House Cats Central  

Complete Domestic House Cat Encyclopedia

 House Cats Central was created for the domestic house cat owner

Burmese Cat Breed

In the early 1930’s, Dr. Joseph Thompson of San Francisco acquired an attractive walnut-brown female from Burma which he named Wong Mau. Through selective breeding to Siamese, it was established that the Burmese is a distinct breed. Lighter colored kittens were occasionally produced and eventually the American breeders requested recognition from CFA for these “dilute” colors; first, as another breed named Malayan, then later as a dilute division of Burmese. The four colors recognized by CFA are: sable, champagne, blue and platinum. Burmese carry surprising weight for their size and have often been described as “bricks wrapped in silk.” Burmese coats are very short, satin-like in texture, and generally require little grooming other than daily petting.

As kittens, Burmese are quite lively. They often seem clumsy when they attempt feats beyond their capabilities and land on their rears with solid little thumps. They will be playful well into adulthood. As Burmese domestic house cats grow, their high intelligence emerges and their own individual personalities start to unfold. Burmese cats mature into charming, resolute executives who move in and take over a household, running it efficiently with those big eyes and a velvet paw. Burmese house cats are good with children, will tolerate the family dog, and if introduced to it at an early age as something pleasant, most will enjoy traveling in a car.