The Burmese is one of the most popular cat breeds in the world, loved for her sleek, glossy coat and her devoted, people-oriented personality.
So what are Burmese cats like, where did they come from, and why do their fans love them so much?
Contents:
- Breed History
- Breed Overview
- Personality
- Care and Living Conditions
- Feeding
- Reviews
- Price and Breeders
Breed History
Encyclopedias will tell you that the Burmese was once a sacred cat that lived only in the temples of Burma (now Myanmar) and Thailand. However, legends like this follow almost every Asian breed. Europeans first saw these cats in 1871 at the famous cat show at London’s Crystal Palace. The show drew crowds of visitors, but the Burmese apparently didn’t make much of an impression on them.
That’s why cat experts consider 1930 the official birth year of the breed. In 1930, Dr. Joseph Cheesman Thompson brought a cat named Wong Mau to San Francisco. The brown beauty was bred to a Siamese male named Tai Mau, and then again to his son. The offspring with dark chocolate-brown coats became the foundation of the Burmese breed.
In 1955, a blue Burmese debuted in Great Britain and caused such a stir that the popular press wrote about him, dubbing the unique cat “the blue wonder.”
Burmese Personality and Traits at a Glance
| Affection for family | ★★★★★ |
| Shedding | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Health | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Playfulness | ★★★★☆ |
| Vocality | ★★★★☆ |
| Good with kids | ★★★★★ |
| Friendliness toward strangers | ★★★★★ |
| Ease of grooming | ★★★★★ |
| Gets along with other pets | ★★★★☆ |
| Intelligence | ★★★★★ |
American and European Burmese
The Burmese name covers two types: American and European. Cats from the Old World and the New World share the same temperament and panther-like grace, but their standards are a little different, mostly when it comes to colors.
We also recommend reading about Thai and Oriental cats.
Appearance and Breed Overview
What does the ideal Burmese look like? She’s medium-sized (about 12 inches tall at the shoulder), with good bone, well-developed muscles, and a solid weight (a healthy female weighs up to about 8 lb, and a male about 11–13 lb).
Head: rounded from every angle, with a short, full muzzle and eyes set wide apart
Ears: medium-sized, set wide apart
Eyes: large and round, slanting slightly toward the nose. The color ranges from yellow to gold. As the cat gets older, the eye color may fade.
Body: a well-developed chest and a compact body.
Legs: graceful and long in proportion to the body. The front paws have five toes and the hind paws have four.
Tail: long and tapering.
Coat: no pattern, short, solid color all the way to the root, with no undercoat. The coat is lighter on the underside of the body.
Colors in the American (CFA) standard, in order of preference:
- Sable (dark brown)
- Blue
- Platinum (lilac)
- Champagne (café au lait)
Colors in the European standard:
- Shades of chocolate
- Brown
- Red
- Blue
- Lilac
- Tortoiseshell
Disqualifying traits
Crossed eyes or blue eyes, a striped coat pattern, an incorrect nose leather color.
Personality
To back up our words, let’s rate the breed’s personality on a 5-point scale.
- Intelligence: 5 points
- Devotion to the owner: 5 points
- Cleanliness: 5 points
- Love of children: 4 points
Owners of the breed note how quickly they learn and how incredibly friendly they are. This isn’t the kind of cat that sits silently on the windowsill. A Burmese kitten will sit on your lap, on your head, on your laptop keyboard, anywhere, as long as she’s close to her person.
Health
When it comes to health, though, the Burmese doesn’t earn top marks. Health: 3 points. Diabetes and hypokalemia are the breed’s Achilles’ heels.
Vets have noted that Burmese cats are prone to diabetes.
Losing baby teeth often causes young cats a lot of discomfort, since the new teeth coming in can be quite painful.
Another problem of the Burmese breed is the genetic disease hypokalemia, meaning low potassium levels in the blood. But for a Burmese kitten to have hypokalemia, it has to inherit the gene from both parents. To protect yourself and your kitten, check the pedigree of the kitten you’re buying carefully and ask the breeder about genetic testing.
