Burmese Cat

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Burmese Cat – Photo of Candido © copyright Helmi Flick

• Introduction
• History
• Appearance and Character
• Breed Standard
• Health
• Breeders – new page – discussion – pic – links
• Click here to see visitors’ submissions

Introduction

It seems that for centuries this cat was found in the Far East, in Siam (now Thailand), Burma and the Malay Peninsula (now Malaysia). A female Burmese cat was imported into the USA in 1930. This imported cat was mated with a Seal Point Siamese and then a male offspring from this breeding was bred back to his mother to produce the Sable Burmese Cat¹.

I think that it is unfortunate that the development of this breed in the West has taken divergent paths. This is because of a disagreement between the UK and US cat fancy as to what the Burmese cat should look like. It is a shame that the US and UK differ in respect of their standard for this breed. The differences between the GCCF (UK) and CFA (US) makes it more difficult for non-cat fanciers to appreciate this cat breed. It also means that other countries and associations have to decide how to treat the divergent Burmese subgroups.

Here is another couple of European Burmese from the breeder: Юлия Ланцова who lives in Moscow.

I have a full page on the differences between the American and European Burmese cat. Please click on the link below:

American Burmese cat – evolution and comparison with European Burmese

Most apparently treat them as the same cat, while some differentiate and call the UK cat the European Burmese. People will disagree with what I have said and one counter argument is that nature throws up diverging types of the same species, the tiger being a classic example (Bengal and Siberian tigers). So, I can see the counter argument. I’ve built two short Blogger posts, one on the American Burmese and the other the European Burmese cat. Most of the cats illustrated on this page are the American Burmese. In the US the breed is considered a ’round’, cobby and small but heavy cat. While the Burmese is described as of ‘foreign type’ in Australia. See Cat Body Types

Photo of Candido © copright Helmi Flick

History

Early development – Dr Joseph C. Thompson was the original importer of the first Burmese cat into the USA. Dr. Thompson of San Francisco brought back a chocolate colored cat from Burma, the now famous Wong Mau. It is now thought that the original cat was either a Tonkinese or a Burmese/Siamese variant.

He entered into a complex breeding program, the outcome of which was a declaration from Mr Thompson that this “new breed” was partly a new breed and partly a Siamese cat. Wong Mau was bred to a Siamese because it seems not other cats of the same color were available for breeding (does this sound sensible?). Some of the offspring were pointed. Gloria Stephenson in her book, Legacy of the Cat, says that if Wong Mau had been a Burmese, breeding her to a Siamese would have resulted in all mink colored Tonkinese kittens (is does get very complicated, I am afraid). I would have thought that Wong Mau was an unclassified cat as the Burmese cat breed was not yet officially created when Wong Mau came to the USA. Gloria says that Wong Mau may be regarded as the first Tonkinese but an undeveloped Tonkinese as her body shape was not that of present day Tonkinese cats. The Burmese breed originated from the dark brown kittens that were produced from several generations of breeding mink to mink.

Later development – The appearance of the Burmese started to become more cobby in the United States in the 1960s. The breed were more foreign in appearance until then (i.e. more slender). The head was not the rounded shape that is desired in America, currently (2009). The body and legs were longer. It would seem that the catalyst for change to a more rounded compact appearance was a cat called Theebaw, who was a companion cat of a well known Burmese breeder, Gladys de Fleron, living in New Orleans. Until Theebaw arrived she had shown foreign type Burmese cats. Theebaw was an attractively different looking Burmese, more compact and shorter. He was shown at cat shows with huge success going on to win the ACFA (American Cat Fanciers Association) Cat of the Year award in the 1960s. The natural consequence of Theebaws success was a desire to reproduce it and the more cobby appearance took root. Other famous Burmese cats that influenced the current USA Burmese appearance are: Prince Pogo of Regal (born 1958), Mizpah’s Fernand of Briarwood, Hill House Daniella of Shawnee, Burma Road’s Detour of Senshu to name some.

Candido American Burmese photograph ©copyright Helmi Flick – these are large thumbnails. Respect copyright, please.

Appearance and Character

If one were to summarize the CFA description of character it would be that the Burmese cat is a pleasant, sweet natured and people orientated cat with all the usual attractive domestic cat attributes. A great companion animal. The Burmese cat is vocal with a louder than usual voice. Surprisingly the CFA says that the Burmese cat has almost no sense of survival and should be kept in as a result.

