The Bombay Cat

 Bombay Cat Info: History 

Nikki Horner started to develop the Bombay cat breed in 1953 from combining black American Shorthairs with Burmese cats. She wanted a cat breed with a dark black coat and bright copper penny eyes.

Early efforts were unsuccessful and in 1965 she finally found a winning breed combination. In 1970 when the breed was accepted for championship competitions, Nikki Horner stopped breeding cats, but other breeders worked to keep the breed alive.

Herb and Suzanne Zwecker were two people who had a major influence on the Bombay cat breed’s development and progression. They developed new lines and in 1979, TICA accepted the Bombay for championship competitions.

 Bombay Cat Info: Description 

To get an idea of the look of the Bombay, just think of a small version of the Black Panther. The Bombay cat comes in one color only – black. Imagine the deepest, darkest, midnight black you can and you will have an idea of the color of this cat’s coat.

The tight, short coat has a shiny, glossy sheen to it that makes grooming easy. A brushing once a week to remove loose hair is all that is needed to keep the coat in top condition.

This cat breed is medium sized and well muscled. The ears are medium sized and set well apart. The head is rounded with large wide-set eyes. The Bombay cat’s eyes can be rich gold or copper colored and makes for a stunning contrast to the black coat.

The Bombay breed standards call for brilliant copper eyes but as this is a very hard color to achieve, gold is accepted as well.

 Bombay Cat Info: Personality & Temperament 

The Bombay is an easy-going, inquisitive and loving cat that loves to play and play some more. They are very people-orientated and will greet you and any visitors at the door.

This cat breed simply loves to be around people and does not do well on its own. You should consider getting a companion cat if you are going to be leaving your Bombay alone for long periods of time.

If properly integrated, the Bombay cat gets along well with other pets such as dogs and because of its loving nature, is the perfect cat to have with children.

Health Issues

The Bombay cat and the Burmese are closely related and share the same health and genetic problems. These two cat breeds have the same head and body type.

Some of the main health issues of the Bombay cat include cranial deformities, breathing problems and excessive eye tearing due to the foreshortened nose.