The link posted is pretty interesting. I have read it, and admit I skimmed a bit since it is very long, but generally it does state that the Balinese are a result of a mutation of the Siamese breed.
Quote:
| All of this changed forever in the 1950s when two Siamese breeders, Mrs. Marion Dorsey of Rai-Mar Cattery in California and Mrs. Helen Smith of MerryMews Cattery in New York, both found longhairs in their Siamese litters and were quite taken by their beauty. Rather than petting them out as others had done, they began line breeding to produce longhair Siamese. |
Eventually, there were were outcrosses, where the differences in genetics would come in.
Quote:
| When it became apparent that there was a need to outcross to expand the gene pool, she convinced fellow breeders to exchange cats and kittens and share stud service. She, herself, worked extensively in helping other breeders establish and expand their lines. |
But more recently, they were bred back to the Siamese to improve type. Because they can only be shown in the four Siamese colours, and they can be traced back through Siamese lines, they still retain status as a Siamese mutation and not a hybrid.
Quote:
| Leslie strongly encouraged the practice of breeding back to the Siamese parent breed to improve type. At this time many Balinese more strongly resembled the old style "applehead" Siamese than the modern Siamese. |
