Bombay — questions to ask before paying a deposit
A responsible breeder will have these readily available. Deflection is a red flag.
Burmese head defectcan shorten life or cause chronic pain
A fatal skull and facial malformation traced to the breed's Burmese parentage (Bombay was developed by crossing black American Shorthairs with sable Burmese). Two copies of the mutation are incompatible with life; one copy causes no defect but can shorten the face.
Ask to see: UC Davis VGL Burmese head defect (ALX1) DNA test result, on both parents
UC Davis VGL — Burmese head defect test (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/burmese-head-defect)
Burmese hypokalemia
An inherited episodic muscle weakness, also traced to the Burmese side of the breed's ancestry, causing some cats to have trouble walking or holding their head up during a flare. It is generally manageable with dietary potassium supplementation.
Ask to see: UC Davis VGL Burmese hypokalemia (WNK4) DNA test result, on both parents
UC Davis VGL — Burmese hypokalemia test (https://vgl.ucdavis.edu/test/burmese-hypokalemia)