Bombay
Bred to look like a small black panther, down to black nose leather and black paw pads. The eyes are copper, and the coat is patent leather rather than matte.
Overview
The Bombay was made to look like a small black panther and the standard is unforgiving about it. The cat must be black to the roots, with black nose leather and black paw pads, and the eyes must be copper or gold.
It was created in Kentucky in the 1950s by crossing sable Burmese to black American Shorthairs, so underneath the patent leather coat it is essentially a Burmese in build and in temperament.
Temperament
Outgoing, heat seeking and relentlessly affectionate. Bombays want laps, they want under the covers, and they want to be carried.
They are talkative in the Burmese way and they are more dog like than most cats, learning to fetch and often walking on a lead. They do not cope well with being left alone for long days.
Care and grooming
A weekly rub down with a rubber brush or a chamois brings the coat up, and that is the whole of it.
The Burmese ancestry brings the Burmese concerns: the WNK4 hypokalaemia variant, and the craniofacial defect in some lines. Both have tests. Bombays also run to a stocky build and put on weight easily.
Living and exercise
Indoors, warm, and with people about. This is a cat that seeks out the warmest spot in the house and stays there.
Excellent with children and with dogs. Twelve to sixteen years is usual, and a Bombay is one of the more consistently affectionate breeds anyone can buy.
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