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Madurese Busok cat gets global recognition
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The Madura-native cat, known as the Busok cat, received global recognition from World Cat Federation (WCF). (Instagram/oka_thebusokcat) (Instagram/oka_thebusokcat)
The short-haired gray cat is recognized as belonging to Madura island, East Java.
The Busok cat received global recognition as a native breed of Madura, East Java, by the World Cat Federation (WCF), an international association of cat clubs, on Nov. 10.
The effort to get the Busok cat to be recognized as an Indonesian cat breed has been made since 2008, according to Slamet Raharjo, a lecturer at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Gadjah Mada University (FKH UGM).
Slamet said that the Busok cat originates in Raas island, located east of Madura island. The locals believe every ship trying to get the Busok cat away from the island would sink. Hence, the breed has been sustained yet isolated on the island for centuries. As a consequence of being separated, inbreeding was inevitable.
“The end result is that the Busok cats are homogenous or similar in their physical appearance [phenotype] and also genetically [genotype],” Slamet said.
Busok cat has a distinct feature on its fur and tail compared to other cats in Indonesia. The coat has a bluish-gray hue, which is similar to the color of the Russian blue breed and British shorthair. Busok’s cat-fur texture is also thicker than other domestic cats in Indonesia.
The Madura-native cat is also known to have a short tail that resembles a pom-pom; the tail is famously known as a bobtail. The facial expression of the Busok cat resembles a leopard and a wild cat. The top of its face is somewhat rectangular, with a slightly pointy chin. Its ears are pointed and sticking out upwards.
