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The Patent Leather Kid, the mini-panther, both describe the regal Bombay – Prince of Cats – a people-oriented, fun loving, affectionate feline who doesn’t think of himself as a cat…thus is best described this black, copper-eyed bundle of fun known as The Bombay…..

Originally published in the Feb. 1985 issue of Cat World

Ch Axtell's Eyes of Texas of Fejuko

© 1985 Cats/Cat World Magazine

Owned by Fenton and Judy Kovic ©Chanan  photo

  The Bombay is a minority breed with probably fewer than 400 of these beauties in existence.  The breed was first developed by Mrs. Nikki Horner (Shawnee) in the late 1950s and has taken over 25 years to come to its present look.

     They were first accepted for championship in 1976 by The Cat Fanciers Association.  The first grand champion was Gr Ch Kejo Kyrie, a female owned and bred by Patt Taylor.  The first CFA male grand was Gr Ch Kejo Zanzabar of Gotagato, also bred by Patt Taylor and owned by Joanne Pantaze.  Zanzabar was Kyrie’s only son and has fathered some fine Bombays.  One of them is TICA and CFA Gr Ch Gotagato Jacqueline.  Jacqueline had a son by T. Texas Tyler named Gotagato Blackberry Wine of Miraj, bred by Joanne Pantaze and owned by Colin Kovic.  Blackberry Wine supremed in TICA and his only son, Kat’s ‘n’ Klamms Bayberry of Fejuko, bred by Ron and Wendy Klamm and owned by Colin Kovic has recently supremed in TICA.

     Perfection is what every breeder strives for, and Bombay breeders are no different.  Bombay breeders are trying, and in most cases, achieving the results that Nikki started out trying to develop when she mated a Black American Shorthair with a Burmese.  More and more one can see these striking beauties from the east to the west coast in the shows of the three associations that recognize them: The Cat Fanciers Association, The International Cat Association, and The American Cat Fanciers Association.  The breed is now also registerable  in The Cat Fanciers Federation but is not yet admitted to championship competition.

     Is the Bombay a black Burmese?. . . a black American Shorthair?  No! – although some breeders will want you to accept this a genetically true.  Then what is a Bombay?  Let’s start with the head and work our way back over the body.  The HEAD of the Bombay has to be round, with no trace of flat planes on the forehead.  The roundness should be evident whether viewed from the front of the side.  The eyes should have distance between them and should be large and round, carrying a gold or copper color.  The more intense the copper coloring the better quality the cat is considered to be.  A green-eyed Bombay is immediately disqualified from judging in all associations.

     The nose should present a visible exaggerated stop (“break” in some standards) but should not have the extreme look found in Persians.  Between Bombay breeders there is a variance in the degree of break depending on what the breeder wants, but all agree that the break should not be so extreme as to affect the animal’s health.  The adult Bombay should have a short, well-developed muzzle that contributes to the round look of the head, and the jawline should present a rounded chin that is set neither too far back nor too far forward.  The nose leather and paw pads of the adult Bombay should be black.  The ears should be of medium size, broad at the base and slightly rounded at the tips.  They should be set well apart and a rounded skull and should tilt forward slightly forward.  Some variance is made in judging eye color since many Bombays have more gold eye color, but the ultimate for Bombay perfection is the copper eye color.

     Now we come to the part that is given the most points in judging – THE BODY.  The fur must be lack to the roots and satin-like in texture.  The coat needs to be short and the adult Bombay should look as if its coat is painted on.  With the light at certain angles, the coat should have a look of black ice crystals.  The body shape should be similar to that of the Burmese but at the same time have its own definite distinctions.  The body should exhibit muscular strength.  The Bombay should stand just slightly taller on his hind legs and the body should be just slightly longer that the Burmese, representing neither a rangy nor a cobby body.  The tail should be of medium length and circumference, being neither whippy nor overly thick.

