Cat breed · Canada
The Javanese, also known as the Colorpoint (or Colourpoint) Longhair in some registries (though that name has other meanings), is a variety of purebred domestic cat.
In the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA), it is an offshoot of the Balinese breed, out-crossed to Siamese, Colorpoint Shorthair, and Balinese cats. Individuals have medium-longhair and non-traditional point coloration (lynx/tabby point, tortoiseshell point or red/cream point). The variety was developed in North America; its name is derived from the tradition of naming Oriental-type cats after Southeast Asian places.
Depending on the cat registry in question, the Javanese may be treated as a stand-alone breed, considered a Javanese division of the Balinese, or subsumed with the Himalayan into a merged breed called simply Colourpoint. In others, the cats considered non-traditional colored Balinese cats by the CFA, are also accepted as Balinese cats. Confusingly, some registries refer to what other registries refer to as the Oriental Longhair as Javanese. (See § Classification below for details; this article focuses on the CFA breed/sub-breed.)
Behavior: It is noted as an intelligent cat and tends to vocalize, often for no apparent reason; this is also a trait of the Siamese ancestor. They are notably fond of play, jumping and human contact, vocalizing, and getting into whatever their owners are doing and can become depressed if not regularly entertained by humans or other pets. They are reportedly good mouse hunters.
Origin: The term Javanese cat was coined by a Helen Smith of MerryMews Cattery circa 1950, but for a different variety she was working on. It is unknown if she had ever traveled to Indonesia. The name was derived from the tradition of using the names of the countries and islands of south-east Asia for Oriental cat breeds.
Around 1978, breeders of Balinese cats in Canada and the United States, affiliated primarily with the clubs Balinese Internationale and Balinese Breeders and Fanciers of America, sought acceptance from the US-headquartered, international Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) of their "new colors" (variations on the traditional point-colored Balinese). The cats were accepted for registration but not competition into the CFA in 1979, but only as a new breed rather than as a division of Balinese; the name "Javanese" (independent of Helen Smith's use of it in the 1950s) was selected by looking at a map and picking Java, an island near Bali. CFA awarded "Provisional" status in 1984, and the CFA Javanese gained full "Championship" status in the organization in 1986.
The Javanese, under CFA definitions, was merged back into Balinese as the Javanese Division in 2008, to be more consistent with other registries' coat-color rules.
