wheat.
It is necessary to give the kitten yolks of eggs; they contain vitamin E needed for them. If the kitten tries to taste fruits and vegetables, add them to the diet.
Meat, liver, and fish are given to kittens in boiled form, cut into small pieces. Dry foods should also be given to kittens. They are balanced and contain all the substances needed for normal development.
What to Feed an Adult Bombay Cat
As a rule, they are fed twice a day: in the morning and in the evening, observing the animal portion’s size. The quality of food affects the health of your pet and his coat. In winter, it is necessary to introduce fish oil and vegetable oils into the diet to eliminate your pet’s dry skin and improve the quality of his coat.
Training and Education
Representatives of the Bombay breed are unusually smart and obedient. It is not difficult to teach them to walk on a leash while walking through the city’s streets. Bombay is not a big fan of the street, but the cat will not refuse to spend time together on the street with the owner.
Use different toys so your pet can develop a practical skill other than biting and scratching your hands. After reaching the age of ten months, your pet will be able to turn on household appliances: the TV will not leave him indifferent, amusing the fan — it is very interesting to watch him. If you don’t want any surprises, unplug the appliances from the sockets.
The cat easily learns such skills as:
- Opening the door with his paw — whether this door leads to the bedroom or the refrigerator, it does not matter for him
- Flipping
- Executing commands (if you teach it, it will do it with pleasure)
- Play games with you
The cat does not tolerate rudeness. Just spray water on him, and he will immediately understand that.
Health
As this breed of cat is created artificially, its representatives have genetic diseases.
Important: Bombay cats have trouble breathing nasally because of the skull structure. Therefore, you should protect the cats from draughts, as they are prone to colds and are hard to bear.
From the American Shorthair breed, they inherited a predisposition to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (heart disease). This disease is manifested by the following signs: shortness of breath, rapid heartbeat, sleepiness, and fainting. If they show at least one of the symptoms, go to the veterinarian.
In addition to heart problems, bombs have diseases of the gums and eyes. To prevent disease in an animal, you should vaccinate it. The first vaccination of the kitten is carried out at the age of three months; after some time, to consolidate the result, it is revaccinated. At the age of eight months, the kitten is vaccinated again.
Gingivitis can occur in a variety of cats, including Bombays. Gingivitis is a gum disease that can cause inflammation and irritation to the gums. A good indication that your Bombay cat may have gingivitis is if she has bad breath.
Bad breath does not always mean dental trouble, but you should check with your vet. Research shows that more than 80 percent of pets (this includes Bombay cats) that are three years and older develop some form of gingivitis.
Common signs of gingivitis in Bombay cats include red or swollen gums. The inflammation is especially present on the side of the gums facing the inner cheeks. Bad breath, known as Halitosis, is another sign, although it can also signal other illnesses.
The schedule of vaccinations sets the veterinarian to whom you have entrusted the care of your pet’s health, and it should be kept. By paying proper attention to your pet, you will get a real friend who will give you the joy of communication and a good mood.
Questions and Answers
Are Bombay cats cuddly?
Bombay cats are very similar to small cougars but differ in their loyal and tender character.
Can a Bombay cat have a white spot?
The gene pool does not allow for white spots or even individual hairs for Bombay cats and kittens.
What are black long-haired cats called?
Black cats breeds:
- Persian cat;
- British cat;
- Scottish Fold;
- Siberian cat;
- Maine Coon;
- Oriental;
- Devon-Rex;
- Bombay cat.
Are Bombay cats healthy?
Both pedigree cats and mestizos have different health problems, which can be genetic in nature. Bombay cats are generally healthy, although one of the genetic diseases observed in Burmese was also observed in Bombay: craniofacial defect.
Are Bombay cats skinny?
This breed is not characterized by the skinny constitution, on the contrary, Bombay cats are very similar to cougars — muscular paws and beautiful torso.
Do Bombay cats like to swim?
If a Bombey cat is accustomed to water from childhood, it will be calm about water procedures. It is recommended to bathe these cats about once a month, the signal for this should be faded pet hair. You can use only special cat shampoos.
Are Bombay cats hypoallergenic?
Bombay cats are not technically hypo-allergic, but they do shed way less than most pets. These beautiful creatures have a short coat with fine hair and are relatively low maintenance.
Why does my cat stare at me for hours?
If a cat looks at you for about 3–4 seconds, then flashes and then turns its head in the opposite direction from you, it means that the cat will recognize you, but is not yet ready to communicate. This looks exactly like when people throw “hello” at each other when they meet you outside, nodding their heads slightly.
If your cat looks at you long and hard, it probably means that it feels threatened by you.
If your cat looks at you gently and behaves calmly and relaxed, it means that it knows you are a friend and loves you.