Despite all this, the Burmese is a long-lived breed. A healthy Burmese can celebrate her 15th birthday with you!
Care and Living Conditions
These cats have almost no undercoat, but that doesn’t mean they need no grooming. Get a rubber brush or a deshedding tool and brush your pet once every seven days.
A coat-care hack
After going over that gorgeous coat with a rubber brush, rub your Burmese down with a piece of silk or chamois (or even fur). You’ll notice the coat starts to gleam and gets even silkier. In photos from cat shows, you usually see Burmese cats right after this treatment.
Read our list of everyday tips for caring for a kitten at home.
Feeding
Vets don’t give any special feeding recommendations for this breed. Burmese cats eat everything any house cat eats. Feeding a young Burmese is no different from the basic rules for feeding a kitten.
Food for Burmese cats
Premium and super-premium are the only kinds of food that really deserve to be called cat food. Burmese kittens will look and feel great with food like this in their bowl:
- Hill’s Prescription Diet w/d (a vet diet that helps manage weight and blood sugar; ask your vet first);
- Purina Pro Plan Adult Weight Management;
- Wellness CORE.
Reviews from Vets and Owners
Inna: “Our cat’s name is Cupcake. If you’d seen what an ugly duckling he was when he came to us! That’s actually the Burmese’s big secret: their beauty and luxury show up as they grow, and as babies they’re awkward and funny-looking. Cupcake’s mink-like coat came in at about a year and a half, and that’s when his personality took shape too. He’s easygoing and very friendly, and he doesn’t care who pets him: the kids, the man of the house, or a guest. He’s 5 now and still very playful. Shedding is no problem either, since they have almost no undercoat.”
Sofya Igorevna, vet: “I advise all Burmese owners to watch their pet’s weight, because extra pounds hurt this breed’s looks and health alike. Like all short-faced cats, Burmese can have runny eyes, so don’t forget to wipe them. And one more thing: your Burmese may snore. Don’t be alarmed. It’s another quirk of the breed.”
Mila: “I know the Burmese partly descends from Siamese cats, but I don’t see any Siamese traits in its personality at all. Burmese cats are so much kinder, more playful, and more devoted than Siamese cats! Ours is 7 now, but every so often he still comes over and boldly demands to be picked up. Sometimes he thunders around the house like an elephant, but we’re used to it. By the way, Burmese cats look small, but when you pick one up, you realize they’re surprisingly heavy. It must be pure muscle.”
Photos
How Much Does a Burmese Kitten Cost?
As we mentioned above, this breed is very popular, and the CFA has recognized it since 1936, so you can find breeders across the US.
A pet-quality Burmese kitten from a reputable US breeder usually costs about $600–$1,500. Show-quality kittens cost about $1,500–$2,500, and kittens from European lines or grand champion bloodlines can reach $2,500–$3,000.
Catteries
Start with the breeder directories:
- CFA (Cat Fanciers’ Association) Find a Breeder – https://find-a-breeder.cfa.org/;
- TICA (The International Cat Association) breeder listings – https://tica.org/find-a-cat/find-a-cat-breeder-listings/.
Some US Burmese catteries:
- Qwan Yinn Burmese (near Fort Worth, Texas; CFA and TICA) – http://qwanyinnburmese.com/;
- Evita (CFA and TICA; Burmese and Bombays).
The Bottom Line on the Burmese
The Burmese is a cognac-colored diamond, precious and rare. The Burmese is easy to care for, and keeping her beautiful takes little time or money. Along with her exotic looks, she has the most important qualities of a pet: she’s sociable and friendly.
The breed isn’t hypoallergenic, but since she doesn’t shed much, her owners won’t have trouble with fur.
We recommend this breed to people who can spend a lot of time at home and enjoy the company of such a smart creature.
