About the Burmilla
A little bit of history
The Burmilla is a man made breed originating in the UK approximately 25 years ago. Baroness Miranda Von
Kirchberg had bought a Chinchilla male, Jemari Sanquist, as a pet for her husband, shortly before being
neutered he accidentally met up with a precocious Lilac Burmese female, Bambino Lilac Faberge, thus
producing the very first litter of Burmilla. These kittens were so attractive to the breeder that it was decided to
embark upon a breeding program.
The aim of the Burmilla program was to produce a shorthair cat of Burmese type, with the sparkling silver coat,
the lambent green eyes and the "make-up" (eye and nose liner) of the Chinchilla.
Seen below are a 2nd generation litter from Astahazy Galatea, Astahazy being the baronesses breeding
prefix. Galatea and Gemma were both retained for breeding from that first litter from the Chinchilla and the
Lilac Burmese. Primarily the main objective of the program was to develop a shorthaired Agouti cat of
medium foreign type showing a striking contrast between the coloured Tipping/Shading and the Silver base.
Kirchberg had bought a Chinchilla male, Jemari Sanquist, as a pet for her husband, shortly before being
neutered he accidentally met up with a precocious Lilac Burmese female, Bambino Lilac Faberge, thus
producing the very first litter of Burmilla. These kittens were so attractive to the breeder that it was decided to
embark upon a breeding program.
The aim of the Burmilla program was to produce a shorthair cat of Burmese type, with the sparkling silver coat,
the lambent green eyes and the "make-up" (eye and nose liner) of the Chinchilla.
Seen below are a 2nd generation litter from Astahazy Galatea, Astahazy being the baronesses breeding
prefix. Galatea and Gemma were both retained for breeding from that first litter from the Chinchilla and the
Lilac Burmese. Primarily the main objective of the program was to develop a shorthaired Agouti cat of
medium foreign type showing a striking contrast between the coloured Tipping/Shading and the Silver base.
she mated these out to her Thamakan Burmese, her hard work resulted in the Burmilla breed being presented
to the Fife General Assembly held in Prague on 28th of May 1984, at which time the Burmilla was granted
recognition as a shorthair breed in its own right. The Fife breeding standard and policy have since been in
force worldwide in all Fife countries.
to the Fife General Assembly held in Prague on 28th of May 1984, at which time the Burmilla was granted
recognition as a shorthair breed in its own right. The Fife breeding standard and policy have since been in
force worldwide in all Fife countries.
The temperament of the Burmilla is quite exceptional, the demanding and mischievous nature of the
Burmese mixed with the easy going and laid back personailty of the Chinchilla, gives the Burmilla its own
unique personality. Impish and mischievous, but quiet and gentle, a sweet natured cat, people oriented and
loving. A little lazy, not the curtain climbing athlete like the Burmese, quite content to lounge on the couch after
a bit of pipecleaner wrangling. Dribbling ping pong balls and retrieving pom poms are favourite activities,
which can suddenly come to a stop, and your mad clown can come to rest in your arms with a deep throated
purr and a contented grin, not to mention an angelic look into your eyes, which is so much in character. In all,
an intelligent inquisitive nature and a most affectionate seductive personality are some irresistable qualities of
the bewitching Burmilla
Burmese mixed with the easy going and laid back personailty of the Chinchilla, gives the Burmilla its own
unique personality. Impish and mischievous, but quiet and gentle, a sweet natured cat, people oriented and
loving. A little lazy, not the curtain climbing athlete like the Burmese, quite content to lounge on the couch after
a bit of pipecleaner wrangling. Dribbling ping pong balls and retrieving pom poms are favourite activities,
which can suddenly come to a stop, and your mad clown can come to rest in your arms with a deep throated
purr and a contented grin, not to mention an angelic look into your eyes, which is so much in character. In all,
an intelligent inquisitive nature and a most affectionate seductive personality are some irresistable qualities of
the bewitching Burmilla
The Burmilla is a small to medium sized cat, the females often weigh in at around 3 to 3.5 kg, the males are
often larger, up to 5 kg. The type or overall look should be somewhat like a Burmese, but with a sweeter, more
open look as the eye shape does not have the infamous Burmese "frown". The eyes can be any shade of
green and are often gold to yellowish in youth, with the green coming in as they mature. The Burmilla is a
slightly softer cat than the Burmese, not quite as heavy or muscular, with the coat being thicker and softer than
the "brick in a silk glove" feel of the Burmese. Like all cats they do shed coat, its just more noticeable in the
Burmilla as the hair is white. As the breed progresses breeders are trying to develop a coat that has less
undercoat to cut down on shedding. Many Burmilla owners like to wash their cats, the cat is quite co-operative
if started when young. One of the special features of the Burmilla are the lambent green eyes, the shape and
set is seductive, giving them "bedroom" eyes, the matching eye and nose liner (makeup) setting the eyes off
to perfection. You will best see this in Marcies photo.
The Burmilla Long Hair is a true semi-long hair, a fine silky coat, feathering to the underparts, britches, plume
and bib. These cats should not require intensive grooming, should not look like a pet quality Chinchilla i.e. big
full coat, short legs and cobby body, extreme short face and little ears, they should be a Burmilla in fancy dress.
often larger, up to 5 kg. The type or overall look should be somewhat like a Burmese, but with a sweeter, more
open look as the eye shape does not have the infamous Burmese "frown". The eyes can be any shade of
green and are often gold to yellowish in youth, with the green coming in as they mature. The Burmilla is a
slightly softer cat than the Burmese, not quite as heavy or muscular, with the coat being thicker and softer than
the "brick in a silk glove" feel of the Burmese. Like all cats they do shed coat, its just more noticeable in the
Burmilla as the hair is white. As the breed progresses breeders are trying to develop a coat that has less
undercoat to cut down on shedding. Many Burmilla owners like to wash their cats, the cat is quite co-operative
if started when young. One of the special features of the Burmilla are the lambent green eyes, the shape and
set is seductive, giving them "bedroom" eyes, the matching eye and nose liner (makeup) setting the eyes off
to perfection. You will best see this in Marcies photo.
The Burmilla Long Hair is a true semi-long hair, a fine silky coat, feathering to the underparts, britches, plume
and bib. These cats should not require intensive grooming, should not look like a pet quality Chinchilla i.e. big
full coat, short legs and cobby body, extreme short face and little ears, they should be a Burmilla in fancy dress.
| This kitten while it displays a very pretty face and eyes has far too much coat. This is typical of an Australian Tiffanie. The Australian Tiffanie is usually 3/4 Chinchilla and requires much more grooming and care to the coat, much the same as a Persian. The Austiff is not a recognised breed in the two Australian Registering bodies CCCA and ACF. This kitten does not fit the standard for the Burmilla Long hair. |
| This Burmilla Long hair exhibits all the desired features of the breed, note the silky closelying coat. This cat is the "ideal" for which I base my Burmilla Long Hair program on. |
| In 1983 the Baroness declared an interest in all the variants which were appearing in the program. In November by mutual agreement she decided to develop the Burmilla and all its related varieties within GCCFUK, while the Clarkes (Kartush) went on to join the Cat Association of Britain and concentrated purely on the Burmilla . Within the GCCF Miranda followed the policy of mating out to Burmese every other generation, thus producing the wide variety of Asian patterns and colours. The club she formed in 1985 still continues today, the Burmilla and its many varietals seen at cat shows. GCCFUK recognised the Burmilla in 1995. The newly formed BCC embarked upon a rigorous breeding program, using sibling matings to set type. Two Kartush cats were exported to Brigitte Neihammer in Denmark |