Burmese - I want to know everything!

bagels'mommy

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 7, 2006
Messages
19
Purraise
0
I am in love with this breed.
Who here owns a Burmese, or knows alot about them? I'm very interested in this breed. Of course, I have done some research and have read several different Burmese descriptions, but I would like to hear from people that have actually had experience with them.


Also, are they known to be sprayers/markers? Dominant? Innapropriate pee-ers? They WOULD be speatered, if I got any.

I have a 7 year old couch potato kitty, Bagels. Sweet as sugar and more. We've had him for 5 years, and he's been an only cat for those 5 years (we adopted him so we don't know about his past). Another thing I'm wondering is if you think Bagels/the Burmese would accept them or not?

Also, I'm looking into Tonkinese - they are beautiful as well. Any differences (besides physical traits)? Which one do you think would suit us better? Tonk info would be helful too


Edit: Also, I know alot of you will say get females to decrease competition between them and Bagels (male). But, to be quite frank, I really prefer males. I'd definitely get two kittens to keep eachother company, by the way. I'm wondering if males of these breeds (in general) aren't dominant...from what I've read it doesn't say that, but it doesn't specifically say anything about them not being dominant either. I just don't want any cat fights, and I love my little boys.
 

godiva

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 10, 2006
Messages
2,219
Purraise
14
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Me! Me! Me!!!
(See Godiva below.)

I love my Mivers so much... I could talk for hours about her, so please forgive me if I ramble too much. She's very emotional. She is easily offended, and boy-oh-boy does she let you know that you haven't given her pets by gently biting your hand and intruding on whatever you happened to be doing. She even pees on the bed if something is REALLY bothering her (such as no fresh canned food for a few days).

She has the most awful meow (but I love it)-- she says "maaaaaaaaaah" in a low, loud voice rather than anything resembling a regular cat meow. She is rather vocal and talks to me in varied tones and octaves. She snorts and snores, too.

She is pliable... she will stay in practically any position you put her in, most of the time at least. She rarely comes on to my lap by herself (unless she feels she's been slighted in the attention department), but she does not mind (at all!!) staying there once I put her there.

When the other cats have a minor spat, she's always the first one there to see what's going on... she is a peacemaker and hates cat arguments.

She wakes us up in the morning on the weekends if we're not out of bed by 10 or so by walking all over us. Being the dense "brick wrapped in silk" that she is with tiny paws, she has very pokey feet.


On the downside, her emotional lability is annoying sometimes, she is much less independnent than my other cats.

She had to have eye surgery due to her contemporary confirmation (buggy eyes), but they are fine now (the problem was similar to "cherry eye" in dogs).

All my friends and guests love her to death, and she is definitely a diva! (Get it... GoDIVA...)

She's gorgeous, and her fur never needs brushing. It's always in tip top shape, not that I'd want to show her, but those who show Burmese say they have to do little to get it into show condition.

Any other questions, feel free to ask! I have more pics if you want to see.
 

abymummy

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 7, 2006
Messages
4,074
Purraise
11
Location
Malaysia
I've just got me an E. Burmese - BB (as opposed to Burmese) and I adopted his Granddad (Gpop) as well (the breeder was moving back to Ireland) and they are what the breeder called "eejit" cats!!! Wonderful cats, one is 6.5months, brown and the other is 8 yrs, chocolate. Very loving, possessive, can be a jealous type of other cats, but gets along well with others. When I say jealous, I mean that if you are giving him attention, don't switch attention to another cat at the same time...Definately a sleep with you kind of cat.

A lap cat but needs lots of challenges, toys are a must! GPop at his age still loves to chase things at 3am!

One thing, you should get their teeth checked regularly!

Hope this helps!
 

godiva

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 10, 2006
Messages
2,219
Purraise
14
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Oh, to answer your questions more directly (I answered too quickly lol)... my breeder always told me that female Burmese were bossier than males. But this isn't the case with Godiva, she isn't top cat, but she isn't shy and low on the totem pole either... like I said, she is the peacemaker and NEVER instigates things on her own. I assume a male would be the same way.

