Balinese: gear and buying guides
The Balinese is the semi-longhaired version of the Siamese: a slender, elegant cat (2.5 to 5 kg), vocal, intelligent and very agile. Its silky coat with no undercoat is easier to maintain than it looks. A passionate climber, it needs height and plenty of interaction.
Profile : Slender cat (2.5 to 5 kg), silky semi-long coat with no undercoat, high energy and a distinctly present voice.
In our shop, for this use: Raised-edge silicone feeding mat for cats (€25.90) · the whole shop
Outside our shipping area? The downloadable practical guide: The Healthy Cat Handbook: Prevention Made Simple (€15)
Species profile
- Lifespan
- 13 to 18 years
- Adult weight
- 2.5 to 5 kg
- Temperament
- A semi-longhaired Siamese, just as talkative and human-bonded, with an extra touch of gentleness.
- Health watch
- hepatic amyloidosis · progressive retinal atrophy
🩺 The health watchpoints on this page are for information only: only a veterinarian can examine your animal and make a diagnosis.
Balinese gear, family by family
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Food
Active and slender, the Balinese rarely gains excess weight but burns a lot of energy: a protein-rich diet, offered as measured free feeding or split meals, suits it. Watch hydration; a fountain encourages drinking.
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Care & grooming
Its semi-long coat without undercoat hardly mats: two brushings a week with a metal comb are enough. The plumed tail deserves particular attention.
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Toys & enrichment
Highly intelligent, it learns fetch and clicker tricks. Rotate wand toys, feather toys and puzzles to occupy a mind that bores quickly.
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Bedding & habitat
An outstanding climber, it demands a tall cat tree (1.50 m and up) and wall shelves to travel at height. Feeling the cold with its fine coat, it appreciates a warm, snug bed.
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Travel & safety
Like the Siamese, it vocalizes a lot in the car: a rigid carrier covered with a blanket and early travel habituation limit stress. Secure windows and balconies, as it jumps and climbs everywhere.
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Accessories
Wall shelves, a metal comb and puzzle toys form its winning trio. A window perch gives it the elevated viewpoint it loves.
🍖 Feeding a Balinese: ration, kibble and hydration
The daily ration of a Balinese
A strict carnivore of 2.5 to 5 kg, the Balinese eats about 45 to 70 g of kibble a day — or mixed feeding with wet food, valuable for hydration. Its high activity burns through the ration: split it into several small meals or use a puzzle feeder.
Breed-specific needs
Its coat swallows part of every grooming session: fibre-enriched kibble or malt paste limits hairballs, especially during the moult. The health point to know: hepatic amyloidosis — regular vet check-ups adjust the diet before trouble sets in.
Water and budget
Two figures to remember for the Balinese: a fountain multiplies a cat’s drinking sessions (a major urinary issue), and feeding it properly costs €25 to €50 a month, mixed feeding included. Our label pointers are detailed on the full Balinese profile.
Quick answers
- How much kibble for a Balinese?
- About 45 to 70 g a day for an adult of 2.5 to 5 kg, adjusted for neutering, activity and the share of wet food. Body condition is the referee.
- Does a Balinese need a special diet?
- No breed-specific food is essential: a good strict-carnivore diet does the job, while keeping an eye on hepatic amyloidosis.
An accessory from our shop for this use: Raised-edge silicone feeding mat for cats (€25.90) · the whole shop
Outside our shipping area? The downloadable practical guide: The Healthy Cat Handbook: Prevention Made Simple (€15)
🏠 Cat tree and sleeping setup for a Balinese: sizes that work
A cat tree scaled to the Balinese
An active climber, the Balinese uses height more than floor space: a stable tree rising to a commanding lookout, with 40 cm platforms, structures its vertical territory. Put it by a window: watching the world is feline television.
Beds: several, in the right spots
A Balinese never sleeps twice in the same place: give it a circuit — a sunny-side bed, a quiet cave, a perched blanket — rather than one luxury bed it will snub. Washable at 60°C, ideally, for parasite control.
Scratchers and retreat zones
A stable vertical scratcher of at least 60 cm (cats scratch at full stretch) near the nap spot, plus an inclined or flat one elsewhere: that is the sofa’s life insurance. Add one quiet hideaway per cat — everyone needs somewhere to vanish unfollowed.
Quick answers
- Which cat tree for a Balinese?
- A stable model of 1.20 m or more with platforms around 40 cm, placed by a window.
- Does the Balinese feel the cold?
- Not especially: just keep beds out of draughts and let it pick its own thermal level.
