Asian
The Asian is a British breed group developed from an accidental 1981 mating between a Burmese and a chinchilla Persian — the same litter that produced the Burmilla.
The Asian is essentially a Burmese in body type and temperament, in coat colours and patterns the Burmese standard does not allow.
It weighs 4 to 7 kilograms, is medium, muscular and surprisingly heavy for its size, with a short glossy coat. The group covers several varieties: the Asian Self, the Asian Smoke, the Asian Tabby and the semi-longhaired Tiffanie. Temperament is the Burmese's — vocal, extremely people-oriented, and demanding of attention in a way that suits some households and overwhelms others.
- Origin
- United Kingdom, from a 1981 Burmese × Persian mating
- Size
- 4–7 kg; heavier than it looks
- Lifespan
- 13–18 years
- Coat
- Short and glossy; the Tiffanie variety is semi-long
- Temperament
- Vocal, demanding and intensely people-oriented
- Health
- Burmese hypokalaemia and PKD from Persian lines — both testable
2 asian photos, newest first
Living with a asian
Ask for two DNA tests. Burmese hypokalaemic polymyopathy causes episodes of muscle weakness, particularly a lowered head carriage, usually appearing in young cats; polycystic kidney disease comes from the Persian side. Both have definitive genetic tests.
They are not a cat to leave alone all day. The Burmese temperament wants company, conversation and involvement, and an Asian left by itself becomes vocal and destructive. Many owners keep two.
Diabetes is more common in Burmese lines than in cats generally, and obesity raises the risk. Keep them lean and measure food.
Grooming is easy — weekly for the shorthaired varieties, more often for the Tiffanie.
They are climbers and want height, and they stay playful well into adulthood.
General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual cats vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.
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