The Burmilla is a still largely unknown cat breed that is very rare in Europe. There are only a few breeders who deal with this beautiful silver-colored breed.
Size: Small – Medium
Weight: female / male 2.5-4.5kg / 3.5-6.5kg
Life expectancy: 15-17 years
Physique: Strong, yet slim, with short legs
Coat colors: White and white with colored hair tips in blue, red, lilac, cinnamon, chocolate, and black
Peculiarities in appearance: Heir to the chinchilla Persians, so the base color of the fur is always silvery white
Breed type: shorthair breed
Country of origin: Great Britain
Recognized cat breed by TICA, FiFe
Typical breed diseases: not known
The nature of the Burmilla
The Burmilla is not only visually a successful mix of Burma and Chinchilla-Persian but also in character. She combines the balanced, cuddly and affectionate nature of the Persian with the playful and energetic temperament of the Burmese cat. She is very people-oriented and affectionate like a dog. Like her Burmese ancestor, she likes to talk and can develop into a real chatterbox. She has a strong sense of community, which she happily displays when playing with an animal partner.
The people-oriented Burmilla needs a lot of attention and care. She feels most comfortable with older people who have a lot of time and spend a lot of time with her. If you work, you should opt for a more independent cat breed. Because of their strong sense of community, a second cat is just the thing. Together the Burmese can really live out their urge to move and play.
Whether indoors or outdoors, the Burmilla feels at home anywhere as long as her master is nearby. Since the Burmilla is a direct descendant of the weather-sensitive Persian, outdoor exposure should be restricted in cold weather as they may be sensitive to the cold temperatures. In order to protect the pedigree cat from accidents and fights with other animals, it is advisable to leave it under surveillance.
Appearance
Burmillas are small cats – with the medium-slim but strong build of a Burmese cat and the silvery shimmering fur of a chinchilla Persian. Male animals reach an average maximum weight of 3.5 to 6.5 kg. A female usually weighs only 1kg less than a tomcat. In addition, hangovers have the so-called hangover cheeks.
Burmillas have stocky legs with the hind legs being slightly longer than the front legs. Her head resembles a gently squat wedge shape. A strong chin, a squat snout, a short nose with a stop and slightly slanted, large eyes form the expressive face of the Burmilla. The dark framing of the eyes, which contrasts with the light fur, is particularly pretty. It’s almost as if her green or amber eyes are flashing brightly.
The Burmilla owes its chinchilla-like white fur to its progenitor Sanquist. As with him, the tips of his hair are dyed gray (agouti look). This mixture gives their coat a silvery and elegant sheen. On the other hand, their short coat is an inheritance of the Burmese cat Faberge.
Colors and coat markings
The basic coat color of the Burmilla is white. Only the ends of the hair are colored black, blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon, fawn, cream or red. All recognized coat colors are divided into two categories, with the first group being based on non-red hair tip colors (black, blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon or fawn). Here the appearance of the fur is determined by the basic coat color (white) in combination with one of the hair tip colors.
The second category is reserved for colors with a red component. Cats of this group are tricolor. In addition to the hair tip color in black, blue, chocolate, lilac, cinnamon or fawn and the white basic coat, there is also a cream or red coloring. This mixture is also known as the tortoiseshell pattern (tortie) and is genetically only found in female animals.
Both categories are possible in the respective variants chinchilla (shell) or silver shaded (silver shaded). In shell cats, the top eighth of the hair is colored, while one-fifth of the ends of the hair are pigmented in the silver shaded variety.
History and origin
The Burmilla is a young breed that was created by chance in London (UK) in 1981. In the home of Baroness Miranda Bickford-Smith, who had a Burmese cat (Faberge) and a chinchilla Persian tomcat (Sanquist), a true feline romance unfolded that was in no way inferior to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. The adorable lilac Burmese girl was actually reserved for another – one of her kind – Burmese cat. The Baroness separated the two cats from each other, but a coincidence should bring them together again. So it happened that a housekeeper forgot to close the door behind her. A few weeks later, beautiful silver colored kittens saw the light of day. The Baroness recognized immediately that the little ones were unique and honored them with the designation “Burmilla”, derived from the breed names of the parent animals – Burmese and Chinchilla. Unlike the tragic end of Romeo and Juliet, the little cat romance had a happy ending as the descendants of Faberge and Sanquist paved the way for Burmilla breeding. The FiFe recognized the Burmilla as a separate breed in 1996.
