Breed of the Day: Bombay

    The Bombay is a sleek and muscular cat with great big copper-colored eyes and a shiny, midnight black coat that gleams like black patent leather. The combination is spectacular and resembles the mini-panther that the late Nikki Horner had in mind when she began developing the breed in 1953. The Bombay is a man-made breed developed from crossing black American Shorthairs and sable Burmese. These purring bundles of love want to be with you all of the time and as close as possible, reveling in your company.
    Nikki Horner had in mind a cat that resembled the black leopards of India and named the breed she developed after the city in India. She wanted a cat the sleek, short tight coat of the Burmese in the darkest black from the American Shorthair with eyes like newly minted pennies. Her early efforts were unsuccessful but undeterred as she kept trying to create her vision and the combinations she used in the beginning of 1965
led to success. Horner had been breeding cats since she was 16 in the 1970s, when her creation was finally accepted for championship competition, she stopped breeding. Other breeders had fallen in love with the stunning breed with its fabulous personality and worked to keep the breed going.
    Major influences in the breed's progression and popularity were Herb and Suzanne Zwecker. They also developed new lines with new combinations of the Burmese with the American Shorthair. Shawnee and Road to Fame are found behind many of today's Bombay for championship competition in June 1979.
    The Bombay combines the easy-going nature of the American Shorthair with the inquisitive, loving personality of the social Burmese. They love to be in your company and will greet you joyously at the door, and they will greet visitors with the same loving enthusiasm. Expect your Bombay to be as close to you as possible whether it is perched on your shoulders as you walk around, rubbing around your ankles, purring, while you make supper, cuddled into your lap while you watch television or read a book, or snuggling up against you under the covers in bed like a hot water bottle. The Bombay loves the entire family and is particularly good with children since it is always ready to play. It also gets on well with other family pets if give the proper introductions. Their craving for company means that they are unhappy if left alone for long periods, so consider getting another cat if you will be gone most of the day.