American Burmese

		American Burmese
		Translation Francis Vandersteen
		Origin The American Burmese is a cat breed originating in Burma and developed in the United States from the 1930s onwards.


This medium-sized cat is characterized by its sepia-toned coat. It differs from its English counterpart mainly by its face and round eyes.

Standard

The American Burmese is the only Burmese recognized by the American Cat Fanciers Association (ACFA) and The International Cat Association (TICA). The Livre officiel des origines félines (LOOF) and the Cat Fancier Association (CFA) distinguish between the two types; note that the CFA refers to the American Burmese as the "Burmese" and the English Burmese as the "European Burmese".

A brief historical overview

The Tamra Meow or Book of Cat Poems is a richly illustrated Thai collection of verse written between 1350 and 1767, describing seventeen different cats, some lucky and some not. The manuscript lists and poetically describes the breeds of cat in existence at the time, including a description of the Burmese. It is possible that Burmeses competed in England in the 19th century as Siamese.
In 1930, an American sailor brought a Burmese cat back to San Francisco: Wong-Mau, whose hazel-colored coat showed slight variations in color intensity, stronger at the extremities (legs, tail, head) but without the spiked pattern. Wong-Mau was purchased by Dr. Joseph Thomson. Another version of the story holds that Joseph Thomson brought Wong-Mau directly from Burma. The doctor made several crosses with cats of Thai origin, notably a sealpoint Siamese, to reproduce Wong-Mau's coat. The Cat Fancier Association (CFA) recognized the breed in 1936. The first Burmeses were imported to the UK in the early 1950s and recognized by the Governing Council of the Cat Fancy (GCCF) in 1952.
At the end of the 1950s, the Siamese breeding program came to a halt, and American Burmese breeders decided that their breed could only be bred in one color: seal sepia, also known as sable in France, i.e. genetically sepia black. In the 1970s, the American Burmese type became more pronounced: the face became rounder, as did the eyes and forehead, and the body became cobby. Until 1984, blue, chocolate and lilac Burmeses were listed in a separate breed by the CFA, the Mandalays, while the TICA recognized them as Burmeses. The differences between the American-type Burmese and the English-type Burmese became too great, and two breeds were now recognized: the English Burmese and the American Burmese.

Behavior / characteristics

Christiane Sacase describes the Burmese as exuberant and athletic, adapting to life in an apartment but preferring to live outdoors where they are good hunters. He is loyal and affectionate with his master. Its voice is reminiscent of the Siamese. Dr. Bruce Fogle considers them to be very attached to their master, even clingy.

Head
Cranial region
Head		The head is round, with no flat areas.
Stop		Very pronounced stop.

Facial region
Forehead		The forehead is rounded.
Nose		The nose is rounded.
Muzzle		Short muzzle.
Cheeks		The cheeks are rounded.
Eyes		Round, well-spaced, but not protruding, yellow eyes (green and blue are not accepted).
Ears		Medium-sized, rounded at the tip, set wide apart and tilted forward. The American Burmese must not resemble an Exotic Shorthair.

Neck

The neck is small to medium-sized.

Body
Generality		The American Burmese is muscular and surprisingly heavy for its size, so much so that it is said to be like "brick wrapped in silk". Strong bones.

Tail

The tail is shorter than that of the English Burmese.

Limbs

Forequarters
Shoulders		Slightly rounded shoulders and hips.

Hindquarters

Coat
Coat and texture		The coat is short and glossy, close to the body. The pattern is sepia, i.e. solid color with subtle shading on legs, head and tail. Accepted colors are black (seal sepia or sable), blue, chocolate (champagne) and lilac (platinum).

Size and weight
Height at withers		Male height at withers: between 22 and 25 cm. Female height at withers: between 22 and 25 cm.
Weight		Average adult male weight: between 3.5 and 7 kg. Average adult female weight: between 3.5 and 7 kg.

Penalties

Flat forehead.

Fine bone structure.

Whip-like tail.

Coarse texture or open coat.

Refusal of any title

White patches.

Green eyes.

Type too close to Exotic Shorthair.

Protruding eyes or chin.

General faults and defects eliminatory in show.

Authorized marriages

Only matings with sepia-black American Burmeses are authorized by LOOF.
The Cat Fanciers' Association and the Australian Cat Federation also authorize matings with black American Shorthairs.
TICA prohibits all outcrosses.

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American Burmese