Bombay

The breeder Nikki Horner, from Louisville (Kentucky), wanted a pocket-sized black panther, and in the 1950s she began crossing sable Burmese with black American Shorthairs. It took her years to fix the type, but she managed it: the CFA granted championship status in 1976. It is a coal-black cat with a coat as shiny as patent leather, a muscular body that is heavy for its size and copper or gold eyes. In temperament it is almost a Burmese: sociable, playful, greedy and very keen on following its person around the house. It seeks out warmth and usually ends up on the nearest lap.

A once-over with a chamois or your hand each week keeps the shine. It has a hearty appetite and tends to put on weight: weigh its portions and use interactive feeders. It loves fetch games and picks up routines and tricks easily. It copes badly with long periods alone and appreciates company. And remember that black cats bringing bad luck is a myth, although in Spain they are still harder to rehome.

Through its Burmese side it can inherit the Burmese head defect (lethal in kittens with two copies, DNA test available), hypokalaemia and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Its slightly short face makes some cats prone to runny eyes. Ask for the parents' test results and, if the breeder offers it, an echocardiogram.