A Sweet-Natured Burmese Cat

History of the Burmese Cat

Burmese Cat is a domestic cat breed. It is not to be confused with the Birman Cat which is a quietly separate breed.

The Burmese cat is a common pet found in Southeast Asia such as Malaysia, Myanmar (Burma) and Thailand. History indicates that the Burmese cat came from Thailand, then known as Siam. Based on 17 illustrated poems written in Siam during the period of the Siamese Kingdom, Ayutthaya, there were three breeds of cats mentioned: the Si-Sawat (Korat), the Thong Daeng (copper, known now as Burmese cat), and the Vichien Mat (Siamese). When Burma invaded Thailand in the 18th century, the Burmese soldiers brought the cats with them.

In 1930, a female cat named Wong Mau was imported to the US from Asia by Dr. Joseph C. Thompson. She was bred with Tai Mau, a sealpoint Siamese from Thailand. The offspring was unique enough to be granted its own breed of Burmese in 1937 by the Cat Fancier’s Association.

Types of Burmese Cat Breeds

There are two types of Burmese cat breeds: an American and a British. The American type has four colors that are well known. These include champagne (honey), sable (brown), platinum and blue. The American Burmese are bred in two types: traditional and contemporary. The later breed has a rounded look. The British Burmese cat is brown (sable), blue, chocolate, lilac, red, cream and tortoiseshell.

Physical Attributes of Burmese Cats

Due to a separate breeding program, Burmese cats have divided into British or European and American types. The British or European type is more Oriental in appearance, with a triangular face, small oval feet and a blunt muzzle, while the American type is stockier and rounder in the body, head, eyes and feet. It has markedly full cheeks and a short muzzle or “pug-like” face.

The Burmese cat is strong, athletic and elegant. This cat is short haired and well known as a “brick wrapped in silk.” The breed has a fine, close, even and glossy coat that is satin-like in texture. The typical Burmese tail is of medium length, medium thickness at its base and tapering to a rounded tip.

An adult male Burmese is large, while the adult female is more delicate and graceful. The difference in weight between males and females is about two or three pounds. The breed has large and expressive eyes that are slightly slanted. Their eye color is usually yellow and gold.

burmese cat

Personality of Burmese Cats


The Burmese is a person-oriented cat and they love to be around you. They are very friendly and inquisitive, and outgoing, loving nature cats. They like to be near their owners, greet them at the door from work. The strong and loyal bond that forms between a Burmese cat and their owner is dog-like due to their devotion.

Burmese cats are very affectionate and very social. They love humans and other felines as company. When you sit down, they will climb on your lap and start purring. They love to talk and will meow softly and sweet to their owner to get an attention.

This type of breed is also known as a clown, with a complete repertoire of stunts – from tumbling and somersaults – to laying sprawled out on the sofa on the back with four paws in the air. Burmese cats are excellent hunters. They often return with a lizard, a small bird, mouse, or a rat – proudly presented as a gift to their owner.

Caring of Burmese Cats

Despite the distinction between American and British/European Burmese cats, the lifespan of these beautiful felines is considerably longer than other breeds. They have been known to reach an age of between 16 years to 18 years. Their long lifespan is partly due to their size which ranges between nine to 13 pounds, making these Burmese cats a small to medium size.

Burmese cats require little grooming. Due to their short fur, Burmese cats do not shed much. Burmese cats do not like to stay home alone for a long period of time because they are very social animals. If you are not able to entertain your Burmese cat, it is wise if you get similar breed of cat, or you can arrange your neighbor to visit. Your Burmese Cat will be happy to have another cat or a person around.

Burmese cats have a very energetic lifestyle. They act very much like kittens, but as they grow older, this breed will slow down. They also sleep longer. It is very important to play with your Burmese cat no matter how old it is: playing with your cat makes the feline happy.

9 Responses to A Sweet-Natured Burmese Cat

  • nyaung nyaung says:

    I am from Burma where those Burmese cats come from. I don’t think the cats that they are claiming to be Burmese do not look like the cats in my country. In fact, the cats in Burma look a lot more muscular and taller and longer than the ones in the U.S. And yes, those real Burmese are intelligent and lovable like most of the cats are.

  • nyaung nyaung says:

    I forgot one thing about those Burmese cats. They have very short and silky hair and I never saw my kitty (yes, he passed away 11 years ago) had a hair ball problem. He could caught the sparrows, doves, and crows flying out in the air. We couldn’t eliminate his hunting behavior even though we tried all the time cause we didn’t like killing animals which might sound silly for some people.

  • Kathy Nixon says:

    I have a male Burmese Simese cat. He is a very beautiful and loving cat. I cleaned his cat litter box but he makes messes on the floor at night and I was wondering what I could do to fix the problem.

  • Adrian says:

    We had a Burmese boy called Sampson walk in to our house a few years ago. He was an absolute joy. We did return him to his true owners but within a week he was back and he never left. He was a prolific killer of squirrels, mice, rabbits, pigeons, pretty much anything that came into the garden and he was unstoppable. He used to leave his old home and live off of the land for 6 months, then go back home. Once he came to us though, the long hunting expeditions ended and he stayed within our grounds and kept the rabbit population in check. Regarding cleanliness, at first he wasn’t and would regularly pee on us in bed, but this was out of nervousness as we had other cats. Fortunately, this phase passed and he became one of the family that we loved enormously. Burmese are the friendliest breed of cat I have encountered and I wouldn’t want a life without a Burmese friend in it. Sadly Sampson passed away at almost 17 years old, but we took in 2 Burmese brothers a time afterwards who had been discarded by their despicable owners after 8 years of ownership. I would strongly encourage anyone looking for a puss to consider Burmese; they are devoted, beautiful and great characters. Very elegant, loving friends. If people were more like Burmese cats, it would be a much nicer world.

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