European Burmese. Different to the American Burmese, the European Burmese comes in ten different colours. Read all about this fascinating cat, its origins, and the temperament of the European Burmese breed.

The European Burmese is an elegant but not a fragile cat. It is of medium size with good bone structure, excellent muscular development, expressive eyes and a sweet expression.

History

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.

As Wong Mau was the only example of her type she had to be mated to another breed of similar type. The obvious choice then 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 colour. The solids were selected for further propagation of the breed.

From the United States the breed spread east to the United Kingdom where the same lack of breeding stock led again to the introduction of Siamese.

From then on the breed followed different courses of development until today we have two very different looking cats with two different standards both sharing a common ancestry.

Description

The biggest differences between the American Burmese and the European Burmese are in physical details. The breeders in Europe and Australia decided to stay with the original standard for the Burmese, which is a more moderate look. The American Burmese breeders changed their standard to move more towards a rounder and more compact cat with a shorter nose.

While the American Burmese come in four colours, the European Burmese come in ten colours. These include the same four colors of the American Burmese (sable, champagne, blue, platinum); however are termed differently (brown, chocolate, blue, lilac).

Due to the introduction of the red gene by breeders in Great Britain, the European Burmese also come in six additional colours which are red, cream, brown tortie, blue tortie, chocolate tortie, and lilac tortie.

The coat is short and fine, lying close to the body. The tail has a rounded tip; the paws are oval.

The hind legs are a little longer than the forelegs and the head is short and wedge shaped, with medium-sized rounded ears. The eyes of the European Burmese are large and widely spaced and are slightly slanted.

The most obvious difference between the American Burmese and the European Burmese is the array of colours displayed by the European Burmese - ten to be exact. Introduction of the red gene is responsible for the additional colours.

Because the European Burmese are highly intelligent, affectionate and extremely loyal, they make outstanding pets.

European Burmese are adaptable to both indoor and outdoor life. They like plenty of play and exercise.

Ideally, they would prefer the company of other animals; however, if circumstances make it impossible they will live quite happily as the sole pet. They love people and make wonderful companions.


Special Requirements

Daily grooming with a gloved hand is required to maintain their glossy coat. Exercise and play are also important in their daily routine.

Burmese carry surprising weight for their size and have often been described as "bricks wrapped in silk." Their coats are very short, satin-like in texture, and generally require little grooming other than daily petting.