Bombay Cats

Bombay Cat Breed Introduction

The Bombay cat breed was actually bred to look like a small, black Indian panther.

Bombay Behavior/Personality

Source: Cat Fancier's Association Breed Profile

Bombays are often thought to be dog-like, even relatively easily trained for a cat, even to the point that some Bombay caretakers walk their cats on leashes.

Bombay Breed Standard/Physical Description

Here are some facts on the Bombay breed based on the Cat Fanciers Association's breed standard.

• Head: rounded, broad between the eyes
• Muzzle: broad, rounded
• Ears: medium-sized, set well apart, with rounded tips
• Eyes: set far apart
• Body: medium-sized, muscular
• Legs: proportionate to body and tail
• Paws: round, with five toes in front and four in back
• Tail: straight and medium-long
• Coat: fine, short, shiny, with a satiny texture

Bombay History

Source: Cat Fancier's Association Breed Profile

The Bombay cat breed was deliberately bred to look like another animal--a panther. Nikki Horner, a cat breeder from Louisville, Kentucky, apparently often heard people say they had always wanted a panther for a cat. So, in 1953, she began the effort to breed a cat that looked like the black leopard of India: copper eyes and black short hair. She started with a male American Shorthair cat who had deep copper eyes and bred him with a Grand Champion Burmese female with deep black fur. Many breedings followed, not only between the cats of this new line, but also careful out-breedings-in fact, even today, breeders are allowed to out-breed with black American Shorthairs and sable Burmese cats. By the 1960s, a panther-like cat was born.

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