Cat fanciers work hard to maintain the purity of their particular breed of choice.  Cat Fancy organizations, the Cat Association of Britain (CA), the Federation Internationale Feline (FIFe), The International Cat Association (TICA), and the American Cat Association (ACA), and the American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA) are just a few permutations of groups.  Each group has its own registry of acceptable breed standards with some independent registries existing for specialized breeds.  This issue’s cat breeds, the Birman, Burmese, and the Burmilla have varied acceptance across the world with the controversial appearance of the Burmese, the struggle to keep the Birman breed alive, to the very new breed of the Burmilla—resulting from an “oops!” mating in 1981, according to Lee Harper and Joyce L. White’s The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cats. 

The Birman is an 8-11 pound, large cat.

Appearance: The Birman’s coat is low-maintenance for a long-haired cat.  They are not prone to matting because they don’t have a heavy undercoat.  The acceptable colors depend on which fancier organization you honor.  These are white cats with the traditional Siamese point colors of seal, chocolate, and lilac.  Other possible colors of the points are lynx and tortie.  Dr. James R. Richards’, Complete Guide to Cats, explains that these “large, powerfully built cats” that are stocky in “body and legs,” have “vividly blue eyes.”  Their distinctive coloring has their legs being colored but their feet remaining white.  Ideally, the fur is tinged with “gold.”

Profile: The Birman are described by Richards as being “puppy-like.”   They are “loving, placid cats who make great companions for children.”  Very social animals, the Birman should not be let outside as they would make easy victims.  They remain playful into old age, according to Harper and White.  Birmans demand their owner’s attention but are not overly vocal; their voices are described by Harper and White as “bell-like.”

History:  The Birman’s legend from Burma has one hundred pure white cats serving as sacred companions to priests in a temple that held a golden statue of a blue-eyed goddess.  According to Richards, the temple was attacked and when the main priest died, one of the cats assumed “the characteristics of the idol at the moment of his master’s death: his fur became tinged with gold and his eyes turned sapphire blue.  His extremities darkened to the color of the earth, but his feet, which touched the body of his master, stayed white.”  Burma was not known for allowing their ancient cats to be exported, so in 1919, a pair of Birman was secretly shipped to France.  Only the pregnant female survived and ultimately had to be out-crossed to establish the breed.  In 1966, the Birman was recognized in England and recognized in 1967 by the Cat Fanciers’ Association.

The Burmese is a 7-9 pound, medium cat.

Appearance: These are stocky cats with a muscular build.  Their short, fine coat lies close to their bodies, according to Harper and White.  Burmese were originally brown.   The controversy begins with breeding for the different colors of champagne, blue and lilac.  The European community accepts these colors as a breed standard in addition to red, cream, seal tortie, blue, chocolate, and lilac tortie; however, the Americans accept only the original colors.  The Americans classify the extra colors into the category of the Foreign Burmese. 

Profile:  Another breed that enjoys people, the Burmese are also good with children, according to Richards.  These cats “require more attention than many Western breeds; females are generally more bossy and demanding than males.”  They have deep “rumbling” voices and use them a lot. 

History: Harper and White state that the appearance of the Burmese has been surrounded by controversy for the last 30 years.  Despite the American and British divide between color acceptableness, most cat registries don’t recognize the split between the two.  In 1936, the Cat Fanciers’ Association recognized the Burmese in America but withdrew it in 1947 due to too much hybridization with the Siamese.  Americans granted the Burmese recognition again in 1953.  In 1945, British soldiers coming back from Burma brought cats with them and from “1946 to 1956 the British Burmese breeding program was being enriched with a variety of cats imported from America.”  The Governing Council of the Cat Fancy recognized the British Burmese in 1952.   To complicate matters even further, New Zealand breeders introduced the cinnamon, fawn, caramel, and apricot colors which are recognized in British circles as being Burmese.   The Americans are holding firm with their original colors.

The Burmilla is an 8-10 pound, medium to large cat.

Appearance:  Like the Burmese, the Burmilla is a compact muscular cat with a round face and short muzzle.  Unlike the controversial Burmese, all contrasting colors are recognized for this breed: black, blue, brown chocolate and lilac.  They have a short, light-colored coat with the hairs tipped with those contrasting colors. 

Profile:  Sociable and playful, the Burmillas do well with other animals and children.  They, too, are known to display many kitten-like behaviors into adulthood.  This breed also bonds very strongly with its family.

History:  Richards states that Burmillas are a “happy result of an accidental breeding between a chinchilla Persian named Sanquist and a lilac Burmese named Faberge.  Their four kittens, born in 1981, became the foundation stock of a new breed.”  This British breed accidentally happened because while waiting for their same breed partner in separate rooms, a cleaner left the adjoining door open and thus a new breed was created! 

Works Cited
Richards, James R., Complete Guide to Cats. Chronicle Books: San Francisco, 1999.
White Lee Harper,  Joyce L. The Complete Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cats. Metro Books: New York, 2008.