Burmese cat

In 1871, Harrison Weir organised a cat show at the Crystal Palace, London. A pair of Siamese cats were on display that closely resembled modern American Burmese cats in build, thus probably similar to the modern Tonkinese breed. The first attempt to deliberately develop the Burmese in the late 19th century in Britain resulted in what were known as Chocolate Siamese rather than a breed in their own right; this view persisted for many years, encouraging crossbreeding between Burmese and Siamese in an attempt to more closely conform to the Siamese build. The breed thus slowly died out in Britain.[1]

Dr. Joseph Cheesman Thompson imported Wong Mau, a black female cat, into San Francisco in 1930. Dr Thompson considered the cat's build to be sufficiently different from the Siamese to still have potential as a fully separate breed. Wong Mau was bred with Tai Mau, a seal point Siamese, and then bred with her son to produce dark brown kittens that became the foundation of a new, distinctive strain of Burmese. In 1936, the Cat Fanciers' Association (CFA) granted the breed formal recognition. However, due to continued extensive outcrossing with Siamese cats to increase the population, the original type was overwhelmed, and the CFA suspended breed recognition a decade later.[2] Attempts by various American breeders to refine the unique Burmese standard persisted, however, and in 1954, the CFA lifted the suspension permanently.[2] In 1958, the United Burmese Cat Fanciers (UBCF) compiled an American judging standard that has remained essentially unchanged since its adoption.[2]

Meanwhile, in the UK, interest in the breed was reviving. The cats that composed the new British breeding program were of a variety of builds, including some imported from the United States. By 1952, three true generations had been produced in Britain and the breed was recognised by the United Kingdom's Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF). Since the 1950s, countries in the Commonwealth and Europe started importing British Burmese; as a result, most countries have based their standard on the British model.

Historically, the two versions of the breed were kept strictly distinct genetically. European Burmese (also known as "traditional") were declassed as a breed by the CFA in the 1980s. The GCCF banned the registration of all Burmese imported from the United States in order to preserve the "traditional" bloodlines.[3] Most modern cat registries do not formally recognise these dual standards as representing separate breeds, but those that do refer to the British type as the European Burmese.[4] Recently, The International Cat Association (TICA) and CFA clubs have started using the American breed standard at select shows in Europe.

During the early period of breed development, it became clear that Wong Mau herself was genetically a crossbreed between a Siamese and Burmese type. This early crossbreed type was later developed as a separate breed, known today as the Tonkinese. Burmese cats have also been instrumental in the development of the Bombay and the Burmilla, among others.

Chocolate European adult male

The Burmese gene is also present in some other cat breeds, particularly the established rex breeds, where it can be fully expressed in its homozygous form (c^bc^b) (referred to as Burmese Colour Restriction or Sepia). The same gene can also be combined with the Siamese gene (c^bc^s) to produce either darker points or a light-on-dark-brown coat, similar to the Burmese chocolate (champagne in the USA), known as "mink".[15][16]

The Asian Group cat breed is related to the Burmese; the Asian is physically similar but comes in different patterns and colours.[17] The Singapura is always homozygous for the Burmese gene, combining it with a ticked tabby pattern. Snow Bengals with eye colours other than blue also have the gene.[18]

The lineage of Burmese cats known as "Contemporary Burmese" often hosts a 4-aminoacid deletion on the ALX1 gene. Heterozygosity of the mutation results in brachicephaly, while homozygosity results in a profound head malformation known as the Burmese head defect, usually incompatible with life.[19]

Cream European adult

Burmese cats in Europe and Australia are at increased risk of diabetes mellitus compared to other breeds. American Burmese do not share this increased risk, due to the genetic differences between American Burmese and European Burmese.[23] The incidence of flat-chested kitten syndrome was at one time believed to be particularly prevalent in the Burmese breed, but recent studies have cast some doubt on this hypothesis.[24] A study funded by the UK Burmese Cat Club in 1980 was inconclusive.[25] The breed has an average lifespan of 10 to 17 years.[26]

Certain UK bloodlines suffer from an acute teething disorder in young kittens (FOPS: Feline Orofacial Pain Syndrome), where the eruption of the second teeth causes extreme discomfort and the young cat tears at its face to try to alleviate the pain. Eruption of the new teeth in the jaw that causes the problem; these cannot be removed until they have erupted, by which time the problem ceases. Pain relief intervention should be considered, to prevent overt self-trauma. Apart from scarring caused by the self-mutilation, the cat seems to recover completely.[27]

Hypokalemia, a genetic disease that is characterised by low serum potassium levels, has also been seen in the European Burmese and can similarly be traced to certain bloodlines. The gene is recessive, and both parents must carry it for the kittens to develop the problem. A carrier mated to a non-carrier may pass the problem on unnoticed for several generations. Clinical signs include skeletal muscle weakness, which is often episodic in nature and either affects the whole cat or is localised to the neck muscles. As a consequence, the cat can have difficulty in walking and holding their head correctly. In extreme cases, the clinical symptoms can result in death, if unattended medically. Hypokalemic cats can usually lead a normal life if they get the correct potassium supplement. Onset of symptoms often occurs around puberty and many may never experience another attack. A DNA test is now available to identify cats affected by or carrying this recessive gene.[28]

• List of cat breeds
  • Tonkinese cat, a domestic cat breed produced by crossbreeding between Siamese and Burmese cats.
• Puppy cat

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Burmese cats.

• Taylor, David (1989). The Ultimate Cat Book. Dorling Kindersley Publishers Ltd. ISBN 0-86318-371-9. 4th printing
• National Alliance of Burmese Breeders, a CFA-affiliated Burmese Club
• Burmese pedigree database
• Burmese-Burmilla pedigree database
• New Zealand Burmese Cat Club
• UK Burmese Cat Association
• The Burmese Cat Club
• Burmese Brown Cat Breeds Characteristics and more also read about another brown cat breed York Chocolate
• UK Burmese Cat Society
• United Burmese Cat Fanciers (UBCF) a non-affiliated global Burmese Cat Club