This brings to mind the Ragdoll cat as some people have said similar things about that cat breed. This would seem to be an exaggeration. It must be almost impossible to breed out the ‘hard-wired’ survival instinct, the most fundamental off all instincts. And if cat breeders did breed out this instinct, it would be improper of them, in any event. All domestic cats have retained their fundamental wild cat traits. The Burmese is a pointed cat (e.g. like the Siamese). The points are hard to see, though. The original Burmese was sable (dark brown) in color. Since then, through careful breeding, a wide range of colors have been developed. This has been a further source of controversy. The CFA accepts:

• sable – deep rich brown
• champagne – warm beige to pale golden tan
• blue – medium blue to a slate blue
• platinum – silver color with pinkish tinge

TICA accept the above and these:

• cinnamon – homey/orange tinged with gold
• fawn – warm beige
• red – rich red
• tortoiseshell – various

The GCCF accept these colors: brown (similar to sable), blue, chocolate, lilac, red, brown tortie, cream, blue tortie, chocolate tortie and lilac tortie.

Candido the cat featured on this page is (I believe) a platinum colored cat (“pale silvery grey with pale fawn undertones” – CFA). The eye color is gold to yellow. Because of the different approaches to the breeding of this cat, there is a range of head and body types. As can be seen from the American cats on this page the face is round.

Photo of Cappy (Sable American Burmese cat) © copright Helmi Flick

Update July 2010: I get confused about Burmese colours – perhaps the authors of the source material that I use are confused too.

Breed Standard – head and body for GCCF (UK) and CFA (USA)

The USA breeders prefer the “contemporary Burmese” while the Brits go for the “Traditional Burmese”. A brief and limited comparison of breed standards helps to understand the difference.

UK – the head should be a “short wedge”, wide at the cheeks and tapering to a blunt nose. There is no reference to roundness as in the US standard below. The body should be of “medium length and size”.

USA – the head should be “rounded” with a sweet expression. The body should be medium in size and compact (i.e. short).

This comparison tells us a lot about the difference between the UK and US. The European Burmese (UK type) is nearer a normal or standard cat shape (moggie shape). Although some call it more Oriental. While the US Burmese has a slightly exaggerated roundness (supporting the desired sweet look) to her pug-like conformation. Everything about the Burmese is meant to be “rounded”. All major components of the body are round, the head, eyes, short muzzle and chest. Similar terms are used for the American Shorthair and Persian with respect to a round appearance).

Americans, it would seem, demand something a little more outstanding and tend therefore to breed more extreme cats, either very cobby and round (Ultra Persian) or long and delicate (Modern Siamese). In addition the American breeders consider the more rounded look the traditional (original) look. It would seem that some breeders in the US have progressed from “rounded” (the desired breed standard) to “flattened” (something like the Ultra Persian). The flatter faced Burmese cat is called the “contemporary” look.

Although the head should be without flat planes. It is not unusual for breeders to drift slightly away from the breed standard as it is written in quite general terms. This can result in the standard being re-written to accommodate the drift or the judges can enforce a return to the original standard. At one time the Burmese was being bred smaller than required by the standard. The male Burmese cat may be quite strong and powerful with a barrel chest, while females can be more delicate.

Photo: © copyright Helmi Flick

Photo of European Brown Burmese cat: © danklar

Health

The breeding lines of the American cat has a defective gene, which is seen in the birth of kittens with a deformed head. The condition is called Meningoencephalocele. The symptoms are soft swellings on the forehead and face. The condition is inherited from a recessive gene. Kittens that are born alive are euthanized. This does not effect the UK Burmese. This major health problem has been hard to eradicate. The idea is that it will gradually fade out through wise breeding. Read more on this.

As I understand it there is a separate skull defect that was and perhaps is still caused by breeding for the flat face (USA contemporary appearance). This breeding apparently caused the birth of open skulls and misplaced eyes. I am not sure if there is an overlap between this condition and the above.

A condition called Flat Chest Kitten Syndrome, which can be found in dwarf cats, can also it seems be found in the Burmese cat. As indicated the condition causes the chest to be flattened. This causes possible dislocation of internal organs and difficulty in breathing, with poor growth. The kitten will be in distress as well, obviously. This health problem is due to an inherited recessive gene (fck).

Finally A condition called “Cherry Eye” can affect either the traditional or contemporary Burmese cat. The third eyelid comes out and reveals the tear duct. It can be corrected through minor surgery.

Diabetes in cats is on the increase probably due to dietary factors. Dry cat food contains too much carbohydrate. In an Australian study, a higher percentage than average of Burmese cats where found to suffer from Diabetes Mellitus. This is not corroborated by a US study.

