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 Cat Breeds - There are a variety of different cat breeds. Read about the many domestic cat breeds, including the Maine Coon and Siamese cats. And view the many cat breeds pictures to see how each breed differs dramatically in coat length and overall look.
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Javanese. Cat breed information on the Javanese - member of the Siamese family. Read all about the history of these talkative, curious cats as well as other typical Javanese characteristics.
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JAVANESE
The Javanese is part of the Siamese family. Like Siamese, Javanese are
busy, talkative, curious cats that demand lots of attention.
They enjoy playing and are partial to high spaces. Once they have
settled down, these affectionate cats are happy to curl up on your
lap.
History
Breeders long recognized that when Siamese were crossed
with domestic shorthairs to produce Colourpoints, the recessive gene
for long hair sometimes found its way into the gene pool.
These
longhaired Colorpoints were effectively recycled as
Javanese-longhaired Siamese in nontraditional colours.
Other breeders began with Balinese--the longhaired Siamese in
traditional Siamese point colours--and crossed them with Colourpoints
to produce kittens that were longhaired, pointed, and splashed with
colour.
Some appeared in litters of Colourpoint Shorthairs, most
likely a result of the longhair gene being introduced via the
domestic shorthair when the red, lynx and tortie point colours and
patterns were first introduced to the Siamese breed.
Most are the
result of Balinese breeders using the Colourpoint Shorthair to
introduce these colours and patterns into the Balinese breed.
The
Javanese standard is identical to that of the Balinese - a cat of
Siamese type with long flowing coat, the only difference being in
the colours accepted for championship competition.
Description
The ideal Javanese is a svelte cat with long tapering
lines, very lithe but strong and muscular. To the eye, the Javanese
often appears to have softer lines than a Siamese because of the
longer hair.
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Since the fur is only semi-long and lacks the downy
undercoat, the coat doesn't tangle and even show cats require little
grooming.
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The wedge-shaped head, large ears and blue eyes are all
typically Siamese. The Javanese's standard is
almost identical to the Siamese's and to the standards of the other
Siamese-related breeds.
The main difference lies in the colour
schemes and hair lengths.
The Javanese has a sleek, tubular body; long, thin legs; a
wedge-shaped head; blue, almond-shaped eyes; large, pointed ears;
and a tapering, plumed tail. The medium-length coat is close-lying
and silky and does not mat easily.
The Javanese may have points that are solid red or cream,
lynx-patterned in red or cream (as well as in the traditional
Siamese colours), or tortie-patterned
Special Requirements
Easy to care for, their coats never mat and tend
to shed less than the Siamese or Colourpoints, truly a 'lazy man's
longhair? - an occasional combing and bath to refresh the sensuous
silky texture of their coat is all that is necessary outside of
regular nail clipping.
The Javanese is generally a healthy breed
but can suffer from the same defects as the Siamese: crossed eyes
due to an inherited neurological defect and nystagmus (a slight but
very rapid jerking back-and-forth of the eyes).
Endocardial
fibroelastosis (a congenital heart disease) is a more serious
anomaly that can be found in some Siamese lines.
Javanese need lots
of playtime and companionship, either human or animal.
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Site written by Gemma Littlemore