Origin: Earliest records of the Burmese show they come from Thailand (Siam). However, due to extensive breeding with the Siamese breed to increase their population, the original breed type was overwhelmed. The breed started to become popular in Britain after 1945 when soldiers returned from Burma and brought home cats. The Burmese is a breed of domesticated cats that has two subgroups -- the American Burmese and the British Burmese.

Burmese were originally exclusively brown (sable), but after many years of selective breeding, a wide variety of colours have been produced. Burmese are quite sociable and friendly as well as intelligent. They are also very vocal, and have regular conversations with their owners.

Varieties: Since they have separate breeding programmes, British Burmese differ from American Burmese. British breeds are more Oriental, and have a more triangular face. American Burmese are stockier and rounder in the body, head, eyes and feet.

With colors in addition to sable/brown, there has been conflict in the world of cat fancy as to which varieties are considered Burmese. For the past thirty years, there's been controversy over the appearance of the breed. American breeders prefer "contemporary Burmese" with shorter noses and rounder skulls. The "traditional Burmese" was declassed by the CFA in the 1980s. England's GCCF took the opposite approach and banned the registration of "contemporary Burmese" in order to preserve the "traditional" bloodlines.

Check out The Complete Cat Burmese Cat Videos

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