Dr. Turner and Jean Turner (authors of Veterinary Notes for Cat Owners) say that this cat breed may be predisposed to a condition called Psychogenic Alopecia (excessive grooming through behavioral problems leading to hair loss). See Feline Endocrine Alopecia

I have expanded on major health problem referred to at 1 above on this page: Burmese cat health [link] and added some more health issues.

Burmese cat photo: ©copyright Helmi Flick

1. Philosophical point. Why do we find breeding closely related cats acceptable and desirable (to produce the desired “type”) when as humans we forbid such mating on health grounds?

Burmese cat – Lorenzo – photo © copright Helmi Flick

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What Other Visitors Have Said

Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page…

I rescued a Burmese cat
I found Tinky in the bushes in my front yard. She was crying terribly. I had never seen anything like her before and I was not even sure she was a cat!…

My Little Kathryn
My Burmese cat, who will be 23 years old in December of 2010, is still a little doll. She has had the run of the house and the streets whenever she …

We don’t think we can live without a Burmese or Siamese cat!
Most of our married life has evolved around cats but early in the 1970s we became involved with Burmese sable (or brown). They were a complete delight….

At 79 years of age I found love again in my Burmese cat
On December the 1st 2009, my significant other of 27 yrs passed. I became lonely and very depressed. I wanted company to love but my age (79 year) gave …

Our Little Man
A little over two years ago, I went to the local Humane Association in search of a new friend. As soon as I saw Dudley, I knew he had to be part of our …

The Last Ride
The Last Ride..Our Burmese cat’s name is Toby. He has been with us for 18 & 1/2 years. That is a long time of continuous LOVE. Ever since he was a kitten …

My Burmese Cat was My Best Friend
We adopted an 11 month old tortie Burmese. In days she ceased to be a companion and rivaled my…( Richard left this bit out 1 ).for position as my …

Burmese Or Asian Purebred Cats?
I have to tread very carefully here, but I want to place this experience anyway, as I would like to hear some opinions. When I set out to find a Burmese …

Accidental Burmeses
I wish I would have known what kind of cat I was getting many years ago. Of course when accidents do happen it usually doesn’t mean a whole lot and so …

BREED CATS FOR HEALTH!
My first Burmese was a cat from the Sangazure line. A tiny contemporary Burmese with a personality that was like a child’s. Loving, hilarious, mischievous,…

There Were No Burmese Cats in Burma
2009: We are informed by the press ( The Times Saturday 14th November) that there were no Burmese cats in Burma until they were recently re-introduced….

Burmese Cat Names
I like to think that Burmese cat names should be Burmese human names that can be adapted – why? Well, we use human western style names for cats sometimes …

Kitty Grumbles
My Kitty Grumbles was very well socialized and was devastated when she was adopted by me. She cried for them for 3 weeks. Now she will go up towards people,…

Burmese Cat Caregiver
I fell in love with my first sable Burmese kitten. She was bred by Wendy Fulton in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. I had to choose between 6 kittens. As soon …

My Burmese cat, Koko
My cat Koko is a chocolate Burmese. She is very affectionate and lovable, but she can sometimes get on our nerves, like when she sits on my homework or …

Blind Burmese Brothers in the UK
My mother, who lives in southern England, has two Burmese cats, one brown and one blue, who are brothers. They have had long and more-or-less healthy …

Burmese Cat Health
This page on Burmese Cat Health is in addition to the information on the Burmese cat page . Firstly, I would like to expand on the well known and disastrous …

Asian Cat
I am writing about the domestic Asian cat group not the various wild cats in Asia such as the Asian leopard cat , the wild cat parent of the Bengal cat …

Miskena My Exquisite Blue Burmese
Miskena is my exquisite blue Burmese. Her coat is plush and very soft. She is a light grey with silver luster overtones. She loves to cry loudly when playing …

Burmese And Russian Blue Cross Not rated yet
Hi, I own a beautiful cat named Opal, she’s a 2nd generation new breed of cat that was developed by breeding the Burmese with the Russian blue. The …

Diabetes Mellitus in Burmese Cats Not rated yet
This concerns a research paper on the subject of the over representation of Burmese cats in Queensland, Australia, with diabetes mellitus. The abstract,…

My Burmese Cat Brothers Not rated yet
As a long time cat owner, I have had Siamese, rescue cats and Tonkinese. I had always wanted Burmese, and when I found myself catless about a year ago,…

Clubs

The Burmese Cat Club
This is a UK club that is very well established, being founded in 1955. They have a useful rehoming page on their website.

Sources:

• Burmese Cat Club (for detailed history)
• Wikipedia
• CFA
• GCCF
• Messybeast
• Me
• Burmese Cats, Everything about Acquisition, Care, Nutrition, Behavior.