     Recent changes in one cat association, TICA have resulted in the Bombay and Burmese standards being combined.  Because of this the breed committee s for both breeds are also being combined, with five Burmese and five Bombay members and a chairperson over the committee elected from the ten.  This committee will be a revised Bombay/Burmese standard.  In TICA only the sable Bombay will now be registered as an AOV (Any Other Variety)  Burmese, and it will be at the breeders discretion if he chooses to show the AOV as a Burmese.  A TICA officer explained this action was being taken because some people felt the Burmese breed was on it’s way to extinction because of its small gene and genetic problems.  It was felt , he said, that the Burmese breeders would thus have an opportunity to get “new blood” onto their lines.  He also said he felt Bombay are Burmese people were trying to get the same look and this would be to their advantage.  It is difficult at this point to know how the Bombay will be judged, whether by the current standard or the current Burmese standard, as a new standard must now be written encompassing both.  The following is the current Bombay Standard of Points used in both CFA and TICA:

HEAD AND EARS (25 points 

Roundness of head

Full face and proper profile

Ears

Chin

EYES (5 Points)

Placement and shape

BODY (20 points)

Body

1

Tail

COAT (20 points)

Shortness

1

Texture

Close Lying

COLOR (30 points)

Body color

2

Eye color

1

HEAD: The head should be pleasingly rounded with no sharp angles.  The face should be full with considerable breadth between the eyes, tapering slightly to a short, well-developed muzzle.  In profile there should be a visible nose break; however, it should not present a “pugged” or “snubbed” look.

EARS: The ears should be medium in size and set well apart on a rounded skull, alert and tilting slightly forward, broad at the base and with slightly rounded tips.

CHIN: The chin should be firm, neither receding nor protruding, reflecting a proper bite. 

EYES: Set far apart with rounded aperture.

BODY: Medium in size, muscular in development, neither compact nor rangy.  Allowance is to be made for larger size in males.

LEGS: In proportion to body and tail.

TAIL: Straight, medium in length; neither short nor whippy.

COAT: Fine, short, satin-like texture; close lying with a shimmering patent leather sheen

COLOR: The mature specimen should be black to the roots.  Kitten coats should darken and become more sleek with age.  Nose leather: Black. Paw Pads: Black. Eye Color: Ranging form gold to copper, the greater the depth and brilliance the better

DISQUALIFY: Lockets or spots.  Nose leather or paw pads other than black.  Green eyes. Improper bite.  Extreme break that interferes with normal breathing and tearing of the eyes.

THE INTERNATIONAL CAT ASSOCIATION

     The points count is the same in both TICA and CFA standards.  The only difference is CFA states: “Paws: Round. Toes: five in front, four in back.” And lists as a disqualification: Incorrect number of toes.”, whereas TICA does not.

     There is naturally some question in the minds of Bombay and Burmese breeders as to how this combination will work out.  As it now stands, in TICA a sable Bombay will be registerable and showable as a Burmese.  However, if you wish to register that same cat in any other association in must be as a sable Bombay and it is not eligible to be shown as only black Bombays may be shown.  There is still some reluctance of the part of many Burmese breeders to use these Bombay-blood carrying cats in their breeding programs.  Time and careful consideration will be essentials in resolving this new breeding issue.

     When the TICA Bombay breed committee was asked to vote on closing their registry to American Shorthairs the membership by and large approved.  However, now that the Bombay and Burmese standards have been combined and sable Bombays are allowed to be registered and shown as Burmese, the TICA Bombay breeders may wish to have this decision reversed.  Some of the members feel that if we don’t reopen the ASH outcross, we will soon be in the same gene-limited situation in which the Burmese breeders currently find themselves.

     Overseas interest has been growing.  Bombays have been sold to breeders in Japan in the last year and there is a breeder in Switzerland, so it appears that this marvelous breed will soon be seen competing in shows through the cat world.

     As to personality, one has only to spend a shot time with them to find out this is a people-oriented breed.  A Bombay would rather be around people than around other cats and will make this preference known to its owner.  Most Bombays like to be picked up and fussed over.  In relationship to other cats in the home, the Bombay will usually assume the dominant role.  Most owners will tell you their Bombay is more a lover than an aggressor in personality and it seems these cats can never be given too much love, attention, or hands-on action.  Bombays are also be-cats, seeming to prefer under-cover sleeping.  They are not much as talkers but, by the same token, it there is something they want you to know you can be sure they will have their say.  As hybrids, these cats exhibit the best traits of both breeds that went into their make-up.  Thus it is easy to see why the Bombay is affectionately termed the princely Bombay, or The Prince of Cats.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

     Judy Kovic and her husband live in East Texas where they operate a business dealing with jet helicopter engine parts.  They have been breeding and showing Bombays for 2 ½ years.  Their cattery now represents several lines as they are now attempting to bring new blood into their breedings.  Some of the backgrounds are: Burmese – Cib-A-Barr, Concho; Bombay – Gotagato, Axtell, Kat’s ‘n’ Klamms Sankachi, Road To Fame and Fejuko.