Balinese my cat!

Of all the unique cat breeds in the world, I find the Siamese the handsomest. Brown being my favorite color may have something to do with my top cat pick, but it also helps that Siamese have these tantalizing blue eyes that speak to you. Those eyes are also naturally cross-eyed and that makes the Siamese extra adorable.

I had my first Siamese years ago. His name was Kiko and I love him bar none. After Kiko passed away five years ago, I refused to take a Siamese replacement. But that changed when I had to adopt a Siamese pair who also have deep blue eyes but with bushier tails and longer fur.

(Left photo shows my Balinese, right photo shows my Siamese)

The difference prompted a Wikipedia search where I happily discovered that what I have adopted are probably Balinese cats, cousins of Siamese.

According to the Wikipedia entry, the traditional Balinese cat combines the unique personality and intelligence, robust body type, pointed coloring and the minimal shedding of the traditional Siamese. They are also referred to as "Applehead" Balinese because of their round heads.

I also read somewhere that Siamese cats are the Einstein among small cats so I was not surprised that the Balinese are also considered to be extremely intelligent as well as curious and loving. The Balinese are also noted for being fiercely loyal by always keeping tab of their master's whereabouts and sleeping outside their bedroom doors like a guard dog would. Like the Siamese, they too meow-talk. It takes a sensitive master to interpret those cat-words though.

This pure breed was not from Bali as many of us would think, but also from Siam. They were just named Balinese because their grace equal that of Balinese dancers, Wikipedia said. But if you ask Chong, he thinks he came from Garfield :)

Meanwhile, breeders later disturbed the natural order of things that resulted in the modern version of Balinese with a shorter coat on its body but longer hair on its tail. The traditional Balinese still exists, but "the pointed cat you find in a shelter, though it may look Balinese, is probably not a traditional Balinese", the Wikipedia entry warned. The interbreeding with Siamese and the really long-hair Himalayan breed, confused the gene pool, so to speak.

So do I really have a Balinese? Let's see..

Round head, check!
Smarts, check!
Curious, check!
Loving, check!
Meow-talks, check!
Graceful, check!
Plumy tail, check!
Sleeps and waits outside my door, major check!

Also, my cats love to play footsies and that, I think, give them more than enough "brownie points" to be confirmed as Balinese.

The two that changed my life

People and events can change one's life which applies to me, with the addition of a third factor: cats. Specifically, these two cats in the photo. The calico one at the forefront answers to a curious name: Colorrific. Next to him is his pretty and sassy sister Stella.

These two would knock on my bedroom door every morning as if to wake me and get me ready for the day. I stood up for these two and their kittens against people who saw them as garbage. It led to a chain of events that made me a stronger person although it was not easy. But who best to know how karma works than the creature said to have nine lives? Taking their furry side I never regretted because I really feel they gifted me with good karma.

Sushi my odd-eye cat

This is Sushi. An odd-eye all-white kitten I rescued from the Marikina city pound the day I was claiming my dog. I found her just outside the cage of a big boa constrictor that the pound people retrieved from a grassy area in my village.

I hate the pound people. But why I hate them I'll reserve for another post/s. Needless to say, their carelessness to leave a small kitten near the big boa constrictor just made me despise them even more.

I think the word aghast was written all over my face that the pound people suggested that I keep the kitten if I could. I love white kittens, and this one had one green eye and the other blue. What a shame if it becomes a snack of the boa constrictor.

Although I know my mother would protest, I took the kitten home. Luckily, mother didn't seem to mind. She must have pitied the kitten, too, because of the boa story I told her.

I named her Sushi which, I think, sounded sassy for this kitty with beautiful eyes. And cats generally love fish, so the name sushi was a shoo-in. Sushi got along really well with my two existing cats -- Angel, a big muscular all-white male cat with the disposition of an angel (hence the name), and Kiko, my deep-blue eyed male Siamese cat with a quiet demeanor and who I love to bits.

As far as I could remember, Sushi gave birth to several kittens before she disappeared one day...never to return. If it's any consolation, I still have some of her pictures like this one that reminds me how fantastic she looked. Sushi's my only cat with such unique eyes, which I later learned is a kind of condition that affects all-white cats. The odd-eyed coloring happens when melanin fails to reach the other eye during development because the cat's dominant white gene is, well, very dominant.


I don't think it's ugly at all. The Turks think so, too. According to Wikipedia, Turkey considers Turkish Angora cats with blue and amber eyes as national treasure. This information makes me happy for these cats. I wonder if it's a crime in Turkey to dump, hurt or run over these cats. They are just pretty just like my dear Sushi who I treasured, too.

Milky cats

Cats love milk. But most of my cats don't like milk. Except this Siamese family which can lap up all milk from a small carton box every morning. The mother cat still occasionally breastfeeds her kittens though. I give them Bear Brand Sterilized Milk in the morning when I have little time to prepare their solid meal. It's also the fastest way to shut them up even just for a while or until the last drop of milk is gone. :)

Flip-flop cat

I snapped this photo of one of my Siamese kittens (this is Maki, again) during one of her afternoon playtime. I didn't think much of it until I studied the photo. She's still not quite as tall as my 6" flip-flops that have seen better days. But she and my slippers share one thing in common. Can you see it? Maki's eyes are as blue as the flip-flops. And though she has no use for flip-flops, she and her siblings are natural when it comes to flipping and flopping everywhere around the house. :)

Hanging cat

This is Maki, a two-month old Siamese who loves to play in the garden during afternoons. I had new pots that are still empty hanging by a low tree and I thought of putting Maki there to see how she'd manage. She did fine for several minutes inside this "basket" which were all I needed to snap some photos. I want to shop for real cat baskets though for my dirty dozen (I have 12 cats, but they're not at all dirty), as the one I have is now all worn out. But pet stores price their cat baskets way too high. I can try making one, but I think my time is worth more than what a basket would cost. Maki seemed at first to be happy to sit in the hanging pot, but soon she wanted to go down to play with her siblings in the grass.

Cream but not sweet

People, meet Cream. He is Puff's brother. He is not a lap cat. He hates being carried around. He is not the typical sweet domestic cat.

However, Cream takes good care of his sister by always being at her side to fend off attacking cats. He doesn't go out of his way to pick fights with older and younger cats in the house. He seems to follow the motto "live and let live" and he is simply content to play with his sister and his cotton mouse. Most people won't like him, but I try very hard to see the best in him. I admit he is not one of my favorites, but I'm fair enough to give him his own solo entry in this blog.

Cream is one of those cats who walk by himself, a "cold" trait that somehow helps him to standout in a house full of needy cats. :)