Bombay Cat Breed Guide: Personality & Care

A Bombay is a medium, muscular, jet-black cat with a patent-leather coat and gold to copper eyes. The profile on this site lists them as affectionate, playful, curious, and social, short coat, low care, 12–16 years, with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and excess tearing on the health line. The Cat Fanciers’ Association’s origin sentence is blunt: a hybrid between the Burmese and the American Shorthair. It is not a black Domestic Shorthair with a sales pitch, and it is not a cat from Mumbai.

Quick Facts

Attribute	Detail
Origin	United States
Size	Medium (surprising weight for size, CFA)
Coat	Short, close-lying, patent-leather black
Personality	Affectionate, playful, curious, social
Lifespan	12–16 years
Care level	Low
Health to ask about	HCM, excess tearing
Common names	Panther, Midnight, Blackie, Shadow

History & Origins

CFA dates the birth of the breed to 1966: Nikki Horner in Kentucky wanted a parlor panther. She started with a black American Shorthair male and a Burmese female. CFA’s breed presentation adds that she wanted third-generation black American Shorthairs so tabby pattern would not sneak in, and homozygous sable Burmese so eye color and “black to the root” would hold. The phrase people still quote is hers: patent leather kids with new penny eyes.

CFA accepted Bombays for registration in 1970 and championship in May 1976. They remain one of CFA’s rarer breeds. Allowable outcrosses are still black American Shorthair and sable Burmese. That is why a Bombay can look a little Burmese one year and a little ASH the next if someone got sloppy. The standard is supposed to keep a look that is neither parent.

The name is marketing. It is not geography.

Because black American Shorthair and sable Burmese are still legal outcrosses, two honest catteries can produce different heads. One leans round and Burmese-sweet. One leans a little longer. The standard is supposed to keep the patent-leather, penny-eye look either way. Ask to see the adults, not a collage of three unrelated black cats.

A rusty kitten coat is expected to darken. CFA says kitten coats should darken and become more sleek with age. A two-year-old who still looks brown in the sun is not “still growing into black.” Meet them in daylight.

Personality & Temperament

Affectionate, playful, curious, social. CFA’s version is part cat, part dog, part clown: Burmese lap plus American Shorthair ease, plus a toy obsession that will turn a grocery bag into an afternoon. Neither hyper nor placid. They adapt. They assume company came for them. Head-butts, kisses, sleeping on people. Dogs and other pets if you introduce them.

CFA’s short “meet the Bombay” note says they will follow you from room to room and sit on a lap for hours. That is a velcro short-hair. If you wanted an independent fridge cat, look at an American Shorthair who did not get the panther memo, or a mixed DSH.

Playful on the profile is bags and boxes, not Bengal parkour. They still need a wand and a tree. Indoor Cat Enrichment.

Kids: CFA says children are enchanted by the devotion. An adult still runs the house. Supervise.

They are vocal enough to tell you the lap is open, not Siamese enough to narrate the mail. Curious means grocery bags. It also means they will notice a closed door. A Bombay who cannot be in the room with you will sit on the other side of it and wait. That is the breed. It is also why a person who needs a cat to occupy themselves for a ten-hour shift should plan a second cat or a very good tree, not a pep talk.

They play with boxes because CFA said they would. Keep a box. Rotate it. A bored social cat will also play with the remote, the glasses, and the thing you were about to need. That is not “bombay zoomies” as a medical term. That is a curious cat in a small apartment.

Physical Characteristics

CFA: unmistakable. Jet black gleaming coat, gold to copper eyes, solid body, sweet face. Medium, muscular, surprisingly heavy. Rounded head, medium ears set well apart, large rounded wide-set eyes. Moderate visible stop — a slight indentation at the bridge, not a pug, not a Persian break. CFA disqualifies an extreme break that interferes with normal breathing and tearing. Green eyes DQ. Nose leather and paw pads must be black. Lockets DQ. Coat black to the roots; kittens darken and sleek up with age.

I am not printing a fake weight. Medium. Pick them up. If they feel like a burmese brick, that is the standard talking.

