About Us
Breed Information
The European Burmese and the Burmese we know in North America originated from the same source – Wong Mau, the first Burmese introduced to the Western world by Dr. Thompson in 1930. Thompson, a retired Ship's doctor and practicing Psychiatrist, also bred cats. Realizing that Wong Mau was different from his Siamese cats, Dr. Thompson persuaded three breeder/geneticist friends to investigate Wong Mau's genetic make-up. As Wong Mau was the only example of her type, she had to be mated to another breed of similar type and that choice was the Siamese. Resulting litters revealed that Wong Mau herself carried a pointed gene, as kittens in her litters were both solid and pointed in color. The new, dark-coated breed of cat became known as Burmese.
Temperament
European Burmese are an outgoing, people-oriented breed. They get along with individuals ranging in age from infants to geriatric. They love nothing better than to be with their people. If someone comes to visit, this is even better because they now have a new person from whom they can demand attention! They’re not a noisy breed, but when they have something to say, they aren’t shy about communicating it. They love to sleep under the covers. This is a wonderful trait if one lives in the North during the winter. Their little, hot bodies keep one nice and warm. However, if one lives in the South during the summer… European Burmese don’t shun association with other cats or even with dogs. They do tend to believe that their rightful place is at the top of the hierarchy and are able to convince the other inhabitants of the home of this with very few, if any, altercations. With their outgoing personality, they take to showing quite well.
Health Issues
The European Burmese is a healthy breed with very few health concerns. However, some cats may carry the gene for GM2 gangliosidosis. This is a degenerative, fatal neurological disease characterized by severe muscle tremors and loss of motor control. Others may carry the gene for Burmese hypokalemia, which is an inherited disorder found in Burmese cats that is characterized by skeletal muscle weakness that can cause affected cats to have trouble walking and holding their heads correctly. The health of my cats and kittens is very important to me; therefore, I test my breeding males and females for Burmese Hypokalemia and GM2 gangliosidosis to ensure that they are not carriers of these genes. Any cats that I bring in are also tested.
In the 1970s, a particular line of Burmese was bred in the U.S., and the cats were very successful at shows. They were referred to as Contemporary or Modern and had extremely short noses and round heads. Many breeders, wanting this new look, bred to the cats who exhibited it. Unfortunately, this new look was due to a genetic mutation in those Burmese lines, which was eventually called the Burmese Head Defect (BHD). The mutation is a craniofacial deformity that causes kittens to be born alive with deformed heads. The only ethical thing to do is to put the kittens to sleep. Fortunately, the gene that causes it has been identified and there is a test to identify if a cat is a carrier. This gene RARELY appears in European Burmese and only occurs when there have been outcrosses, somewhere in the past, to cats that carry the BHD gene. To register European Burmese cats/kittens from other associations, CFA requires 5-generations of only European Burmese in the pedigree. When acquiring a cat/kitten from another association, I research my pedigrees farther back than 5 generations and, if I have ANY concerns, I ask that the cat/kitten be tested for the BHD prior to my purchasing it.
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Colors
Burmese were originally a deep rich brown color called Brown or Sable, but other colors were introduced through the years. Different associations call them by different names. Below is a color chart of the three major associations in the US. ACFA and CFA made the decision to create the European Burmese breed due to the introduction of the red gene and the slightly different appearance of these cats. TICA decided to accept the red gene colors for all Burmese.