Cat Breed - Burmese

By David Braybrooke

The Burmese, (meaning 'fortunate, beautiful and splendid appearance') cat was imported from Siam, now Thailand in the 1930's, the first one coming to San Francisco. It has been recognized as an official cat breed since the 1950's - '60's.

This type of cat was divided into two distinct breeds, the American Burmese and the British or European Burmese. They were mated to a Siamese and developed many favorable traits.

The Burmese is a slim, athletic cat with a short, soft, silky, glossy coat that has a satin-like finish. Their coats were originally exclusively brown or 'sable'. These days, they come in a wide variety of colors and hues, including brown, blue, lilac, chocolate, cream, red, champagne, platinum, lilac-cream (lilac torti), blue torti, chocolate torti and brown torti. Colors of limited recognition include cinnamon, fawn, caramel and even apricot!

Their eye-color is gold or yellow and may even be blue or green in hue owing to the interbreeding with the Siamese cat. They are very sociable, friendly with humans and intelligent. Being extremely vocal, they often 'call' to their owners. Burmese cats are affectionate and charming, active and playful but not as demanding as the Siamese variety!

The Burmese kitten has a very inquisitive nature; they are outgoing and accept strangers well. Sometimes, they are even known as 'naughty tortis' as they can be very bold and rambunctious!

This type of cat is lactose intolerant, so milk should be avoided in the diet! They are best fed on canned foods, cheese, some mince and dried biscuits; it is not advised they are fed on solely dry food as this may cause kidney problems!

Burmese cats usually have large litters, up to six to eight kittens; the young are born with coffee-colored coats which develop into their adult colors at a later stage

They are remarkably heavy for their size and are known climbers and longer lived than most pedigree cats, living up to 16-18 years. Minimal grooming is needed as they are very tidy and efficient self-cleaners.

Burmese cats like to exercise and don't put on weight easily. They aren't usually cheap to buy, often fetching prices from $300 upwards but make good pets, although don't tolerate teasing of any kind!

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