Bahrain is a small island just off the east coast of
Saudi Arabia in the Arabian Gulf. The local
cats of
Bahrain have a very distinctive 'look' about them - they are slender,
elegant, street smart spotted tabbies. These spotted tabbies have
beautiful short hair coats that are extremely sleek, I compare their
coats to the feel of a beautiful silk Persian carpet. The spotted
Bahraini cats occur in all different clours from dark brown, bronze,
cinnamon, lillac, ginger, silver, etc. and the cats occur in solid
colours also. Recently the typical Bahraini cat has been called the 'Dilmun
Cat' after the name of ancient Bahrain. These cats have managed to adapt
to the harsh climatic conditions of Bahrain. Due to the extreme summer
temperatures in Bahrain the cats have large ears and short fur. In the
summer they sleep all day and come out in the evening, and in the cooler
months they are more active at day time.
Generally these lovely cats are not much appreciated in their home land. Most
of the cats in Bahrain live as street wise cats in areas where there is a
sufficient supply of food and enough shelter (fortunately for the cats people
throw out a lot of food in Bahrain!). Appart from their good looks, the cats of
Bahrain are particualary endearing creatures because of their great
personalities. Even people that normally don't like cats end up with a soft spot
for the cats of Bahrain.
The cats of Bahrain are very adaptable creatures, and that has been the key
to their survival. Unfortunately, nowadays there is so much development going on
in Bahrain with shopping malls and high rise offices popping up, that the
traditional home areas of the cats are being demolished. The next test of their
survival is to see how they will survive in the modern towns and cities of
Bahrain.
