Bombay Kittens: Adopt or Buy in Australia?

Should you adopt or buy a Bombay?

It depends on whether the papers matter. A Bombay is defined by its pedigree: to anyone else it looks like a sleek black shorthair. If you want a registered Bombay with known parents and DNA results, a council-registered breeder is the only route, and with this breed you should expect to make enquiries and wait. If what you want is a glossy, affectionate black cat, rescues list black cats (numbers change daily), and the fee covers desexing, microchipping and vaccination.

The RSPCA Australia Knowledgebase encourages prospective owners to adopt from the RSPCA or another reputable animal welfare, rehoming or rescue organisation. If you buy from a breeder, it suggests at a minimum checking they are registered by the relevant authority in your state or territory, visiting the place where the animal was born, and meeting the parents, especially the mother.

Rescue fees read 12 November 2026 on the pages linked below. Reference only, not a quote: rescues set and change their own fees, so check with them.

Is the Bombay recognised in Australia?

Yes. The CCCA and the ACF each publish a Bombay standard, and ANCATS includes the breed in its breed profiles. They agree on the look but differ on which cats a Bombay may be bred with, which matters when you read a pedigree. Read on 12 November 2026:

“Burmese” in Australia usually means the Australian or European type; the CCCA publishes a separate American Burmese standard, and both the CCCA and the ACF tie the Bombay to the American type. If a breeder's pedigree shows a different partner, ask which council registered the litter and under which rules.

Overseas, the Cat Fanciers' Association says the breed began in 1966 in Kentucky, that it accepted Bombays for registration in 1970 and for championship in 1976, and that they are one of its rarer breeds, so buyers may have to wait for a kitten. TICA says it accepted the Bombay for championship competition in June 1979.

What the Australian standard asks for

• Coat: fine, short and close-lying with a satin-like texture and a “patent leather” sheen; a mature cat should be black to the roots. Kitten coats darken and become sleeker with age.
• Eyes: gold to copper; the CCCA withholds awards for green eyes, lockets or spots, and nose leather or paw pads other than black.
• Head: full and rounded with a distinct nose stop, but “not a pugged or snubbed look”. The CCCA withholds awards for an extreme nose break that interferes with normal breathing or causes tearing of the eyes.
• Body: medium sized and muscular, with “surprising weight for its size”.

What does a Bombay kitten cost in Australia?

We could not find a published price. No Australian cat council or club publishes a Bombay price, and Cats Victoria (GCCFV) says kitten pricing is up to individual breeders and will vary depending on the breed. In November 2026 we looked for Bombay catteries on council breeder lists and through search. The Cats Victoria, NSW CFA and GCCFSA breeder directories had no Bombay breeder listings, and the only Australian Bombay cattery we found advertises through a directory listing and social media rather than its own website, with no price. That is what we could check, not proof that no other breeder exists. An older, undated fact sheet figure also turned up; we do not quote it, or any price from listing sites or social media.

Reference figures only, not quotes. Rescues set and change their own fees, so check with them; RSPCA NSW says its animals are desexed, microchipped, vaccinated and health-checked before adoption. Fees in other states are in our guide to kittens for sale in Australia.

The CFA suggests that a retired show cat can be a less expensive way into the breed; ask registered breeders whether they rehome adults. When you ask about a kitten, Cats Victoria suggests asking whether it is desexed, how many vaccinations it has had, whether it is microchipped and whether there is a health guarantee.

Which health tests should a Bombay breeder show you?

Because the Bombay is part of the Burmese family, the DNA tests come from that side. The Australian Cat Federation's minimum testing list (October 2025) names the three below, and adds that because Bombays are interbred with black American Shorthair and brown (sable) American Burmese, testing for all diseases relevant to those breeds is recommended. The ACF standard itself says Bombays must be DNA tested negative for diseases currently known to exist in the breed and identified by microchip.

Source: ACF DNA tests by breed (October 2025), read 12 November 2026. A test being on the list means breeders should screen for it, not that every line carries it. This is a buying checklist, not veterinary advice. The ACF also says AB blood group types should be monitored in all breeds.

