The first Burmese cat to be seen
in the West was a small, brown female called Wong Mau, brought into America
from the Far East in 1930. At this point, there was no similar male cat to
mate her to and so it was decided that her mate should be a male of the
breed with the closest resemblance to herself, a Seal-point Siamese. Her
kittens from this litter were hybrids, close to what we now call the
Tonkinese. Genetically, it is most likely that Wong Mau herself was a dark
variation of Tonkinese as when one of her sons was mated back to her,
the progeny included dark brown cats like herself. These are generally
regarded as the first real Burmese cats.
It was not until 1948 that
Burmese cats found their way across the Atlantic to Britain. Burmese are not
as instantly appealing, glamorous and recognizably pedigree as the Siamese;
however, their intelligence and character combined with a marvellous
temperament soon won them popularity. They also have the added advantage
that their voices are not quite as loud as the Siamese.
As their popularity increased,
and more kittens were bred, a great surprise occurred. In 1955, a silvery
grey kitten appeared in a litter. It was the first Blue Burmese cat and was
name Seal-coat Blue Surprise. This proved that Burmese cats had a similar
genetic makeup to Siamese cats: Brown Burmese is genetically equivalent to
Seal-point Siamese; Blue Burmese equivalent to Blue-point Siamese. This was
just the beginning. In America, a diluted version of the Brown Burmese had
been noted, which was called Champagne, and a much paler version of the
Blue, which was termed Platinum. These colours correspond to the Chocolate-
and Lilac-point Siamese cats, and in the UK they are known as Chocolate and
Once the basic genetics of the
Burmese cat were understood, a whole spectrum of colour possibilities could
be created. If breeders had managed to introduce the sex-linked colour to
Siamese cats then why not try to produce Burmese in these colours too? A
sensible breeding plan was inaugurated by several breeders, and with the
help of the Burmese Cat Club in the UK to implement this programme, we now
have Burmese cats in ten different colours - all of which have the health,
stamina, type and temperament of the original 'Little Brown cat', as Wong
Mau was called - the little brown cat that came to the USA sixty years ago.
Burmese cats can now be seen in
the following colours, although their titles differ in the UK and USA: Brown
(USA, Sable); Blue; Chocolate (USA, Champagne); Lilac (USA, Platinum); Red;
Cream; Brown-Tortie; Blue-Tortie; Chocolate-Tortie; Lilac-Tortie. In some
American cat fancies, Burmese cats other than Brown, Chocolate and Lilac are
known as Malayans; in other fancies, the sex linked colours are not
recognized at all.
Character and Temperament
This is an enchanting breed, but
possibly not one for the faint hearted. The Burmese have very out going
personalities and in the past have been called the 'dog cat' due to their
ability to retrieve their loyalty to their owners. Their voices are quieter
than the Siamese cat, but in many respects their character is similar.
Burmese do not like being left alone for long. Another cat, or even a dog,
will provide entertainment during the day if you are out at work. There is
no denying that Burmese cats are demanding - they will not tolerate being
left out of the household hubbub, and they do like to be thought of as part
of the family.
Type and Standard of Points
For any Burmese cat, the type
and body shape should be the same. Burmese cats are a medium sized, sturdy
and well-muscled breed; they should never be as large and heavily boned as
the British, nor as long and slender as the Siamese. The head should have a
well-rounded dome, both in profile and front-on, with wide-set ears of
medium size. The nose should show a distinct 'break', and the chin should be
strong and firm. The eyes should be an almond shape and the colour, for
perfection, should be any hue of yellow, although in the UK a pale
green-yellow is acceptable. A typical Burmese cat conforming to these
standards will have what is called a typical 'wicked' Burmese look.
The tail should be in proportion
to the body length - a simple guide is that the tail should just reach the
shoulder blade of the cat. It should have no visible kink or fault.
The coat should be short, close
lying and clear in colour. In Chocolate and Lilac Burmese it is acceptable
for the points to be slightly darker, but it is preferable if the coat is of
a uniform hue. In kittens, slight barring on the legs is permissible but in
an adult cat this is considered a fault.
Coat Colour - Brown
Brown Burmese cats should show a
deep, even, warm brown colour with no visible bars or stripes on an adult;
faint 'ghost' markings are permissible on a kitten. The coat may be shade to
a slightly lighter tone on the underparts. The nose leather and paw pads
should be dark brown.
Coat Colour - Blue
A soft, silvery grey is the best
way to describe the colour of a Blue Burmese, again allowing for a slight
variation of shading to a lighter hue on the underparts. The paw pads and
nose leather should be grey.
Coat Colour - Chocolate
Warm, milk chocolate is the
colour that is called for, although the face, legs and tail can be slightly
darker, but never as dark as a Brown Burmese. The nose leather and paw pads
should be of a chocolate brown colour.
Coat Colour -Lilac
Lilac Burmese cats have a most
attractive colouring which should be a pale dove grey, with a slight pinkish
tinge for perfection. Like the other dilute colour, chocolate, it is
acceptable for the extremities to be slightly darker. Nose leather and paw
pads should be lavener-pink.
Coat Colour - Red
'Tangerine' is the best
description of the Red Burmese; however, the colour should not be too hot
and certainly not so cool as to be confused with a Cream Burmese. The nose
leather and paw pads should be pink.
Coat Colour - Cream
Cream Burmese cats have a pale,
clotted-cream colour, with a distinctive 'powdering' over their ears and
heads - looking as if they have had a light sprinkling of talcum powder.
Like Red Burmese cats their nose leather and paw pads should be a pale pink.
Coat Colour - Brown-Tortie
For this colour a combination of
brown, red and cream colours, all intermingled, is required, with the paw
pads and nose leather a combination of brown or pink or both.
Coat Colour - Blue-Tortie
Previously called the
Blue-Cream, which exactly describes the colour required: a combination of
blue and cream. Paw pads and nose leather should be the same, a mixture of
blue and cream.
Coat Colour - Cream-Tortie
The colours of the coat should
be a well mixed combination of chocolate and cream, with the nose leather
and paw pads the same colour.
Coat Colour - Lilac-Tortie
Lilac and cream coat, with paw
pads and nose leather a dove grey.