Your guide to finding and caring for a Balinese in Birmingham
Balinese cats fit apartment life in Highland Park well, as long as someone's around to talk with them. The neighborhood mixes older apartment buildings with newer condos, and a Balinese will happily claim a window sill and narrate everything below. They're chatty, playful and quick to chase a wand toy down a hallway, so a small place works if it has a cat tree and company. Summer afternoons here run hot and humid, which is one more reason to keep these silky-coated cats indoors.
Fall for a Balinese
F, 6 mo., 562 miles
Siamese, Domestic Short Hair
F, 1 y., 562 miles
Siamese
F, 5 y., 562 miles
Siamese
M, 2 y., 562 miles
Siamese
M, 3 mo., 562 miles
Siamese
F, 7 mo., 563 miles
Siamese, Domestic Short Hair
M, 4 y., 563 miles
Siamese
M, 6 mo., 563 miles
Domestic Short Hair, Siamese
F, 6 mo.-2 y., 563 miles
Siamese
F, 2 y., 563 miles
Siamese, Domestic Short Hair
The Balinese is essentially a longhaired Siamese, developed in the United States in the 1940s and 1950s and named for the grace of Balinese dancers rather than any link to Indonesia. It has the Siamese colorpoint pattern, vivid blue eyes and a slender body, with a silky single coat that ends in a plumed tail. A sturdier traditional type and a more angular modern type both exist, so adult cats can look quite different.
Many Balinese are bright, social and playful, with a softer voice than a Siamese but plenty to say. With no dense undercoat, the coat stays easy to keep tidy, which helps in Birmingham's humidity. They like climbing and puzzle toys and tend to want company, so a home where someone is around often, or another cat lives, suits them. Personalities vary, especially in adult cats.
Having a Balinese in Birmingham
Balinese pair Siamese brains with an easy-care coat. In Birmingham, their need for play and company, inherited eye and liver concerns, love of high perches and the need for a cool indoor home through humid summers are what most shape daily life.
Many Balinese bond closely, follow their people from room to room and chat in a softer voice than most Siamese. They're curious, clever and often clownish, and they tend to get along with considerate children and pets. In a Birmingham apartment that sociability is a plus, though some get bored or clingy when the home is quiet.
Plan several short play sessions a day with wand toys, fetch, puzzle feeders and climbing. Indoors, a tall cat tree beside a window gives a Balinese something to watch and climb, and rotating toys keep a smart cat busy. For outdoor time, a secure balcony enclosure or a harness is safer than roaming, given coyote sightings and copperheads in the Birmingham area.
Balinese can be prone to progressive retinal atrophy, liver amyloidosis, dental disease and crossed eyes, which is usually harmless, though not every cat develops these. Schedule a full veterinary exam soon after adopting, keep up dental care, and mention vision changes or weight loss promptly. With mild winters and humid summers, year-round flea prevention is sensible in Birmingham.
A Balinese does well in a Birmingham apartment or house if it has vertical space and company. Cat trees, window perches and shelves matter more than square footage. Keeping it indoors protects it from traffic, coyotes and snakes, and a compatible feline companion can help if the household is empty for long stretches.
| Expense | Typical cost | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| Food | $25 to $50 per month | $300 to $600 |
| Pet insurance | $25 to $50 per month | $300 to $600 |
| Routine vet care | $150 to $350 per year | $150 to $350 |
| Other* | $450 to $1,150 per year | $450 to $1,150 |
| Estimated yearly total (after year one) | $1,200 to $2,700 | |
Other costs are estimates and vary with size, age and health.
* Litter, flea prevention, a dental cleaning allowance, toys, scratchers and cat trees, and minimal grooming for a single coat.
Now that you know more, let’s find you a new best friend. These rescues and shelters below have cats available in and near Birmingham.
Birmingham's shelters and rescues, from a large humane society to small foster-based groups, match cats and dogs with homes. Here are the rescues & shelters in the Birmingham area with cats available for adoption, worth asking whether a Balinese is coming in.
Yes, a Balinese can live comfortably in a Birmingham apartment, because its needs are vertical space and company rather than square footage. Offer a cat tree, a window perch and daily play sessions. Read your lease's pet terms first, and use secure screens or a balcony enclosure if you open windows, since a curious Balinese will explore.
A Balinese is a good fit if you enjoy interactive play, are home often and can keep the home cool through Birmingham's long, humid summers. It's a harder match for very quiet, empty households, since many crave company. A carrier and a safe interior room for spring tornado season round out life here.
Yes, Birmingham's climate suits an indoor Balinese. Winters are mild, and the silky single coat has no heavy undercoat to trap heat during hot, humid summers. Keep air conditioning running, fresh water available and the cat inside. Spring storms are the main concern, so keep a carrier ready and give the cat a quiet hiding spot.
Yes. No breed-specific rule affecting Balinese is known in Birmingham. Alabama requires rabies vaccination by three months of age, with the tag worn on a collar or harness, and the city licenses cats four months and older. If you rent, get the landlord's pet policy and any pet deposit in writing.
Very little. A Balinese's silky single coat has no dense undercoat, so brushing a few times a month keeps it tidy and mat-free, even in Birmingham's humidity. Add occasional nail trims and dental care. Grooming is a small part of the $450 to $1,150 yearly Other costs, so professional grooming is rarely needed.
Not on MAX buses, which generally don't allow animals other than service animals. MAX On-Demand, the $1.50 zone-based shared ride service, does allow pets in an airline-approved carrier, and a 5 to 10 pound Balinese fits in one. Birmingham has no subway or rail, so a car is usually simplest for vet visits.
No, Balinese cats are not hypoallergenic. Claims that they produce less of the main cat allergen, Fel d 1, are widely repeated but not supported by solid research. Their single coat sheds less than many longhaired breeds, which some allergic people find easier. Reactions vary between people and cats, so spend time with the individual cat before adopting.
Balinese is usually pronounced BAH-lih-neez, with the stress on the first syllable, the same way people say the word for something from Bali. Some people say BAL-ih-neez instead, and both are understood. The name was chosen to evoke the grace of Balinese dancers, not because the cats come from Bali.
Balinese cats shed, but usually less than you might expect from a longhaired cat. Their fine, silky coat has no dense undercoat, so it sheds lightly year-round with modest seasonal increases. The coat rarely mats. Brushing or combing once or twice a week removes loose hair and helps reduce hairballs.
Expect roughly $1,200 to $2,700 a year for a Balinese in Birmingham. Food runs $25 to $50 a month and insurance $25 to $50 a month, routine vet care $150 to $350 a year, and other costs, including litter, flea prevention, dental care and supplies, $450 to $1,150 a year. The single coat keeps grooming costs low.
Looking for a different breed? Browse other cats available for adoption in Birmingham.
