- Shimmering jet black, even to the roots, giving the appearance of patent leather.
About the Bombay
Origin: United States
View Bombay breedersSee Bombay kittens
No breeder is on record here yet. Portugal’s FIFe member club does not list this breed in its breeder directory at all, so an absence here says nothing about whether anyone breeds it in Portugal.
- Typical life span
- 12-18 years
- Size
- Medium — from its typical weight
- Weight
- 3.6-6.8 kg
- Height
- 25-30 cm
- Registry status
- Recognised by TICA
- Breed group
- Short-haired
- Origin
- United States
- Known hereditary risks
- 2 documented conditions, with the test for each
About
What is a Bombay?
Medium-sized, muscular jet-black cat with striking copper or gold eyes. Bred to resemble a miniature black panther with a sleek, patent-leather coat.
Bombay history and origins
Created in the 1950s by breeder Nikki Horner in Louisville, Kentucky, by crossing black American Shorthairs with sable Burmese. Goal was to create a cat resembling a miniature black panther.
Bombay appearance and size
Typically 3.6-6.8 kg and 25-30 cm at the shoulder — published as one range rather than separately for males and females.
Bombay temperament and personality
Generally described as affectionate, dependent, gentle, intelligent, playful and social.
That is the breed in general, not a promise about one animal. Ask the breeder what their own line is like, and meet the parents before you decide.
Breed reference from The Cat API.
Characteristics
- Size
- Medium
- Exercise needs
- —
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- —
- Grooming needs
- 2 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- 2 conditions documented
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Bombay
What you get with the Bombay
- Low grooming needs, fitting for a busy owner — the coat is “Short. Silky and close lying.”
- Commonly described as: “Affectionate, Dependent, Gentle, Intelligent”
What you are taking on
- One serious inherited condition is documented, in brain & nerves. The health guide tab has the test to ask a breeder for.
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FIFe breed standard; The Cat API; UC Davis VGL — Burmese head defect test. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FIFe standard · Bombay
Coat and colour
As the FIFe standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Short.
Silky and close lying.
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FIFe’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
Shortened from FIFe standard BOM — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source.
Temperament
AffectionateDependentGentleIntelligentPlayfulSocial
Breed-level information from The Cat API. It describes the Bombay in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
Health & screening guide for the Bombay
Known hereditary risks for the Bombay breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
2 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Brain & nerves
Burmese head defect
Serious
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.
What to ask for
UC Davis VGL Burmese head defect (ALX1) DNA test result, on both parents
Hormones & metabolism
Burmese hypokalemia
Monitor
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.
What to ask for
UC Davis VGL Burmese hypokalemia (WNK4) DNA test result, on both parents
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Bombay owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Kittens
No kittens listed right now
No Bombay breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.