Outside our shipping area? The downloadable practical guide: The Healthy Cat Handbook: Prevention Made Simple (€15)
🧳 Travelling with a Balinese: carrier, car and safety
The right carrier for a Balinese
A rigid carrier about 50 cm long for its 2.5 to 5 kg, with a top opening that proves invaluable at the vet’s. Make it part of the scenery: parked permanently in a corner of the living room, lined with a familiar blanket, the carrier loses its red-alert status and departure day stops being a battle.
In the car and beyond
In the car, strap the carrier to the seat or wedge it in the footwell: loose, a 2.5 to 5 kg Balinese turns into a projectile at the first hard stop. The Balinese will likely narrate the whole trip out loud: that is breed temperament, not distress per se. Trains only require the carrier; planes admit cats in the cabin as long as the total stays under the weight limit (8 kg bag included at most airlines).
Identification and everyday safety
Identification is mandatory (microchip), with an EU passport and rabies vaccination for border crossings. In flats, safety is decided at the windows: blocked tilt-and-turns and protection nets — cat falls are a veterinary-ER classic.
Quick answers
- What carrier size for a Balinese?
- The useful measure is 50 cm: enough to sit without folding the ears and pivot freely. A top hatch remains comfort criterion number one at the clinic.
- How do I get a Balinese used to its carrier?
- Leave it open in the living room with a scented blanket and treats inside, closing the door only once the habit is set: within two or three weeks the carrier becomes a den.
In our shop, for this use: Escape-resistant cat harness + 1.5 m leash (€19.90) · the whole shop
We don’t ship products to your country yet; our practical guide downloads anywhere: The Healthy Cat Handbook: Prevention Made Simple (€15)
🧰 Accessories for a Balinese: the right picks at the right size
Bowls, fountain, feeder
Wide, shallow bowls (whiskers dislike high rims) in ceramic or stainless steel, with water and food more than a metre apart. The fountain remains the best value-for-money item in the cat aisle: a cat that drinks more is a urinary tract that fares better.
The extras that matter for a Balinese
a metal comb and a quality slicker — skimping on the brush is paid back in mats; an H-harness in cat size to explore balcony or garden safely; a timed feeder: it learns mealtimes fast and negotiates less loudly when the machine decides. Breed-by-breed detail lives on the full Balinese profile.
Starter budget
The complete Balinese kit — tree, tray and litter, carrier, bowls and fountain, scratchers, first toys — comes to €150-280. One good tree and a large tray beat ten gadgets.
Quick answers
- Which accessories are essential for a Balinese?
- A 50 cm tray, a stable cat tree, a 50 cm carrier, shallow bowls, a fountain, scratchers — and for this breed specifically: serious grooming kit.
- What equipment budget for a Balinese?
- €150 to 280 for a quality full kit, then €25 to €50 a month including food and litter.
Our products don’t ship to you yet, but the PDF practical guide is instant: The Healthy Cat Handbook: Prevention Made Simple (€15)
Guides to read
- Overweight cat: setting up a weight loss plan without the frustrationFood
How to help an overweight cat lose weight without starving it or causing stress: diagnosis, a realistic pace, the right food, and vet follow-up.
- Pet insurance for cats: is it worth taking out a policy?Accessories
Cat insurance: what it actually covers, monthly cost, deductibles and exclusions, and the cases where it genuinely pays off.
- Lost cat: the right moves to find it quicklyTravel & safety
What to do the moment a cat goes missing? Priority search area, effective methods, best times of day, and the role of microchipping.
- Pregnant cat: setting up a cosy nest for birth and the kittensBedding & habitat
How to set up a calm space for a pregnant cat: location, supplies, gestation length, and the signs that labour is about to start.
- A window bird feeder: real enrichment for an indoor catToys & enrichment
Why set up a bird feeder outside an indoor cat's window: behavioural benefits, safe installation, and budget.
- Grooming a British Shorthair: shedding, brushing, and hairballsCare & grooming
The British Shorthair has a dense coat that needs regular brushing: how often, the right tools, managing the moult, and preventing hairballs.
- Kitten or Adult Cat: What Gear You Actually Need by AgeAccessories
Litter box, scratching post, bed, food: starter gear differs depending on whether you adopt a kitten or an adult cat. Our guide to equipping the home right.
- Professional Grooming or At-Home Grooming for a Cat: What's the Real Budget?Care & grooming
Grooming salon or brush at home: costs, frequency, and the cases where a professional groomer genuinely becomes worth the price.
🐈 Le Félin selection
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Tapis de sol pour chat
from €9.99 at Le Félin
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Tipi pour chat maison
from €59.99 at Le Félin
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Cabane pour chat
from €54.99 at Le Félin
Le Félin is Gustave Lacaille’s cat tree shop, from the same family as Planète Pets. We earn no commission; we recommend what we know.
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