Legend places the Burmese cat as a divinity in ancient Buddhist monasteries, but almost all modern pedigreed Burmese can trace their ancestry back to a single walnut-brown female cat called Wong Mau, which was taken from Rangoon to the U.S. in 1930. Much research and experimental breedings were conducted with Wong Mau and her offspring until in 1936 the Burmese was accepted in United States as an official breed.

The Burmese is considered to be a Foreign. Its coat, regardless of colour, is smooth, satin like in texture, close lying and glossy. It is a medium sized cat with males tending to be slightly larger. It is muscular and well developed. When picking up a Burmese, one should be astonished at its weight. The head is rounded with the overall emphasis of roundness. The ears are well placed with rounded tips in profile. The eyes have a rounded lower line with the upper having a slight oriental slant. The muzzle is blunt, allowing a completely rounded look to the head. Eyes of golden yellow are preferred; however, any shade of yellow is acceptable.

The seal sepia, or sable, Burmese with its rich, short, glossy dark brown coat and deep gold eyes springs to mind when one thinks Burmese. But these compact bundles bring joy and love to your world as they give you complete and unconditional devotion. They are extremely people-oriented and tolerant cats that are an ideal pet for the whole family, including younger children. The Burmese will happily join in games and play the role of living doll. While the sable Burmese is the original color, the Burmese now comes in a variety of other colors from a warm blue to a pinky-grey lilac to a soft chocolate and even combines these colors with red and cream. Imagine a lilac tortoiseshell-a combination of soft pinks mingled with rich cream color of Devonshire clotted cream! These newer colors are rapidly becoming as popular as the original sable brown.

History and Origin of Burmese

Full credit must be given to Dr. Joseph Thompson who bravely decided to pursue his breeding programme with Wong Mau in the 1930s. The Burmese we know it today, was developed in America from a single cat: Wong Mau.

Wong Mau, the accredited ancestor of the modern Burmese breed, arrived on the West Coast of America in 1930. Cats Magazine (January 1948) published an account by a Major Finch who had been stationed in the Far East during World War II, of Rajah cats found in the region as 'being a recognised breed' whose characteristics appear to have matched those of Wong Mau. Major Finch returned to the USA with a cat similar to Wong Mau called Simbuni.

In 1932 Wong Mau was bred to Tai Mau, a Seal Point Siamese, and had kittens of two colors: some like Siamese kittens and others brown kittens with darker points like Wong Mau. Bred to her son, Yen Yen Mau, Wong Mau's kittens contained 3 colors: some like Siamese kittens, brown kittens like Wong Mau, and some dark brown kittens. The dark brown offspring founded the Burmese breed. It is now accepted that Wong Mau was actually a Siamese x Burmese hybrid.

On Mar 29 1955, the first blue Burmese kitten, Sealcoat Blue Surprise, was born in England. Cats other than sable had appeared earlier, but most Burmese breeders chose to breed only the sable cats. It is now believed that Wong Mau also carried the genes for dilution and chocolate that resulted in the appearance of chocolate, blue and lilac kittens. The red factor was added later in Europe. The Burmese was one of the original breeds TICA recognized in June 1979.


It has also been recorded by people who have lived in Burma and travellers who have visited Malaysia reported that Brown cats were an exception as the common domestic cats seen in the streets and alleys were no different from the many other moggies encountered around the world with variations in head and body shapes but seemingly with a high preponderance of kinks and other tail defects in the indigenous cat population.

Characteristic of Burmese

Burmese come in a range of solid and tortoiseshell colors: rich, dark sable brown; a medium, warm blue; a warm, honey beige chocolate with pink or fawn tints; a lovely lilac that ranges in tone from a bright pinkish grey to a silvery platinum with pink tints; reds of a light, golden apricot with melon-orange overtones; rich, warm deep creams with hints of apricot; and the soft mingling of red or cream with sable, chocolate, blue or lilac found in the tortoiseshells. All with seductive gold eyes glowing with their love for you. In young cats, the points will be darker but as the cat gets older and the coat matures the body color becomes deeper and richer until there is only a very slight difference between it and the color on the legs, head and tail.

The Burmese is a medium-sized, compact cat with a strong, well-muscled body making it surprisingly heavy for its size. It has a short, silky, single coat that hugs the muscular body and is a joy to stroke. The Burmese is a sturdy cat like a little bulldog with females being smaller than the males. The head is rounded and its large, innocent-looking gold eyes give it a sweet expression.

Their satin-like coats require little maintenance. A weekly grooming with a rubber brush to remove loose hairs will polish the coat to a high gloss. The oils from your hand petting and stroking the coat help maintain its balance and a quick wipe with a chamois will give that final finishing touch.

The Burmese has a soft, soft sweet voice and will enjoy a conversation with you if encouraged. These charming cats with rich colors, big gold eyes, and velvet paws will win your heart while you wonder how you ever lived without one in your life.

Personality of Burmese

Burmese are extremely sweet-natured, people-oriented cats who love to curl up on any available lap. They are playful cats and their playful nature extends to joining the games of the youngest family members, easily tolerating being dressed up in doll's clothes and carried around like a living doll. They are very social cats that thrive on company and will be lonely if there is no-one home with them. They are an ideal family pet but if your busy household means they will be alone for long periods of time, you might want to consider two so they will be company for each other.

