THE BURMESE

Elegance, Intelligence and Lots of Love

by Erika Graf-Webster, Austriana Cattery

NW, GRC Anoka Jolie Blonde  

Bred and Owned By Michele Clark.  Second Best Kitten, 1991

     “Gosh, your cat looks just like Yoda!”  Burmese breeders have heard that comment many times at shows.  And when we hear it, we know we have a good cat!  It’s a perceptive observation – with their round heads, big eyes, sweet expressions and ears set down the side of the head, the good Burmese do bring the kindly Yoda to mind.  Maybe it’s not just in looks that the Burms resemble Yoda, who was a very wise and caring teacher of Luke Skywalker in the “Star Wars” movies.  Burms are smart, are always teaching their owners, but most of all, they are probably the most loving companions in all of catdom.

So What’s So Special About Burmese?

     Burmese are elegant – whether in deep sable brown, honey-beige champagne, warm blue or pale silvery platinum, they add to any décor.  They are equally well suited to gracing Chinese antiques, Swedish modern in chrome and glass or casual wicker.  The show quality Burm is elegance in roundness.  The head is round, with very expressive, round gold eyes.  The boning is substantial.  The body is short and stocky with a round rump, a broad chest, a good, solid feel and, as the standard says “surprising weight for its size” – there is nothing dainty about a good Burmese.  Yet they are very graceful cats – they walk like miniature panthers with their close-lying shiny coats showing the rippling muscles below.

        Burmese are not silly – they are dignified and extremely self possessed.  That does not mean that they don’t like to play.  Quite the contrary!  They rough-house like little savages when they are kittens, they will usually teach their people their part in playing “fetch,” and they will go after a swizzle stick literally for hours.  However, as adults, their playing seems to be full of self-awareness, as though they are saying

GRC Fongin Chop Soy, bred and owned by Virginia Wolfe. One of the important early studs.

”I’m being funny to make you laugh mom, are you watching?”

     Burmese are very bright.  I’ve had several other breeds in the house, and the Burmese are by far the brightest I’ve had.  I’ve watched a Burm actually solve the problem of the lost toy: she had tossed a toy into a closet and then accidentally had pushed the fan-folder door closed.  The toy at this point was completely out of sight.  Most cats would probably just have forgotten about it, and gone on to other things.  Not my Burm!  She sat back for a bit and just looked at the door.  Then she went over to the door, put her paw under the door, right at the joint which bends out when the door opens.  She pulled until the door was open, found the toy, and glanced over to make sure I was watching, and stalked off with the toy in her mouth and held her tail high in triumph.   

     The most remarkable thing about Burmese is that they are wonderfully, appealingly, amazingly, annoyingly, jealously exasperatingly loving and affectionate!  Their person(s) is the most important thing in the world to a Burmese.  They will follow you from room to room to room; they will get into the middle of whatever you’re doing; they will insist on being in your lap when you sit down; they will climb under the covers with you when you go to bed, and then plaster themselves right next to you.  They want to be as close to you as is physically possible – I accuse them of wanting to crawl under the skin!  Most of the time, this is very endearing.  But sometimes they’re just total pests!  For example, you can’t clean a room when they’re around, because they’ll just drive you crazy by following your every step, jumping into the middle of the dust pile, and just generally making a complete nuisance of themselves. 

     They are totally people-oriented.  One sees and amazing transition sometime between 6 and 10 weeks of age – suddenly, they’d rather play with you than with their littermates.  This extreme human orientation can turn into jealousy, especially among whole females.  They show their jealousy by pouting, sometimes going off their food, and occasionally by actually taking it out on the other cats.  They can make it very clear that they don’t want to share their person with the other four-legged creatures. (I’m convinced that each one thinks of him/herself as a “person,” not a cat.)  Because of this, Burmese are not good candidates for being kept in large communal groups.  They seem happiest in groups of 2-4 (which is why most breeders need houses with plenty of rooms), and with LOTS of people contact.  If you don’t enjoy an animal that demands affection, then Burmese are not for you.  But if you like a cat that interacts with you constantly, craves your love and gives lots of love in return, then you will find the Burmese to be a true and precious friend for life.

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