All-time playful and sociable Burmilla!
Stephanie Mohr
Burmilla always adores her pet parents, displaying kitten-like characteristics, even into adulthood. This breed is characteristically a mix of the demanding nature of Burmese and easy-going trait of Chinchilla Persian, which eventually makes her playful, affectionate and sociable. Let’s find out more about this beautiful breed,Burmilla!
The origin and history of Burmilla can be traced down to Britain, around 35 years ago, where Baroness Miranda Von Kirchberghad, a female lilac European Burmese female named Bambino Lilac Faberge gave birth to first Burmilla kittens. She was then due to be bred European Burmese kittens; but there was an unplanned mating with silver Chinchilla Persian named Jamari Sanquist that resulted in the birth of four female kittens who were so spectacular. This was how the breeding programme for Burmilla started.
What’s in the name?
As the genesis signifies that there had been cross-breeding procedure in production of first Burmillas, the name of the breed is also generated in a similar fashion. In this, the name Burmilla was created as the combination of the names of the two parent breeds, BURMese and chinchILLA, that resulted in the name ‘BURMILLA’.
Specific features
Burmillas come in both shorthair and longhair breeds. The longhair is a true semi-longhair with a non-matting coat. Their coats are silver with shading or tipping in a variety of colours. Extremely important features of this breed are their luminous green eyes and the ‘make up’ lining on their nose, lips and eyes and their sweet open expression. They are available in Black, Blue, Chocolate, Lilac, Caramel, Beige and Apricot coat colours. Both males and females are equally weighted between 4-5 kg.
Temperaments
Temperament of the Burmilla is exceptional. They have the qualities of both parent breeds: sweet, loving, sociable, calm and playful even as adults. They are sociable with people and other animals. Their gentle and playful nature is well suited with children and even those cat-friendly dogs. Burmilla learns tricks and enjoys interactive toys, and loves the attention she receives from kids who treat her politely with respect.
Championship status
Till date, Burmilla has been recognised by various international registering bodies across the globe. The associations which have registered the breed over the last two decades include: FIFe (Federation International Feline) 1995; GCCF (Governing Council of the Cat Fancy—UK’s premier registering body) 1997; CCA (Canadian Cat Club) 1998; ACF (Australian Cat Federation) 2004; CCCA (Co-Ordinating Cat Council of Australia) 2006; CFA (Cat Fanciers Association) 2014; and TICA (The International Cat Association) 2015.
The bottom line is that Burmilla can be defined as a fairly easygoing cat who tends to be friendly, can go along with anyone; their sweet demeanour makes them a good companion. They required minimal medical and grooming cares.
(Stephanie Mohr lives in Elk Grove, California, where she runs her Kasanovakatz Burmillas Cattery).