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The Bombay is a solid, powerful, muscular cat with huge copper eyes and a midnight-black coat that shines like black patent leather.  The combination is spectacular, and resembles a miniature panther or black leopard.  The Bombay is a man-made breed first developed by crossing a black American Shorthair with a sable Burmese.

The late Nikki Horner developed the intention to create this “fantasy” cat to resemble the black leopard of India, and named the breed she did eventually create, the “Bombay,” after the city in India.  She wanted a cat with the sleek, short, tight coat of the Burmese, in the darkest black, derived from the American Shorthair , with eyes that lit up like shiny new copper pennies.

Her early efforts were unsuccessful but, undeterred, she kept trying to fulfill her vision, and the combinations she tried, beginning in 1965, finally led to success: a stunning cat with good muscular development and a very short, close-lying black coat. Other breeders jumped in and continued the breeding program, and the CFA accepted the Bombay for championship showing in 1976.

The Bombay combines the easy-going, relaxed nature of the American Shorthair with the inquisitive, loving, and loyal personality of the very social Burmese.  Bombays love to be in your company, and will greet you joyously at the door.  They also greet visitors with the same loving enthusiasm.  Expect your Bombay to be as close to you as possible, no matter what you are doing.  The Bombay loves the entire family and is particularly great with children since it is always ready to play.  However, the Bombay’s craving for company means that it becomes unhappy if left alone for long periods of time, so it is not the best breed choice for an owner who is absent most of the day.

The Bombay shares many of the behavioral characteristics of the Burmese.  They are adaptable to apartment living and are generally calm.  A Bombay will often accept dogs in the household more quickly than it will adapt to other cats, since the Bombay usually wants to be the dominant cat in the household.  They are intelligent, actively seek interaction with humans, and love to play games.  Many retrieve and can be taught to do tricks.  Some have been successfully leash-trained.

The Bombay comes in one color--black--the deepest, densest black imaginable, with a high gloss sheen that is reminiscent of patent leather. The coat is short and close-lying, and the color of a good Bombay is black to the roots.  Allowance should be made in coat color and texture for kittens and younger cats up to two years of age, as they do not become fully mature until around the age of two.

The large eyes are anywhere from a deep, rich gold to a shiny copper--just like new copper pennies.  The gleaming coat is tight and short and hugs the muscular body, so you can watch the muscles ripple as your mini-panther stalks imaginary prey in the living room.  The Bombay is a small to medium-sized cat with a robust bone structure to support the powerful, muscular body.  They are surprisingly heavy for their size.  An adult Bombay male will typically weigh between eight and eleven pounds; females between five and nine pounds.

The head is rounded with no sharp angles and the large eyes are wide-set, giving the face a sweet expression. The ears are medium sized, set well apart, and sit tilted forward.  The short coat sheds very little, sometimes not at all, so it does not require much maintenance.   An occasional bath will help keep the coat shiny and lift off any loose dirt, while a quick rubdown with a rubber brush will remove any loose hairs.  The Bombay’s favorite grooming tool is your own hands, lovingly stroking your kitty,  imparting a little natural oil that will help the sheen of the coat.  For tip-top shine, a quick polish with a chamois cloth is recommended.

Bombays have loud purrs and very distinctive voices.  Some Bombay cats can be quite talkative and meow a lot--when you get home from work or wake up in the morning, for example--whereas others may be remarkably quiet.  Bombays typically prefer to live indoors rather than to be outdoors cats.  They are “heat-seekers” too, who will actually sleep on their owners for warmth, or even under the covers.

Overall, the Bombay is a sensitive, intelligent, and elegant cat that is perfect for a first-time cat owner, or an old pro cat fancier.

Dr. Brian Bailey and his wife Cynthia graciously agreed to talk with me on the phone for a bit about the Bombays and Burmese that they raise in their cattery, Pandora Cats.  The two breeds share many traits, since Bombays are half-Burmese, but we tried to focus mainly on the Bombay in our chat.  (See my pending article on the Burmese for more information.)

The first thing that Dr. Bailey said, with great enthusiasm, is that the Bombay is “the perfect cat.” During the course of his life, Dr. Bailey has raised quite a number of different breeds, and he has concluded by now that the Bombay (and the Burmese) are his favorite cats.  He said that they have the “right level of friendliness,” that they are curious, affectionate, and attentive, without being “in your face” intrusive.  He added that you don’t have to do anything at all to care for them, except “feed them, and love them.”

Dr. Bailey particularly praised the nature of the coat of the Bombay, telling me that his Bombay do not shed at all; that there is never any Bombay hair to clean up, and that they require really minimal grooming assistance.  The reason for this is that they have very little undercoat in their brilliantly shiny black fur.

He agreed that Bombays can get very lonely without their people, or another cat around, but also expressed his opinion that this is true of all cats.  I know this to be true, as I myself first entered into the pure-bred experience with a single Bengal cat, and he became so lonely that eventually, he ran away (there is more to the story than just that, of course.)  After grieving and searching for months, I went ahead and procured two new Bengal kittens, and they have been way happier together than my solitary Leopold was.

Dr. Bailey also shared that the Bombay’s desire to stay warm can lead to some pretty funny situations.  For example, his Bombay female prefers to sleep in his armpit, or between his legs at night!

Dr. Bailey, who has written a recent book on human health called “Metabolic Syndrome 2011,” (available through Amazon.com and other sources) further emphasized the great importance of good care for cats from kitten -hood on.  With the right kind of care and attention, and a really healthy balanced diet, his own cats have lived to be fifteen to twenty years old—leading long happy lives, giving and receiving great companionship, pleasure, and love!

To reach Dr. and Mrs. Bailey, see their website for their cattery, Pandora Cats.

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