A glossy black mini-panther with copper eyes, muscular and heavier than it looks.
The Bombay looks like a small black panther. Its coat shines like patent leather and its eyes are gold to copper. It does not come from India but from Kentucky in America, where it was bred from the Burmese and the black American Shorthair. It always wants to be near you and loves to play. In Europe it is still rare.
A real velcro cat: it wants to be close to you and follows you from room to room.
Happiest on your lap or under the covers at night.
Loves toys and fetch, and turns a paper bag into a game.
Plays in short bursts and is calm in between. Not hyper, but not lazy either.
Talks when it wants something, but is not known as a loud cat.
Clever and keen to please. It learns tricks, fetch and even walking on a harness.
Usually enjoys visitors, though some Bombays are shy for the first few minutes.
Good with children who are gentle and let it walk away when it wants.
Gets on with a dog when they are introduced calmly.
Can live with another cat, but often wants to be the boss. Let them get used to each other slowly.
Does not like long days alone. A second pet or someone at home helps.
Settles happily into a flat, with company, play and a warm spot.
The Bombay comes from India, like its name.
No. It was bred in Louisville, Kentucky, in America. The name refers to the Indian city of Bombay (now Mumbai) and the black leopard that lives there.
A Bombay is just a black Burmese.
It looks a lot like one and takes a lot from the Burmese. But it is a breed of its own with its own standard, bred from the Burmese and the black American Shorthair.
Every kitten in a Bombay litter is black.
Not always. When both parents carry the hidden brown Burmese gene, about one in four kittens is born brown (sable).
There are two kinds of Bombay. The American Bombay was bred in Kentucky from the late 1950s, from the Burmese and the black American Shorthair. In Britain, breeders separately made a similar black cat from the European Burmese. It is called the black Asian Self there. FIFe, CFA, TICA and WCF mean the American type when they say Bombay.
Kentucky breeder Nikki Horner first crosses a Burmese with a black American Shorthair. The kittens disappoint her and she stops.
Horner starts again, with five black American Shorthairs and her brown Burmese. This line becomes the Bombay.
The American registry CFA starts registering the Bombay.
On 1 May the Bombay gets championship status in CFA.
The American registry TICA recognises the Bombay.
In England the British Bombay begins with an unplanned litter from a Burmese-type queen and a black tom, Bagpuss.
The first Bombay comes to France: a female called Opium.
Britain's GCCF gives the British Bombay preliminary recognition, as a black cat in the Asian group.
In the GCCF the black Asian Self can now compete for champion titles.
The European federation FIFe gives the Bombay preliminary recognition, until the end of 2027.
From 1 July FIFe asks for a DNA test for the head defect (BHD) in breeding cats and recognises black only.
Medium-sized, muscular and surprisingly heavy for its size. Everything is black, down to the nose and paw pads, and the coat shines like patent leather.
The usual Bombay: bred from the brown American Burmese and the black American Shorthair. It has a Burmese body, a glossy black coat and gold to copper eyes.
Recognition: Recognised by CFA (1976), TICA (1979) and WCF; preliminary in FIFe since 2023.
A black cat bred in Britain from the European Burmese and black house cats. It looks like the American Bombay, but belongs to the Asian group, where it is called the black Asian Self.
Recognition: Only in Britain's GCCF, as the Asian Self: preliminary since 1990, championship classes since 2000.
Cat registries write colours as an EMS code. The letter is the colour (n black, a blue, d red, f tortie), s means silver or smoke, y golden, and the numbers tell you about white (01–09), shading (11, 12), the tabby pattern (22–25) or colourpoint (33).
Black(n)The Bombay comes in black only, in every registry: jet black to the roots, with a black nose and paw pads. Kittens and young cats up to two may still have slightly lighter roots.
No registry recognises another colour, stripes or smoke. White spots are a fault; CFA disqualifies the cat for them. Brown (sable) kittens from a Bombay litter can be shown as Burmese in TICA.
Nikki Horner wanted a loving house cat that looked like the black leopard of India, and she got one.
Between 1966 and 1972 Horner bred 27 Bombay litters, with 106 kittens in all.
Bombays stick so close to their people that they are called velcro cats.
The British Bombay began in 1985 with a black tom called Bagpuss who unexpectedly became a father.
Sometimes a Bombay kitten is born brown. When both parents carry the hidden Burmese gene, that happens to about one in four kittens.
A Bombay usually lives about 12 to 18 years. No study looks at Bombays alone; breed guides call it a sturdy cat with few breed problems.
Kittens with two copies of this gene are born with a badly malformed head and cannot survive. With one copy the cat is healthy, sometimes with a slightly shorter muzzle. In the Burmese and related breeds about 1 in 17 cats is a carrier.
How it is found: DNA test of the parents. Two carriers are never mated with each other; FIFe has required the test since July 2026.
The cat gets bouts of muscle weakness, mostly in the neck, which makes walking hard. Extra potassium in the food usually keeps it well under control. A kitten only gets it when both parents are carriers.
How it is found: DNA test of the parents. Carriers are not mated with each other.
Tartar and sore gums hurt and make eating hard. It is the most common problem in all cats, about 15 in 100, and Bombays are prone to it.
How it is found: No test. Brush the teeth every week and have the vet check them every year.
Sometimes the eyes run a little, leaving brown stains underneath. It is mostly cosmetic and usually no problem.
How it is found: No test. Wipe the corners of the eyes every day or every other day.
Very easy. Once a week with a rubber brush or glove keeps the coat shiny. It sheds little.
Two or three short play sessions a day, a cat tree to climb and a high perch. Some Bombays learn to walk on a harness.
A Bombay loves its food and easily gets too heavy, especially indoors and after neutering. Give measured meals and count the treats.
With little undercoat it loves warmth and dislikes draughts. Give it a warm spot, away from cold floors.
The Bombay is not hypoallergenic. Shedding little does not make it safe for people with a cat allergy.
Checked on 21 October 2026
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