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 color.

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.

The most obvious difference is the array of colors displayed by the European Burmese - ten to be exact. Introduction of the red gene is responsible for the additional colors. This gene was introduced both deliberately and by accident. In the U.K. Siamese come in many colors including red points, so the introduction of this gene to the existing four colors (brown, chocolate, blue and lilac) produced the colors red, cream, brown-tortie, chocolate-tortie, blue-tortie and lilac-tortie.

There is also a difference in type between the two Burmese breeds. The European Burmese is an elegant, moderate cat with gently rounded contours, whereas the Burmese has a compact, well-rounded appearance. The eye shape differs between the two breeds. The European Burmese should have eyes with a top line that is slightly curved with a slant towards the nose. The lower line should be rounded. The Burmese eyes should have a rounded aperture. The temperament of the two Burmese breeds is essentially the same.

The European Burmese is an elegant but not a fragile cat. It is of sweet disposition, medium size, solid boning, excellent musculature and expressive eyes. Because the European Burmese are highly intelligent, affectionate and extremely loyal, they make outstanding pets. They like the companionship of another animal, being dog or cat; however, if circumstances make it impossible they will live quite happily as the sole pet. They love people and make wonderful companions.

Pricing on European Burmese usually depends on type, applicable markings and bloodlines distinguished by Grand Champion (GC), National or Regional winning parentage (NW or RW) or of Distinguished Merit parentage (DM). The DM title is achieved by the dam (mother) having produced five CFA grand champion/ premier (alter) or DM offspring, or sire (father) having produced fifteen CFA grand champion/premier or DM offspring. Usually breeders make kittens available between twelve and sixteen weeks of age. After twelve weeks, kittens have had their basic inoculations and developed the physical and social stability needed for a new environment, showing, or being transported by air. Keeping such a rare treasure indoors, neutering or spaying and providing acceptable surfaces (e.g. scratching posts) for the natural behavior of scratching (CFA disapproves of declawing or tendonectomy surgery) are essential elements for maintaining a healthy, long and joyful life.

Breed Standard: European Burmese

Black line denotes updated section.
Updated: Sunday, April 22, 2007

POINT SCORE

HEAD, EARS, MUZZLE and PROFILE(25)
EYES and EYE COLOR (25)
     15 ... Shape
     10 ... Color
BODY, LEGS, FEET and TAIL (20)
COAT and COAT COLOR (30)

GENERAL: the European Burmese is an elegant, unique cat breed of far eastern origin, moderate type with gently rounded contours. Any oriental elongation or excessive cobbiness is incorrect and should be regarded as a fault.

HEAD: top slightly rounded. Good breadth between the ears. Wide cheekbones, tapering to a short blunt wedge.

EARS: medium in size. Set well apart. Slight forward tilt. Broad at the base. Slightly rounded tips. The outer line continues the shape of the upper face, except as that may not be possible in mature, full-cheeked males.

MUZZLE: Jaw wide at the base. Strong lower jaw. Strong chin.

PROFILE: Visible nose break.

EYES: large. Alert. Set well apart. Top line slightly curved, with an oriental slant toward the nose. Lower line rounded.

EYE COLOR: yellow to amber. The deeper the color, the better. Lustrous and bright.

BODY: medium length and size. Hard and muscular. Heavier than it looks. Chest strong and rounded in profile. Back straight from the shoulder to the rump.

LEGS and FEET: legs rather slender, but in proportion to the body. Hind legs slightly longer. Feet small and oval.

TAIL: medium length. Not thick at the base. Tapering slightly to a rounded tip.

COAT: short, fine close-lying. Very glossy. Satin-like in texture. Almost without undercoat.

PENALIZE: pronounced muzzle pinch (top view). Oriental eye shape. Round eyes. Green eyes.

DISQUALIFY: white patches. Noticeable numbers of white hairs. Visible tail kink. Excessive tabby markings.

EUROPEAN BURMESE COLORS

GENERAL: the coat shades gradually to the roots, with no smoke effect or ticking. Body underparts are slightly paler than the back. The points may show some contrast. Kittens and adolescents may have faint tabby markings and a lighter color. Non-red/cream adults should have no tabby markings.

BROWN: rich, warm, seal brown. Near-black brown is incorrect. Nose leather: rich brown. Paw pads: brown.

BLUE: soft, silver blue-gray with a warm tone. Nose leather and paw pads: blue-gray.

CHOCOLATE: warm milk-chocolate; overall evenness of color very desirable. Nose leather: warm, chocolate brown. Paw pads: brick pink shading to chocolate.

LILAC: pale, delicate dove-gray with a slightly pink cast. Nose leather and paw pads: lavender-pink.

RED: warm, orange apricot. Slight tabby markings permitted on the face. Small indeterminate markings permitted elsewhere (except on the side or belly) on an otherwise excellent cat. Nose leather and paw pads: pink.

CREAM: rich cream. Slight tabby markings permitted on the face. Small indeterminate markings permitted elsewhere (except on the side or belly) on an otherwise excellent cat. Nose leather and paw pads: pink.

TORTOISESHELLS: color patches over the whole body and extremities. Patch distribution is less important than the other color details. Except on the face, no tabby markings in the red/cream parts, which may be of various shades.

BROWN TORTIE: seal brown and red; pure and bright. Nose leather and paw pads: seal brown, pink or both.

BLUE TORTIE: blue-gray and cream. Nose leather and paw pads: pink, blue-gray, or both.

CHOCOLATE TORTIE: milk chocolate and red. Nose leather and paw pads: milk chocolate, pink or both.

LILAC TORTIE: lilac and cream. Nose leather and paw pads: lavender-pink, or lavender-pink and pink.

The following information is for reference purposes only and not an official part of the CFA Show Standard.

European Burmese Color Class Numbers

Solid................................................ 1500 1501
(Blue, Brown, Chocolate, Cream, Lilac, Red)
Parti-Color .........................................      1521
(Blue-Tortie, Brown-Tortie, Chocolate-Tortie,
Lilac-Tortie)

AOV		None	None

European Burmese allowable outcross breeds: none.