The CFA calls Bombays quite healthy because of their hybrid ancestry, but says hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the most common heart problem in cats, has been found in the breed, and advises breeders to test cats before breeding. It also says some Bombays have overly teary eyes that need regular wiping. Ask the breeder about heart screening in the parents, and ask your vet about the eyes at the first check.

What is a Bombay like to live with?

The Cat Fanciers' Association describes Bombays as very affectionate, given to head-butting, kisses and snuggling up with their people at night, and “neither hyperactive or placid”. It says children will be enchanted by this devotion and that, if properly introduced, Bombays will quickly bond with dogs and other pets. Grooming is simple: the CFA suggests a rubber curry brush two or three times a month and calls them “wash-and-wear” cats.

• Good fit: a home that wants a people-focused, sturdy shorthair and is happy to wait for a registered kitten.
• Think twice: anyone who wants the look quickly: a black rescue cat may suit you just as well.
• Not a reason to choose one: allergies. ASCIA says all cat breeds can cause allergies; our hypoallergenic cats guide covers how to test a cat first.

Not sure what kind of cat suits you? Try the what cat breed am I quiz, and see our cost of owning a cat guide for the ongoing costs.

How do you check a Bombay breeder?

Rescue is not right for everyone. A registered breeder makes sense if you want a kitten with known parents and DNA results, or plan to show. If you go that way:

1. Registration. Ask which council the breeder belongs to: ANCATS, a member body of the Australian Cat Federation, or a member council of the CCCA. Check with that council directly.
2. The pedigree. Ask which breeds appear as breeding partners and check them against that council's rules above.
3. DNA results for both parents: hypokalaemia, the Burmese head defect and PKD, with names or microchip numbers that match.
4. Heart screening in the parents, given the CFA's note on HCM.
5. The mother, in person or on a live video call, before any deposit.
6. Age and paperwork. At least 10 weeks old (ANCATS recommends 12), vaccinated, microchipped and desexed or with desexing agreed in writing. Our kittens for sale guide has each state's rules for kitten ads.

What do Bombay kitten scams look like?

Scamwatch says scammers set up fake websites, and fake social media and marketplace profiles, to get you to pay for popular breeds and pets that do not exist. Its advice: view the pet in person by visiting the breeder or seller, ask to see the pet on a video call with the breeder, verify the breeder is legitimate and accredited, and compare prices, because a very cheap pet is likely a scam. It also warns about being asked to pay by money order, pre-loaded card, or to several different PayIDs or accounts.

• A black kitten sold as a Bombay without papers. Black kittens are common; the breed is in the pedigree, not the colour.
• “Registered” with no council named, or a membership you cannot confirm with that council.
• “Mini panther” or wild-cat claims. The Bombay is a domestic breed made from Burmese and American Shorthair cats.
• Copied photos. Run a reverse image search on the kitten photos and search a sentence of the ad.

If you have already paid, contact your bank straight away and report it to Scamwatch.

Where to find a Bombay type cat to adopt

We do not have a Bombay breed page, so watch the black cat and Burmese listings and set an alert. A sleek black shorthair in rescue is most likely a Domestic Shorthair, and that is no reason to pass it over: the personality you want is in the individual cat, and a foster carer can tell you about it.

Black cats in the big cities

• Black cats for adoption in Sydney
• Black cats for adoption in Melbourne
• Black cats for adoption in Brisbane
• Black cats for adoption in Perth
• Black cats for adoption in Adelaide
• Australia-wide: the black cat page.

Burmese listings

Burmese in Sydney, Burmese in Melbourne, Burmese in Brisbane, Burmese in Perth, Burmese in Adelaide. The Burmese breed page shows them Australia-wide, and the American Shorthair and British Shorthair pages cover the other breeds in the Bombay's background.

Before you apply, the adoption readiness check takes a few minutes, and our guide to adopting a cat in Australia walks through the process.