Playful, energetic, acrobatic and highly intelligent, the Burmese cat is the extrovert of the Cat Fancy. They are very mischievous, but they love people and they are tuned in to the needs of their owners. Once you have known a Burmese you have a lifelong passion for the breed.

Burmese cats have been known for centuries past living in Burma, Thailand and Malaya and have been imported along with the Siamese. But the striking appearance of the blue-eyed, seal pointed Siamese always left the Burmese in the shade. They were found in England in the late 1800s when they were known as Chocolate Siamese, but they were never favoured and gradually the breed died out in England and in Europe. Then, in 1930 Dr Joseph C Thompson of San Francisco, California imported a little brown female called Wong Mau. As there was no similar cat in the USA Dr Thompson mated her to a Sealpoint Siamese imported from Thailand. This litter produced Sealpoint Siamese kittens and brown kittens similar to Wong Mau. When mated to her son Yen Yen, Wong Mau produced yet a third type of kitten, a much darker brown in colour, and the true Burmese cat had arrived.

Myanmar (Burma)

Build: medium size, firm and muscular
Head: rounded wedge
Face: pretty with a sweet expression
Ears: medium to large
Eyes: large and round, lustrous yellow in colour
Tail: same length as body, not bushy
Legs: elegant
Coat: shorthair, fine and glossy

History

Manuscripts from Ayuthia, former capital of Siam, dating to the sixteen and seventeenth centuries depict cats that resemble today's Burmese. In the 16th century, brown cats similar to Burmese, called "Rajahs," roamed the halls of Buddhist temples in present-day Myanmar. In 1930, a military physician named J.C. Thompson was accompanied from Burma to San Francisco by a cat named Wong Mau, who was probably a Burmese/Siamese mix, what is today called a Tonkinese. Wong Mau was dark brown, almost mahogany, and had yellow eyes. Thompson mated her with Tai Mau, a Seal Point or Chocolate Point Siamese. One of the kittens (dark brown) was mated with its mother, Wong Mau. The result of that mating was a litter of solid brown kittens, the first specimens of the modern Burmese breed. The breed was recognized by the C.F.A. in 1936. The most recent T.I.C.A. standard was published in 1994. Burmese arrived in Great Britain in 1949 and were shown for the first time in London in 1952. The G.C.C.F. recognized the breed in 1954. Though the Burmese has only recently been recognized, it is worth recalling that brown cats with yellow eyes were brought into England as early as the late 19th century.The Burmese was officially introduced in France in 1956. The standard for the breed identifies an American version (compact, stocky, round head) and a British version (longer body and slightly triangular face). Originally, only sables were recognized. Blue was introduced in 1955, chocolate and lilac in 1959, and tortoiseshell varieties in the 1970s. The Burmese contributed to the development of the Bombay when it was crossed with the American Shorthair in 1981, the Burmilla (Persian/Burmese cross), the Tiffany (longhaired Burmese), and in the 1960s, the Tonkinese (Burmese/Siamese cross). Though uncommon in France, this breed is popular throughout the world, particularly in Anglo-Saxon countries.

This particularly extroverted, energetic, exuberant cat has a strong personality and fears nothing. This little "talker" has a loud voice, though it is less husky than that of the Siamese. The Burmese expresses dominance with other cats. A social creature, this cat loves company and detests solitude. The affectionate Burmese is a tireless playmate for children. He is so devoted to his owner that he has been nicknamed the "dog-cat." The wildness of kittenhood diminishes over the years. Females reach puberty early (around nine months) and bear slightly more offspring than average. Care is simple. Weekly brushing is sufficient.