They are not a black panther cub. They are not a Bombay from a travel poster. A rusty or brownish coat on an adult is not the mature specimen CFA describes.

They are also not a black British Shorthair. That cat is round without the patent sheen as the point of the breed, and a different head. They are not a Bombay mix from a shelter card unless the papers say so. Black is the most common cat color people invent a breed for.

CFA penalizes excessive cobbiness or ranginess. The body should be neither a meatloaf nor a tube. If the kitten looks like a skinny oriental in a black coat, keep walking. If it looks like a cobby Exotic in black, also keep walking.

Care Requirements

Grooming

Low care. Fine, short, satin coat. CFA’s cats-101 note: very little shedding, and they call a monthly bath easy if you want the sheen show-ready. Most pet homes will never do a monthly bath. A rubber brush and a wipe still beat neglect. If you do bathe, use a cat shampoo the veterinarian is fine with. I will not name a brand.

Excess tearing is the extra chore: wipe the face every day if they tear. A black coat shows rust-colored stains. That is housekeeping, not a personality flaw. If the eyes look angry, swollen, or the cat is squinting, that is the vet, not a new wipe. A smashed-in baby face is not this standard. If the kitten’s profile looks like an Exotic, you are in the wrong aisle.

Feeding

A surprisingly heavy, people-oriented cat in a snack house gets round. Extra weight does not help a heart you are already supposed to ask about. Use How Much Should I Feed My Cat?. No invented cups.

Exercise & Enrichment

Curious and playful, not a sport breed. Short play, a window, a bag. They will follow you to the bathroom. That is enrichment and also why a closed-door work-from-home person needs a second plan — a tree, a second cat, something that is not your keyboard.

A week in the house: morning lap, a bag from last night’s groceries, a windowsill, an evening sit on the person who sat down first. They are not a Bengal. They are not a mute. They will head-butt you into putting the laptop aside. If that sounds clingy, believe it now.

Black cats in shelters get passed over. A Bombay from a cattery is a different purchase: papers, a health conversation, a wait. Do not “rescue a Bombay” by grabbing the first shiny black DSH unless you wanted the DSH. That cat is still a good cat. This page is the patent-leather one.

Health Concerns

Excess tearing and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are the two profile lines. CFA agrees on both: overly teary eyes that need regular wiping, and HCM found in the breed, with responsible breeders testing before they breed.

Cornell’s HCM page is the general heart library. Bombay is not on Cornell’s named-breed list. Our profile and CFA still say ask. Echocardiograms diagnose it. Genetic tests need a veterinarian’s interpretation.

Tearing: CFA disqualifies the extreme break that makes tearing worse, which means pet Bombays should not be snub-nosed. They can still tear. Wipe. Persistent gunk, squinting, or noisy breathing is a veterinarian.

CFA calls them quite healthy because of hybrid ancestry. That is their sentence, not a medical guarantee. Mixed ancestry is not a warranty. Ask what they test.

Rare also means a smaller information pile than a Persian. A breeder who can name the last echo and the last dental under anesthesia is worth more than a panther photo. A breeder who says “they’re hybrids so they’re fine” is quoting a brochure.

I will not prescribe eye drops or heart pills.

Is a Bombay Right for You?

This breed fits people who want a black, social, lap-leaning short-hair and will wipe eyes and ask about hearts. Apartments, families, people who like a cat in the middle of the room.

Who should pick a different cat: you, if you wanted a black mixed cat and a shelter fee. That is a DSH. You, if you wanted Burmese personality without the patent-leather project — read the Burmese page. You, if green eyes on a black cat were the aesthetic; CFA DQs those. You, if a snub face was the want; that is an Exotic Shorthair. You, if a breeder shrugs at HCM.

Best Cat Breeds for Families with Kids is the family-fit owner. A Bombay’s social streak helps. The heart question remains.

Apartments: they fit if you like a cat on you. They do not fit if you wanted a cat who lives in the other room. Allergies: short black coat still sheds; black hair shows on a white sofa and you will still vacuum. Spend time with the cat. A panther nickname does not change dander.

