European Burmese
The European Burmese and the American Burmese descend from the same foundation cat — Wong Mau, brought from Burma to the United States in 1930 — but diverged sharply after British breeders imported Burmese in the 1940s and bred to a different standard.
The European Burmese weighs 3.5 to 6.5 kilograms and keeps a moderate wedge-shaped head and an elegant, muscular body, where the American line was bred towards a much rounder, shorter face. It also comes in a wider colour range, including red, cream and tortie. Temperament is the Burmese's throughout: intensely social, extremely vocal, and closely attached to its people to a degree that is genuinely unusual among cats.
- Origin
- United Kingdom and Europe, from 1940s imports
- Size
- 3.5–6.5 kg; heavier than it looks
- Lifespan
- 14–18 years
- Head
- Moderate wedge — not the rounded American type
- Temperament
- Extremely social and vocal; strongly attached to people
- Health
- Hypokalaemia, diabetes risk, and flat-chested kitten syndrome
Related: Burmese · European shorthair
2 european burmese photos, newest first
Living with a european burmese
Ask for the hypokalaemia DNA test. Burmese hypokalaemic polymyopathy causes episodes of weakness and a characteristically lowered head, usually in cats under two, and a simple genetic test identifies carriers.
Diabetes mellitus is several times more common in Burmese than in cats generally. Keep the cat lean, feed measured meals rather than free-feeding, and take increased drinking or urination seriously.
Flat-chested kitten syndrome occurs in the breed; mild cases resolve, severe ones do not, and a breeder should discuss it openly.
They should not be left alone all day. This is one of the breeds where a single cat in an empty house is genuinely unfair — keep two, or choose another breed.
Grooming is a weekly once-over. The coat is short, close and glossy.
General guidance, not veterinary advice. Individual cats vary, and anything about a specific animal is a question for a vet who has seen it.
Worth reading alongside this
More cats by breed
Every cat breed somebody has posted a photo of.