Burmese Cat Breed: Origin, Temperament, Appearance, Grooming, Health, and More!

The Burmese are lovely cats. Look at them, and they are round all over while having a unique coat and eye colors; spend time with them, and you will feel a surprising element of intelligence, affection, and loyalty. Because of such traits, Burmese cats are experiencing an exponential surge in their popularity.

The Burmese cats have two popular variants, European and American. This blog mostly refers to the latter.

Burmese Cat Breed Overview

Characteristics of the Burmese Cat Breed

Burmese Cat Appearance

The Burmese are medium-sized cats with muscular bodies and enchanting golden eyes. Other prominent features include a visible nose break, round paws, and a straight and medium-sized tail.

There are some differences between the appearance of the European and the American Burmese cats. The former have wedge-shaped heads, longer muzzles, and slant-shaped eyes, while the latter have comparatively longer muzzles, and their eyes are round.

American Burmese Cat	European Burmese Cat
Comes only in four colors sable, champagne, blue, and platinum	Comes in a variety of different colors, including tortoiseshell
The rounded head and compact body	Wedge-shaped head
Comparatively longer muzzle	Longer muzzle
Big round eyes	Slant shaped eyes

Though the Burmese cats are medium-sized, they are compact and heavy and, therefore, often referred to as ‘brick wrapped in silk.’

The International Cat Association (TICA) recognizes several colors; the Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA), on the other hand, acknowledges only four of them:

1. Sable
2. Champagne
3. Platinum, and
4. Blue

Burmese Cat Personality and Temperament

The demeanor of the Burmese cats can be described as more ‘dog-like,’ owing to the number of tendencies they have, such as loyalty and companionship. However, in general, their personality traits can be summed up into the following points:

1. Active: They are energetic, and they love to play around. Because of their high intelligence and high energy, they are also quite into different games, especially fetch, tag, and hide and seek. Hence, people around a Burmese cat never get bored!
2. Friendly: They are quite affectionate and people-oriented. They love daily petting sessions and are among the most extroverted cats.
3. Persistently Vocal: This personality trait is inherent in the Burmese felines due to their Siamese ancestry. However, their voice is very sweet and soft.
4. Investigative: They are very observant and keep their eyes on everything and every person around them. When they get curious about what their owner is doing, they usually sit on their shoulder to oversee the job.
5. Attention-Seeking: They always try to be at the center of attention. They love to lay on top of their owners and snuggle in bed would them. They also enjoy being held and appreciate belly rubs.
6. Separation Anxious: On the flip side of being attention-seeking, Burmese cats don’t like to be left alone. And when left alone for a long time, they would develop separation anxiety.
7. Trusting: They are too trusting of different things and people and are, as a consequence, at risk of being harmed, especially when outdoors. For that reason, Burmese cats should always be harnessed when taken outside. You should leash train your cat, if necessary, with clicker training and some of her favorite cat treats.

Burmese Cat History

Burmese cats have a very unique history. Although the name suggests that they began their life on the earth somewhere in the Far East, in Burma, they were actually bred in San Francisco. The story sets about by the arrival of a short-haired, sable-colored cat named Wang Mau in the United States all the way from Burma (present-day Myanmar) in 1930. She was handed over to Dr. Joseph Thompson, a cat breeder, who bred her with a Siamese cat, Tai Mau. The dark brown kittens thus born were then bred with Wong Mau again, and the resultant progeny formed the basis of the Burmese cat breed.

The Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) recognized the breed in 1936; however, the recognition was withdrawn when some hybrids began to show up. Thereafter, in 1957, the recognition was granted again.

Caring for Your Burmese Cat

To make sure your Burmese kitty stays healthy and cute, you should provide her with the best possible care.

Burmese cat Diet and Nutrition

Food is an important factor to be taken care of, especially when it comes to the Burmese breed. Since these cats have an active lifestyle, they need ample protein and calories to meet their daily nutrient intake needs.

Besides, always go for high-quality cat food only, preferably the dry one, to maintain good overall oral health, but you can supplement it with wet food as well.

Feeding Tip!

To avoid letting your Burmese cat become a choosy eater, keep changing the food brands.

Burmese Cat Grooming Requirements

Burmese cats have shiny but short coats and do not shed much. Thus they are often listed as a cat breed that doesn’t shed. You can, hence, brush your cat once every week to get rid of the dead hair and maintain the glossy look. Consider increasing the combing frequency during the shedding season. With proper care, they can be kept as hypoallergenic cats. Likewise, bathing should be done only when necessary.

You should also keep the litter box neat and clean so that the coat of your cat does not get dirty.

Health Issues

Though Burmese is an overall healthy cat breed with a long lifespan of 15 to 20 years—they are often grouped with long-living cat breeds—they are still prone to some health issues.

1. Burmese Head Defect (BHD): It is a recessive mutation problem that impacts the development of the head and the facial bones. The kittens born with this defect do not survive for long.
2. Brachycephalic Syndrome: Burmese are brachycephalic cats with shortened skull bones and a snubbed nose, resulting in a shortened nasal passage, making it harder for your Burmese cat to breathe.
3. Diabetes Mellitus: It occurs when the pancreas fails to produce enough insulin hormone. The European and Australian Burmese cats are more at risk than other Burmese types. This defect makes your Burmese listed as one of the flat-faced cat breeds, along with Persian and Himalayan cats.
4. Congenital Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca: It is also known as dry eye and can lead to the inflammation of the cornea and the tissues around it.
5. Feline Orofacial Pain Syndrome (FOPS): It is an oral pain and mutilation disorder in Burmese cats that affects male felines more than their female counterparts.
6. Feline Hypokalemic Polymyopathy: It is the weakening of muscles due to the lower level of potassium in the body. It is more common in the younger Burmese cats. To keep these health issues at bay, you should provide potassium supplements to your Burmese cat after discussing it with your vet.
7. Primary Endocardial Fibroelastosis: It is a hereditary disease that causes the enlargement of the left atrium and ventricle of the heart. It usually develops during an early age and can be fatal.
8. Calcium Oxalate Stones: Stones develop in the urinary tract when there is a higher concentration of calcium and oxalate in cat urine. It is painful but can be managed by putting your cat on special food for cats with urinary tract problems.  

To keep any complication at arm’s length, adhere to the following recommendations while purchasing a Burmese kitten:

1. Only go for a reputable breeder.
2. It will be better to visit the breeding place first instead of buying your pet directly from the shop just to check if the breeding standards are maintained or not.
3. The kitten should be energetic and must look healthy.
4. An adult Burmese cat should have clear eyes and a clean nose and ears. You should make sure that there is no sign of cat ear infection or eye infection.

Why You Should or Should Not Have a Burmese Cat?

You can decide to either go for or restrain from getting a Burmese cat by looking at the following pros and cons:

Conclusion

The Burmese felines are not just lovely but a great pet choice for cat aficionados also. They have mesmerizing colors, especially in the eyes, while having some of the most desirable personality characteristics. This is the reason why the breed is experiencing soaring popularity despite being about a century old. Nevertheless, if you own one, you need to be cautious about her care and maintenance requirements to avoid any trouble.