History

Around 1960 Patricia Turner had the idea to breed a Siamese which would be completely white. This cat had blue eyes but should not be deaf like some other white cats. She arrived at this idea after seeing a picture of her lilacpoint Siamese which was over-exposed. On that photo she saw an all-white cat with blue eyes.

On 5 November 1962 a breeding program was developed and they started to mate dominant white British shorthair cats to Siamese with the darkest blue eyes, the sealpoint. 

In The Netherlands a breeding program was set up in the seventies.

The Balinese is the semi-longhair variation of the Siamese and has the same points colours. The Balinese was recognized as a breed in the early seventies by most American clubs and later also by clubs in Europe.  This way there also came Foreign White Balinese into being. 

What is a Foreign White?

The Foreign White is an all-white cat with blue eyes. Under their fur they carry the points pattern. This means that we talk about a Siamese/Balinese with an all-white coat.

As a Foreign White should always be mated to a Siamese/Balinese (points) it will genetically always carry the points, this to prevent congenital deafness.

Character 

The character of the Foreign White does not differ from that of the Siamese or Balinese.

They are intelligent animals that clearly make their presence felt. When they do not agree on something or want something from you they make this very clear to you by being very vocal.

They can play with odds and ends for hours and have a close relationship with their "people". 

Variants

A variant is the product of a mating between a Siamese and a Balinese.

The Balinese-variant (also Siamese-variant) looks like an ordinary Siamese. When mating a Variant to a Balinese you can get both shorthair and longhair kittens. 

The variant is bred to give a more Siamese type to the Balinese, and to prevent that there is too much inbreeding in the Balinese.

It is not desirable to mate Variants to Siamese because of the longhair factor. For a cat lover, who has no intention of breeding, it does not matter whether he/she chooses a Variant or a Siamese. They look the same.

Standard of Points

In 1977 the G.C.C.F. recognized the Foreign White as a breed with the following standard of points:

• The body of the Foreign White should be slender and supple with a fine build and the cat should have a balanced elegant appearance.

• The head should be wedge-shaped with a straight profile. 

• The eyes should be clear, radiant deep blue of colour and almond-shaped.

• The fur should be pure white and the foot soles and nose leather pink.

The fur of the Balinese should feel like silk and has no undercoat. The fur should not stand out but fall down sleekly. For further information see the Standard of Points of the Siamese.

Breeding tips

What should you pay attention to when breeding white cats:

• Never combine White X White as this strengthens the Waardenburg Syndrome.
• Never combine White X Red or Tortie as this too strengthens the Waardenburg Syndrome.
• Preferably not the combination White X Tabby(point) as this gives unwanted freckles which may ruin a possible showcareer.
• For Foreign Whites obviously goes the combination with points as that gives most guarantees for Turner blue eyes which goes with points instead of the blue eyecolour linked to Waardenburg Syndrome.
• With pointed cats it is very difficult to ascertain Silver so the combination with Silver cats is better avoided.