The Bombay

"Patent-Leather Kids with The New Penny Eyes"

by Nikki Horner
 

Originally published in the Nov. 1991 issue of the CFA Almanac ©1991 The Cat Fanciers Assoc.

 
 

GRC Road To Fame Return To Shawnee, female Bombay. Br: Herb & Suzanne Zwecker. Ow: Nikki Horner. CFA’s Best Bombay 1987-88 and 22nd Highest Scoring Cat Nationally and 2nd Best Bombay 1988-89.

  
 

      The Bombay’s origin is written without conjecture inasmuch as I am the originator of the breed.  Cat breeding to me is an artistic endeavor. You could say all breeders are artists striving for a living masterpiece of fur.  The Shawnee Cattery was established in 1945 and I have worked with a number of breeds including both Burmese and black American Shorthairs. As I looked at these two breeds, I had a vision of what the combination could look like: a black Burmese with copper eyes. I envisioned a cat with the Burmese musculature and the black coat and gold to copper eyes of the American. With it’s lithe, muscular carriage and the beautiful sheen of it’s black coat, I named these mini-panthers Bombay--for the black leopard of India and the city of Bombay

   

A People Loving “Panther”

     The Bombay is a cat with superior stamina, prolific and healthy. As a bonus, I wound up with a silky coat that invites caressing. The feel of the  mature show cat is an experience one does not forget. You’ll find that the Bombay enjoys a gentle caress as much as you like stroking it’s fur, because other side effects of the Burmese/American cross are a remarkable intelligence (Bombays are the model for feline curiosity) and a people oriented personality much like the Burmese. I do believe,  However, that the Bombay isn’t quite as vocal as the Burmese.  The Bombay is neither standoffish nor a shy wallflower.

  

GRP, CH NW Ratatat’s Betty Boopers of Djas, spay Bombay. Br: Sharon Knight.      Ow: Dick & Jay Graves. CFA’s 6th Best  in PremierShip in 1987-88.

     It’s wants constant attention and will (pardon the expression) “dog” your footsteps for it! Both Bombays and Burmese can become very bothersome in their attachment to their owners and their desire for constant attention. They want to be in the center of everything! They go so far as to hover over the water while your cleaning up -- and some of them will even get in the water with to be with you while you’re bathing. I had a Bombay that often and of  her own volition, joined me in the bathtub. Some Bombays are real waterbugs. If you doubt it, just ask Dick Graves. He told me that his cat Reve has taken showers with him -- honest!  Quite often I have to shut myself away from them to accomplish a task. Once a lady returned a Bombay to me with the comment, “I wanted a pet, not a shadow.” That was a learning experience. I avoided such future “refunds” by telling prospective owners beforehand, and in complete detail, about the cat’s traits and personality

 

 

Late Bloomers

To the general public, Bombay kittens look very ordinary. The magnificence of the cat-to-be does not begin to emerge until kittens are about four months old, when they develop sleek, shiny coats and penetrating eyes. The delayed duckling-to-swan transformation does not elicit instant attraction from prospective kitten owners. Typical comments on a kitten before if gains its coat and eye color include, “It’s just an ordinary black cat!” OR “My Aunt Susie has one just like that, but she found it at the Humane Society.” Bombays mature very slowly. The earliest sale should be 12 to 14 weeks, and even then their quality is difficult to assess.  Show quality may not begin to be evident until six to seven months. A rough coat may transform itself into a short, sleek and shiny coat covering a well-muscled body. I’ve known of the best not maturing to really win until a year or 18 months, and they continue to mature and   improve with age.

GRC, CH Road to Fame’s Mabel Black Label, female Bombay. Br/Ow: Herb & Suzanne Zwecker. CFA’s 10th Best Cat 1982-83

  

     While Bombays are slow in developing external breed characteristics, they are precocious when it comes to breeding:  Some are sexually active as early as five months, though seven to eight months is the average. The Bombay’s relatively early sexual development in a result of it’s hybridization.  Bombays are very easy to groom and exhibit.  The cats have very good appetites, and with good nutrition and grooming they are very rewarding to exhibit.
 

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