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Ours certainly
is not the first era to recognize the need for variety. An
ancient Chinese proverb states, "Sour, sweet, bitter, pungent,
all must be tasted." It was the famous British poet and hymnist
William Cowper, writing in the early 1780s, who first wrote,
"Variety is the very spice of life," to which Johnny Carson
added in the '60s, "If variety is the spice of life, marriage
is the big can of leftover Spam."
If variety
truly does make life taste better, however, then never before
has an age experienced such succulence. Thanks to industrialization,
technology and globalization, coupled with an ever-changing
and expanding population, the choices available to us are
greater than ever before. We can pick from apparel available
in every color under the rainbow - and some that aren't -
while enjoying exotic cuisines from the farthest corners of
the world. Thanks to advances in science, we have a truly
astonishing array of medicines and procedures to treat, and
often cure, diseases that debilitated our grandparents' generation.
New advances in science have also carried over to the animal
world, where we not only have the ability to create new breeds
of animals, but also, through cloning, can create an exact
copy of an animal that already exists.
A
Cat for Everyone
The cat
fancy has been forever changed by this era of endless variety,
as well. Today the different types of cat available are no
longer restricted by environmental conditions and random genetics.
Enthusiasts literally have dozens of breeds to select from
in choosing the cat that is perfect for them, and if none
of these choices is just right, then they have the know-how
to create a breed that is.
The Javanese
is such a cat, for the breed is one in a line of Siamese-style
cats created through the efforts of breeders who wanted to
take the qualities of the Siamese and alter the coat and colors
to their own preferences. Like the Balinese, the Oriental
shorthair and longhair, and the colorpoint shorthair, the
Javanese bears strong resemblance to the Siamese in terms
of conformation and personality type. The difference, as they
say, is in the details, and it is in areas such as coat length,
color and pattern where the Javanese distinguishes itself
from its Siamese ancestors.
The Javanese
and the Balinese are so closely related, in fact, that some
consider them to be the same cat. This may or may not be true,
depending of your point of view, but the history of the two
breeds is undeniably linked. Longhaired Siamese kittens began
appearing in Europe around the time of World War I. Two different
theories attempt to explain how this occurred. The first is
that this was a naturally occurring mutation in the Siamese.
The second proposes that the longhair gene was introduced
into Siamese stock during and directly after the war, at a
time when the Siamese gene pool in Europe was almost obliterated
and breeders may have used other breeds to help rejuvenate
the bloodline.
Longhaired
Siamese were considered an anomaly well into the 1920s and
1930s, and no one began a serious effort to establish the
cats as a separate breed until the 1940s, when several breeders
began working with longhaired cats born in purebred Siamese
litters. Many Siamese breeders opposed these efforts because
they did not believe the longer hair was a natural mutation.
Nevertheless, development of the cats persisted, until it
was clear a distinctive name was needed to distinguish the
cats from the Siamese. Helen Smith, one of the earliest and
most avid breeders of these cats, suggested the name Balinese,
because the cats' sleek yet graceful appearance reminded her
of the traditional dancers from the isle of Bali. Although
these cats bore absolutely no connection to Bali, the name
stuck, in large part because it suggested an exotic heritage.
Balinese
breeders, hampered by the Siamese breeders who wouldn't sell
them top-quality breeding stock, struggled to refine the body
type of the breed, and after years of work, they finally achieved
success. By 1970, the year the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA)
granted championship, all the major United States associations
recognized the breed. Like the Siamese, the Balinese comes
in four pointed colors: seal, blue, chocolate and lilac. Another
Siamese-related breed, the colorpoint shorthair, was also
gaining recognition throughout the late '60s and early '70s.
This cat shared the short coat of the Siamese as well its
body style, personality and coat length. It also shared the
Siamese's pointed color pattern, but in the untraditional
colors of red, cream, tortoiseshell and lynx (tabby) points.
As both
the Balinese and the colorpoint shorthair gained acceptance,
breeders became intrigued by the idea of a cross between the
two breeds. It wasn't long before that idea became a reality,
and Balinese breeders began using the colorpoint shorthair
to introduce that breed's designer colors into the Balinese
line. Breeders soon needed a name to describe these longhaired
colorpoint cats, and they turned to a familiar source of inspiration
- the South Seas. The Javanese isn't from the isle of Java
any more than the Balinese is from Bali, but the name had
a suitable romantic ring and the two islands are closely related
to one another, just like the cats that bear their names.
Exotic
Excitement
Like
its exotic name suggests, the Javanese is a breed for folks
who want a little spice in their lives. Known for their curiosity
and intelligence, Javanese won't settle for being ignored
and will actively involve themselves in your life and activities.
You can't outsmart a Javanese, either, for they have an uncanny
ability to learn your behaviors and routines, even to the
point where they will remind you in their soft but determined
voice that you are late for a very important event such as
their dinner. In fact, Javanese cats, like the Siamese and
other Siamese-related breeds often have a preoccupation with
food. Some will burn off the extra calories in playful antics,
but care must be taken that couch potatoes don't become overweight.
Many
fanciers say Javanese are easy to train. Others may argue
that the Javanese is good at training you - some are known
to "fetch"; in actuality, however, the cat has taught its
owner to "throw." Their voice is softer than a Siamese's but
just as active. Frequent meows seem definite attempts to communicate,
and they look you directly in the eye awaiting an answer.
The Javanese
is a perfect breed for our variety-crazed society, for breed
enthusiasts insist that the personality of a Javanese varies
with its color. Tortie points are regarded as the class clowns
of the Javanese, with an outgoing, eager-to-please demeanor.
They speak their minds freely and are eager to entertain with
their antics. Red and cream points are considered more laid
back, easygoing and affectionate. Lynx points often have a
regal, dignified demeanor to accompany their dramatic good
looks.
Currently
the CFA is the only registry that separates the breeds into
the classifications colorpoint shorthair and Javanese. The
other registries merely extend the color parameters of the
Siamese and the Balinese to include the wider ranges of colors.
This is because some breeders feel that separating the Balinese
and the Javanese is like splitting cat hairs; both breeds
share a body type, personality and coat. This opinion, however,
seems to go against our widely held belief that more variety
is better. Although the Javanese may share many of its characteristics
with other breeds, its unique colors and beautiful appearance
have a style and appeal all their own. Just ask a Javanese
owner - this beautiful, distinctive cat will add spice to
any life.
The
Building Code
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. Since the fur is only semi-long and lacks the downy
undercoat, the coat doesn't tangle and even show cats require
little grooming. The wedge-shaped head, large ears and blue
eyes are all typically Siamese. As you would expect, 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 color schemes and hair lengths. The Javanese is generally
a healthy breed but can suffer from the same defects as the
Siamese. Endocardial fibroelastosis (a congenital heart disease)
is a more serious anomaly that can be found in some Siamese
lines.
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