First cat: easier than a Savannah, clingier than an ASH. If you work nights and sleep days, a velcro Bombay will have opinions about that.

Finding a Bombay

Rare in CFA means a wait. A serious breeder shows black-to-the-roots adults, copper or gold eyes, and a stop you can live with. Ask about HCM screening. Ask whether they still outcross to Burmese or black ASH and why.

Rescue gets black cats labeled Bombay because they are shiny. An adult whose papers you can see is a Bombay. A shiny black mix is still a good cat. It is a different page.

Red flags: green eyes sold as rare, a smashed-in face, rust coat on a two-year-old sold as “still a kitten,” no heart talk, Blackie as the whole personality.

Because they still outcross, ask what the last ASH or Burmese in the pedigree was for. Color? Head? A shrug means they are shopping parents by ads. CFA’s presentation wanted homozygous sable Burmese and carefully chosen black ASH so the patent leather would hold. You do not need to recite that. You need to hear whether this person has a reason.

Adopting vs. Buying from a Breeder still applies.

Popular Bombay Names

The profile lists Panther, Midnight, Blackie, and Shadow. Blackie is not in the name pages and I would not put it on a tag.

Panther — nature, black wild cat; one of the four profile names
Midnight — English, middle of the night
Shadow — English, shadow
Onyx — Greek, black gemstone
Salem — Hebrew, peace
Luna — Latin, moon
Milo — German, merciful
Oliver — English, olive tree
Coco — Spanish, cocoa bean
Felix — Latin, happy, lucky

More on Bombay cat names and the Name Generator.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a Bombay just a black American Shorthair or a black Burmese?

No. CFA originated the Bombay as a hybrid between Burmese and American Shorthair. The look is jet black to the roots, patent-leather sheen, gold to copper eyes, a rounded head with a moderate stop that is not a break. A black mixed cat is a black mixed cat. Papers and the sheen are the difference.

Are Bombay cats from Bombay, India?

The name is a nickname for the parlor panther look. The breed was developed in the United States. Kentucky breeder Nikki Horner is the originator CFA names. Registration 1970, championship 1976. You are not importing a street cat from Mumbai.

Do Bombays have breathing problems like Persians?

They should not. CFA wants a moderate visible stop, not a snub, and disqualifies an extreme break that interferes with breathing and tearing. Excess tearing is still on our profile and on CFA’s breed-future notes. Wipe the face. Noisy breathing is a veterinarian, not a cute panther.

Are Bombays good with children?

They tend to be. CFA describes an affectionate, outgoing cat who assumes every visitor came to see them, and says children are enchanted if introductions are done properly. Our profile is affectionate, playful, curious, and social. Supervise anyway. A velcro cat is still not a stuffed animal.

What health tests should a Bombay breeder show me?

Ask about hearts. CFA says hypertrophic cardiomyopathy has been found in Bombays and that responsible breeders test before breeding. Cornell’s HCM page is the general library. Also ask about chronically teary eyes. A breed-specific dental protocol is not documented, so ask your veterinarian what this cat actually needs.

Look at the adult in daylight, not a dim Instagram. Listen to them breathe. The Bombay gallery is here if you want the sheen before you book the visit.

A patent-leather coat photographs well. So does a freshly bathed black DSH. The difference is the head, the stop, the copper, and whether anyone will talk about hearts. If the visit is only photos, you have not had a visit.

Wipe the face in the cattery and see whether anyone else already does. A Bombay whose eyes are crusted because nobody wipes is a preview of your sink. Excess tearing is on the profile for a reason. Cute panther photos crop that out.

A black cat in a dim room looks like every other black cat. Turn on a lamp. Look for the sheen, the copper, the stop. If you cannot tell them from the DSH on the sofa, you may be looking at the DSH on the sofa. That is not a failure. That is a different, cheaper, honest cat. Take the DSH home if that is the cat you liked. Leave the Bombay URL for the patent-leather adult you actually met in person, in daylight, with the eyes open and the coat dry. Wet fur lies. So does a filter. Daylight does not.