The Balinese cat breed is named for Bali despite being developed in the United States.
Balinese cats are essentially long-haired Siamese-type cats, with the same pointed color pattern and an elegant, slender body. American breeders selected naturally occurring long-haired kittens from Siamese lines and developed them into a consistent breed during the twentieth century.
The name was chosen because the cats' graceful appearance reminded breeders of Balinese dancers. It does not indicate that the breed originated on Bali. The Balinese is therefore a useful example of a breed whose geographic name is descriptive or evocative rather than a direct origin label.
The Javanese creates a common point of confusion. In modern classification systems, Javanese may refer to a long-haired Oriental-type cat, while Balinese specifically retains the Siamese pointed pattern and closely related type.