Burmese Cats
Origin and History

Burmese Cats appear to have diverse roots! Manuscripts dating back to 1350 have been found that trace Burmese to Ayudha in Thailand (then Siam).

Burmese cat © Norma Hush

Brown Burmese, Zion Elektra, owned by Jane Goble photo © Norma Hush

There are also ancient texts from Thailand dating back to the 16th and 17th Century that depict cats similar to the Burmese of today.

In fact, Burmese-type cats have been documented in various countries in South East Asia.

'Rajah' cats, that resemble the Burmese, are known to have roamed the Buddhist Temples of Burma around the 16th century.

A physician by the name of J C Thompson imported a brown cat from Burma to the USA in 1930.

The cat was known as Wong Mau - a Burmese/Siamese mix. (which today is called a Tonkinese).

Wong Mau was a beautiful, mahogany-brown cat with brilliant yellow eyes. The only problem was that poor Wong Mau didn't have a mate!

the creation of the burmese cat

Dr Thompson was so taken by this cat's beauty and personality that he decided to mate Wong Mau with one of his chocolate point Siamese called Tai Mau.

One of Wong and Tai's solid brown offspring was later back-crossed with its mother and this mating produced a litter of all solid brown kittens - and so Burmese cats came to be.

So by all accounts, the Burmese has its roots in Burma, but was developed in the USA.

It's important to remember, that Burmese do occur naturally in Burma and other SE Asian regions.

To ensure genetic diversity and to extend the gene pool, additional cats were imported from Burma to the USA in 1942.

American breeders then concentrated on perfecting the sable-brown Burmese, by eliminating their darker points and barred markings.

Cream Burmese, Sp Ch Onaoan Maid by Eve. Owner Alison Renwick and bred by Alison and Jane Goble.  Photo © Theresa Fouche

the breed diversifies

Burmese were introduced to Britain around 1949.

The British standard allowed for a more Siamese-look. Breeders in the UK also introduced new color versions.

American breed standards allowed for only Platinum, Blue, Champagne and Sable colors.

Interestingly, some governing bodies still only recognize dark Brown cats and classify all other colors as Malayan Cats.

As a result of this, there are two recognized cat breed standards:

  • American Type
  • British / European Type

chronological cat history

1930 - Wong Mau imported into the USA from Burma

1936 - CFA recognize the breed

1947 - Registration suspended by CFA due to increase of Burmese/Siamese  hybrids

1949 - Burmese introduced to Britain

1954 - GCCF register the breed

1955 - Blue Burmese introduced

1956 - Breed introduced in France

1957 - CFA re-register breed as 3-generations of pure-pedigree achieved

1959 - Lilac and Chocolate colors introduced

1970 - Tortoiseshell color introduced

1994 - TICA publish Burmese cat breed standard

new breeds created

Other cats owe their existence to the Burmese.

The Burmilla was 'accidentally' created by a Burmese/Persian-Chinchilla cross.

The Long-haired Burmese is known as the Tiffanie cat (not to be mistaken for the Chantilly/Tiffany, which is a different breed).

The Bombay cat which resembles the black Panther was also developed using the Burmese and American Shorthair.

Related Pages:

Burmese Breed Facts

Burmese Pictures

Burmese Breeders

Top of Burmese Cats

Return to Types of Cats 


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