Breed of longhaired cat with the body of a Siamese cat and the coloring of a colorpoint shorthair cat, named for the elegant dancers from the island of Java. The Javanese was developed by cat breeders who crossed the colorpoint shorthair with the Balinese to introduce the colorpoint shorthair’s colors in the Balinese breed. Colorpoints are characteristic large spots of darker fur on the face, ears, legs, and tail, contrasting with a lighter body coloring.

The Javanese has a medium-sized, slender body that is tubular in shape. Although this cat looks fragile, it is muscular and strong. The back legs are longer than the front legs. The slender neck supports a wedge-shaped head that has well-defined bone structure. Both the neck and head are long. Medium-sized, almond-shaped, blue eyes slant toward the long, straight nose. The triangular-shaped ears are strikingly large. The long, thin tail tapers to a fine tip.

The fine silky coat of the Javanese grows longer than the coat of a Siamese, but not as long as that of a Persian cat. The coat looks shorter than its actual length because it lies close to the body. The fur is longest, up to 7.5 cm (3 in) in length, on the plumelike tail.