burmese

The Burmese cat has an intriguing history. The breed's story begins with a chocolate-colored cat named Wong Mau.

Dr. Joseph Thompson of  San Francisco brought Wong Mau home with him after a trip to Burma in 1930. Wong Mau was small with a more compact body than that of the Siamese, with a shorter tail, a rounded head, short muzzle, and round, widely spaced eyes.

Dr. Thompson also noted that the cat had darker brown points that accentuated her sable coat. Curious to see what offspring would look like, he bred her to a Siamese cat. The breeding produced a litter of kittens that included some with the appearance of Siamese cats and others that looked like their mother.

Dr. Thompson then mated Wong Mau to one of her brown kittens. This time, the litter contained three different kitten types: Some looked like Siamese cats, some resembled their mother, and some were dark brown with no points. The sable colored cats without points were ultimately used to create the foundation of the Burmese breed.

Burmese cats were first registered by the Cat Fanciers' Association in 1936, and the breed gained full recognition in 1957. Part of the reason for the delay was that some Burmese breeders were crossing their cats with Siamese —a practice that was ultimately prohibited. The outcrossings resulted in the development of the Tonkinese cat, so it certainly provided some benefits that cat fanciers can appreciate!

Today, CFA recognizes both the American Burmese and European Burmese. All major cat registries recognize Burmese cats, but not all colors are permitted within all registries.