Pointed cat with hard-to-see points
The Burmese cat is a pointed cat meaning that it has darker extremities than the areas in the middle of the body. However, the pointing may be difficult to see except in full sunlight. And, for example, the stable Burmese has dark brown points and a dark brown body colour. This gives the cat the appearance of a solid colour all over.
Variation in body type
The body type or body conformation of the Burmese cat depends upon the country where the breeder of the cat resides. It depends, therefore, which cat Association they are using for guidelines. So, in some countries the Burmese cat has a longer body and legs which makes the cat more elegant and slender-looking. This is in comparison to the Burmese cats bred in the United States which is compact (cobby). And so, there are two forms of this well-known breed: the American and the European.
Australian Burmese
The Australian standard demands that this cat breed should be of “foreign type”. This is a reference to a slightly slender appearance which is almost opposite to the North American standard which demands that the cat should be “round, cobby, small but heavy”. So, you will see big differences in the appearance of this popular cat breed.
The Australian Federation Inc breed standard for the Burmese states that this is “an elegant cat of foreign type”. The body is described as being “medium length and size, feeling hard and muscular and heavier than its appearance indicates. The chest should be strong and rounded in profile, the back straight from shoulder to rump”. As for the legs they say they should be “slender and in proportion to the body”.
You can see that they have borrowed certain features of the CFA breed standard using the word “rounded” but decided that the cat should be less compact and more slender overall.
RELATED: Cat Body Types
THERE ARE MORE PAGES ON THE BURMESE AT THE END OF THE ARTICLE.
