It is worth noting that there are significant differences between the European Burmese and the American Burmese. You may know that but the breed has diverged into two types, almost 2 different breeds depending upon which side of the Atlantic you live. The American side of the Burmese family has developed into a rounded cat whereas the European breeders have opted for a well-muscled but more angular shape. This is a more oriental look i.e. slenderer with long legs. The American Burmese has sometimes been described as “bricks wrapped in silk”. The breed standard in the USA emphasises roundness most notably in the shape of the head. Another interesting factor is that the GCCF standard of points (breed standard) says that the Burmese should be “an elegant cat of a foreign type”. Foreign type means slender.
The GCCF (premier cat association in the UK and Europe) accept these colours for the Burmese: brown (similar to sable), blue, chocolate, lilac, red, brown tortie, cream, blue tortie, chocolate tortie and lilac tortie. Incidentally, the European cat association, FiFe say that the Burmese should be “elegant” neither Siamese type (meaning oriental – slender in layman’s language) nor cobby (FiFe standard). They seem to regard the UK Burmese as cobby.
You can see how it might be confusing for a buyer. Having seen the potentially stark difference in the appearance of the European Burmese to the American variety and the apparent difference within Europe, what about Burmese cat breeders? I feel that if you are new to buying a purebred cat the best starting point is the cat clubs that are affiliated to the cat associations. They know their members and the breed.
RELATED: American Burmese cat – evolution and comparison with European Burmese
Here are some useful pages to visit. These links are date sensitive.
Europe
- Europe April 17th 2022: Burmese Cat Club affiliated to the GCCF – UK based. A large club with a list of breeders. They also run a re-homing service.
- Burmese Cat Society– affiliated to the GCCF – nice re-homing service – UK based. There is only one breeder affiliated to this club as at the above date.
RELATED: Burmese Cat – full description
USA
- USA April 17th 2022: The CFA list 4 Burmese breeders as at this date. They do not vet and check breeders registered with them as far as I am aware. A visit to the cattery should be obligatory.
- National Alliance of Burmese Breeders Inc.– nice list of breeders.
- TICA – a short list of Burmese cat breeders
I do have some interesting pages, I hope you agree, on the Burmese cat on this website. You can access those pages by viewing the links below.
