All About The Burmilla

• The Burmilla is a breed of domestic cat which originated in the United Kingdom in 1981. It is a cross between the Silver Chinchilla  and a Lilac Burmese

Coat Colours and Length

Three variants of coat length;

• short hair - similar in appearance to the Burmese but a softer, silkier feel
• long hair - semi-longhair coat lying close to the skin, with a soft, silky feel and a large plumed tail.
• plush- plush kittens have much denser fur which does not lie closely against the skin.

There are five coat colours; black, brown, blue, chocolate and lilac

• Red, cream and tortoiseshell(calico) have been bred but not yet recognised by most judging bodies.
• the coat can be tipped, shaded or Smoke
• can have a silver or Golden undercoat, depending on the colour in the Persian heritage
• Tipped Burmillas have at least 3/4 of their fur in the underlying colour of silver or golden and the remainder is a light dusting of colour over the top.
• Shaded Burmillas have 1/4 - 1/2 as their colour and Smoke have almost all colour with only a faint pale base to each hair.
• kittens at birth can be either very dark with distinct tabby markings which disappear very quickly on the body, or white, in which the colour starts developing within a few days.
• can be short or semi long haired depending on which genes are inherited from their parents-Burmese/shorthair or Chinchilla/longhair

Characteristics

• curious and affectionate
• an excellent indoor breed
• outgoing, playful, friendly, affectionate and sociable
• intelligent, gentle and sweet-tempered
• not as noisy or demanding as the Burmese
• more adventurous and inquisitive than the Chinchilla
• beautiful with an extremely good nature
• great with children and would make a wonderful family pet
• an independent cat who is loyal to its owner
• displays many kitten-like characteristics even in adulthood (as does the Burmese breed)
• an ideal lap cat
• has very fine fur which moults like other breeds, but being white tends to be more conspicuous
• can be talkative but not as vocal as the Siamese
• slightly more laid back than the Burmese
• can be taught to fetch
• it has the playful nature of the Burmese without being overly active, and the quiet laidback nature of the Chinchilla-the best traits of both breeds.
• their love of play necessitates a collection of toys and scratching posts
• require daily attention from their owners- they love being part of the family

Description

• medium sized cat- similar in size to the Burmese
• gently rounded head
• ears are medium to large
• eyes are large and expressive and are luminous green in colour which is a key feature of the breed
• dark pencilling on the lids looks like eyeliner
• coat does not matt and require only a weekly comb
• should be a distinctive M mark on the forehead
• striking contrast between coloured Shading/Tipping and Silver undercoat with delicate tracings of Tabby markings on the head, legs and tail.
• nose leather is red to pink with a dark outline- smoke cats have black nose leather
• Shaded cats have more colour on the individual hair shafts than the tipped variety which have the colour coming a short way down the shafts from the tips.
• elegant, with a muscular body
• long sturdy legs and a moderately thick, long tail
• paw pads correspond to coat colouring- black cats have black paw pads, Brown cats have brown, Blue and Chocolate have pink, Lilac has very pale paw pads.

Health

• Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD)- check that there is no PKD in the breeding lines when purchasing a Burmilla