Burmese
Every Burmese traces back to one cat, Wong Mau, brought out of Burma in 1930. Deceptively heavy for its size, and it talks constantly in a low voice.
Overview
The modern Burmese descends from a single cat, Wong Mau, brought from Burma to San Francisco in 1930 and bred to Siamese. Every Burmese in the world traces to her, which is a narrow foundation and it shows in the breed's health profile.
The cat itself is compact, muscular and considerably heavier than it looks, with a short satin coat that lies close enough to show every line of the body.
Temperament
Among the most people focused cats there is. Burmese follow, talk, insist on laps and object loudly to closed doors.
They stay kittenish for years and they are genuinely poor at being alone. A Burmese in an empty house all day is a common route to over grooming and to problem vocalising, and a second cat helps more than any toy will.
Care and grooming
A weekly wipe over is enough. The coat is the easiest part of this breed.
Two inherited conditions matter and both are testable. A WNK4 variant causes hypokalaemia, an episodic low potassium muscle weakness that leaves a cat unable to hold its head up properly, and Burmese head defect is a lethal craniofacial malformation carried in some lines. Ask for test results.
Living and exercise
Indoors with company, warmth and things to climb. They are agile and they use height.
They are excellent with children and with dogs, and they are one of the few breeds that genuinely suits a busy family, because the noise and the traffic are what they want. Sixteen to eighteen years is a realistic span.
Something here wrong or out of date?