Burmilla Cats: Complete Guide to Care and Behavior

The Burmilla cat is a very recent breed, in fact it appeared in the early 1980s and through an accidental mating. A breeder, Baroness Miranda von Kirchberg in Great Britain, had a herd of Cat Burmese cats and her husband owned a Persian Chinchilla called Sanquist.

Circumventing surveillance, the cat managed to get into where there was a Cat Burmese called Fabergé, who was in heat at the time. Four very beautiful kittens were born and the Baroness decided to try breeding a new breed. She named it Burmilla, which is a contraction of the name Burmese and Chinchilla.

In 1983 the breed was officially presented at the feline exhibition in Great Britain and was very successful. Today it is known throughout Europe but particularly in Great Britain and Denmark, while in Italy it is rather rare. The appearance is that of the Burmese, with a muscular and well-proportioned body and the coat with the colour of the Persian Chinchilla. In England, the ‘Burmilla cat Club’ was founded by profound admirers of this breed.

Character of the Burmilla Cat

From its Persian Chinchilla father it has taken a quiet refinement, while from its Burmese mother its vivacity and intelligence. It is however a balanced, calm cat with a strong personality. Very affectionate, it loves cuddles, but does not want to be neglected, and to attract attention sometimes meows insistently.

It is not a cat that can be left alone for most of the day, it loves company and interacting with family members. Should he be left alone for many hours each day, it is good to think about getting another animal, preferably a cat for company. They also get along well in the family with other animals, both cats and dogs.

They are also very vain and like to please their owner and attract attention, especially with games and cuddles. They do not shy away from strangers, indeed they love to show off to guests. In general, living with this cat is very easy. It also loves children, with whom it enjoys playing, as it has a lively and curious nature and is also very playful.

Appearance of the Burmilla Cat

The Burmilla cat is a medium-sized cat, with a stocky and heavy build, with a strong and very muscular frame. At the same time, however, it is agile and elegant. It weighs between 3 and 5 kilograms. The various body parts of this cat are all rounded and soft. The head is large in relation to the body and is round.

The muzzle is fairly short but wide with ears of medium size but wide at the base and with rounded tips. The nose is always terracotta-coloured. Beautiful are the eyes that are outlined in black, making them magnetic and very expressive. Their colour varies from green to yellow to bright gold and they are large and well spaced out on the head. On the forehead, the classic, well-marked ‘M’ is recognisable.

The legs are long, fine and end in oval feet; they are slightly longer at the front. The tail is of medium length and tapered. The coat of this cat is short and soft and also very thick and dense. It usually has more or less marked stripes on the paws, tail and around the neck. The base colour is pure silver white, but can take on different shades: chocolate, light chocolate tipped, lilac, licac silver shaded, brown tipped and black shaded.

Health and care of the Burmilla cat

It is a strong and robust cat and therefore does not require any special care, simply brushing its coat once a week is enough. Although it has a thick undercoat it does not shed excessively. In the moulting period, however, brushing must be more frequent.

It has a life expectancy of about 15 years and has no particular pathologies during its life. The only thing to watch out for is the kidneys, a disease inherited from Persians. They have a tendency to put on weight as they have a strong appetite, so a controlled, healthy and balanced diet will help eliminate the problem of overweight.