Burmese never grow up! They play all of their life. They roughhouse with wild abandonment with their littermates and will even take on older cats. When they become adults, they will entertain their people for hours tirelessly playing fetch and lying in ambush to pounce on any body part that moves. They may be the most intelligent cats, and they can certainly outwit Siamese. No closet is safe from their inspection if it has fan-fold doors. One female that I know is certain that it is her duty to open all closet doors for the poor Siamese. Then she sits back and smirks because the poor Siamese got caught riffling through shelves. It is not necessary for her to go in, after all she remembers what is in the closet.

The males are not as determined to boss you as the girls, but they too will jump into the middle of the floor you are mopping or sweeping. I had one boy that wanted to be vacuumed and now one of his great-granddaughters also insists on getting herself vacuumed. They will sit in your lap and watch TV, plaster themselves next to your head when you are trying to sleep or insist on climbing under the covers. The males are very laid-back, ready to just hang out with you, yet with a definite sense of humor. I once knew an Alter that liked to lie in a cozy bed on top of a show cage. He just lounged there, watching people go by until someone realized there was a real cat sitting there grinning at them. Upon discovery, he would stretch his head out for a little ear scratch and never think about getting down or wondering off.

Burmese are totally people-oriented. If you don't enjoy being with an animal, that wants to supervise, interact, demand affection and discuss (in a very soft conversational tone) daily activities, yours and theirs, then a Burmese is not for you.

Burmese personalities are almost dog-like in a tendency to shadow their owners and in a desire to give and receive affection. Many Burmese have delighted their “humans” by learning to retrieve. They love warm laps and caressing hands and enjoy cuddling up in bed either under the covers or on top of their favorite persons. They delight in helping to manage the house.

Typically, Burmese are always with people. The females tend to request center stage and take an active role in ruling the household. The males prefer to supervise from the lap position, are more laid back and less opinionated. If emotionally slighted by their owner’s obtuseness, Burmese may sulk, but, fortunately, not for long. Burmese often convert the most anti-cat person into a Burmese enthusiast. Be forewarned! They can be addictive, and like potato chips, you may find you cannot have just one. Many people find the complete Burmese experience is to have one of each sex or perhaps two (or more) colors.

Folk Tales of The Burmese

Most breeds have interesting stories about their beginnings and the Burmese are no exception. There is a story that the Copper Cats of Siam are perhaps the earliest ancestors of the Burmese. The Cat Book of Poems about 1350, preserved in the University of Bangkok Art Department Museum clearly shows our little brown cat with gold eyes. It is said that they can be found today in the natural state in some temples.

Burmese were called the temple guards because of their distinctive eyebrows, (the bare spots above their eyes) which gave the impression to birds and animals that their eyes are always open. They were given to young monk novitiates to raise as part of their training. Perhaps the Burmese did the actual training of the monks.

Those of us who live with Burmese are well aware that we are carefully trained and allowed to share our lives with these four-footed friends

Burmese Controversy

For the past thirty years, there has been controversy over the appearance of the breed, which can now be divided into two groups. American breeders prefer the Modern/contemporary Burmese (American Burmese) which has shorter noses and rounder skulls. The traditional Burmese (British Burmese) was declassed by the Cat Fanciers' Association in the 1980s. England's Governing Council of the Cat Fancy took the opposite approach and banned the registration of all Burmese imported from America in order to preserve the traditional bloodlines.

The controversy revolves around the fact that contemporary Burmese sometimes carry alleles for the Head Fault, a lethal head defect. The head fault rarely occurs with traditional Burmese. Its widespread presence in the American lineages goes back to a cat named Good Fortune Fortunatas, a fine example of the contemporary body/head type, although the defect was present in Burmese cats before Fortunatas. This individual was extensively mated to Burmese cats in the USA, and today's show-type American Burmese cats can usually trace their lineage back to it.

Contemporary Burmese Breeders have continued with their stock because defective kittens are stillborn or euthanized soon after birth, and because sterilization of all possible head fault carriers would decimate the U.S. Burmese gene pool. While the average, non-breeding pet owner does not ever have to deal with the head fault, it is hoped that the head fault allele will eventually be eliminated by a yet-undiscovered genetic test, and then by years of controlled breeding.

Leslie A. Lyons, Ph.D. from University of California, Davis is doing research to locate the gene mutation that is causing the head fault. Resolving these problems would be highly useful, as the head fault allele appears to be expressed in recessive or epistatic manner. Therefore, eliminating it from the gene pool by simply culling affected animals is likely a prolonged process, if it can at all be successful . A genetic test for the presence of the allele would enormously speed up the process.

Registered Burmese

The Burmese cat  is accepted in many club from all over the world:

• Burmese standard  from FIFe
• Burmese standard  from CFA
• Burmese standard  from TICA
• Burmese standard  from AACE
• Burmese standard  from ACFA 
• Burmese standard  from ACF
• Burmese standard  from CCA

Books about Burmese Cat