Burmese - the Facts Every Owner of This Cat Breed Should Know

The modern Burmese breed has roots muddled in history. It is generally believed that Burmese are a man made breed descending from the crossbreeding of a Siamese and an ancient version of a pure Burmese (that later died out). This Burmese breed had almost died out until a breeder named Dr. J. Thompson brought one of these remaining cats, Wong Mau (who may have actually been a Tonkinese), to America in the 1930s because of his interest in Wong Mau's markings. The doctor wanted to study these markings and bred Wong Mau to a seal point Siamese. The resulting liter was the first Burmese kittens.

Burmese cats tend to be of average height and weight and live approximately thirteen years. Their coats come in a variety of colors: brown (seal brown), blue (soft blue-gray with a silver sheen), chocolate (milk chocolate), lilac (dove gray with a pinkish cast), red (tangerine), cream, brown tortie (brown with shades of red), blue tortie (blue with shades of cream), chocolate tortie (chocolate with shades of red), and lilac tortie (lilac with shades of cream). The coats are shorthaired and tend to shed very little.

Burmese enjoy the company of humans, make a good family pet, and adapt well to any environment. They get along with children and other family pets. Burmese are loyal to their human companions and will move with them from room to room of the house. They enjoy the affection they give and receive in this relationship. Burmese are lap cats and enjoy being pet and stroked. They are also very loving and accepting of strangers – a characteristic that is a plus for an indoor cat but quite dangerous if the cat is allowed to roam the outdoors.

Burmese are quite trusting of everyone and everything and have no instinct to fight or defend itself. Adult Burmese are very nimble cats (despite their stocky looking build) but this may not be apparent when they are kittens. Burmese kittens, attempting new feats, tend to be clumsy. They grow into their agility and age gracefully. Burmese do have some health concerns. They are prone to cherry eye, and corneal dermoids (a surgically correctable attachment of skin or hair to the cornea).

There is a website that has great information on Burmese and most other breeds of cats. It has details that pertain to a cat breeds health, grooming, living conditions, best food choices and more, the website is called: Dog And Cat Facts, and can be found at this url:

http://www.dogandcatfacts.com

By Robert W. Benjamin

Copyright © 2007

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