As far as I know, Burmese aren't markers so much, but it varies from cat to cat, I'm sure... if you get a Burmese as a kitten and fixed early, you should have fewer problems with that kind of thing. Like I said, only when Godiva is upset does she pee somewhere other than the litter box (and that is rare, and once we figured out what the deal was, she stopped... it's been six months).

Now, Godiva is female, but maybe this will tell you something about their personality. We have kittens at my house, and momma has stopped letting them nurse. Daddy will be a pacifier occassionally, but not too often. Guess who obliges the kittens and lays there for hours letting them suckle her belly? Godiva! She is THAT laid back... and our male, Ziggy, although fixed, still mounts females once in a while. All my females hate it, except Godiva... she just crouches down for him and seems to stare off into outerspace as he does his thing. Very weird, I know... but it tells you how much she just isn't bothered by much (except getting attention and getting good food).


I should also specify that I have an American Burmese of contemporary confirmation, and they tend to be less active than the traditional and European lines... but the jealousy and affectionate nature, combined with an ability to get along with anyone, seems to be universal in the gorgeous breed.
 

godiva

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 10, 2006
Messages
2,219
Purraise
14
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Eh... here's some pics anyway. I don't have any pics of it, but she's also a great athlete... she actually does flips in the air. Really. And toe touches, like a gymnast... she's rather funny! When she plays, she plays hard and fast (more so than my other cats)... but this isn't something that happens daily, as with the others.




Mothering the kittens... she's the best kitty-aunt ever!! (the camera is never charged when she's nursing them, though) She has taken in every new arrival and mothered them until they were about a year, and then she shows them the ropes. It's so sweet!




Looking like a bulldog...









Yeah, Ziggy started young... but she was even tolerant then!




CRAZY Godiva!
 

abymummy

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 7, 2006
Messages
4,074
Purraise
11
Location
Malaysia
She looks a lot sweeter than my BB Godiva! Same colour, same manic playing...does she have this wierd habit of constantly sticking out her tongue? Both my boys do that...so cute, that frowny face with a tongue sticking out!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

bagels'mommy

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 7, 2006
Messages
19
Purraise
0
Thank you for the quick replies!!!

Aww, Godiva is so so soooooo gorgeous!
I think that the sables and champagnes are the most beautiful.
So do Burmese tend to be rather submissive, or is it just Godiva? And are females the ones who tend to be more jealous?

In general, of course.


Keep the replies a comin', please!
 

godiva

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 10, 2006
Messages
2,219
Purraise
14
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Originally Posted by Abymummy

She looks a lot sweeter than my BB Godiva! Same colour, same manic playing...does she have this wierd habit of constantly sticking out her tongue? Both my boys do that...so cute, that frowny face with a tongue sticking out!
I haven't noticed her doing it... for some reason Ziggy does, though. They do have this manic playing thing going on, don't they!


BagelsMommy-- my breeder said that female Burmese tend to be more dominant (she didn't specify how this might play out though), but Godiva only is dominant with us... she demands attention from the humans, but is motherly to the other cats. It may be just a Godiva thing, it may be due her more cobby conformation, or it may be more of a Burmese trait to be bossy/jealous with humans and laid back with other cats... I have no idea!

If you talk to a particular breeder, they will be able to tell you what the personalities coming out of their lines are like. The breeder I got Godiva from no longer breeds. You might want to start your search online now, that way you can narrow down breeders and start talking to them about their specific cats and personalities.


Good luck in your search... I know you'll love the new kitten!
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

bagels'mommy

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 7, 2006
Messages
19
Purraise
0
I have already started my search, and I have a couple breeders that I like the looks of, one in particular that breeds sables and dilutes. Being a dog person and a forum regular, I know about BYB's, reputable breeders etc. and I'm positive that this person is an excellent breeder. I'll have to visit them first before making any decisions though.


I just want to make sure I've found the right breed for us.
 

godiva

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 10, 2006
Messages
2,219
Purraise
14
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Great! I think the visit will tell you a lot... you'll get to meet the results of their breeding program and talk to the breeder about how the kitties will likely end up personality-wise. You already know this, I'm sure, but I think it's important to keep in mind that all cats are different, and a cat breed's personality is not set in stone as much as they are with dogs. They aren't unpredictable, but they aren't as uniform either.


Good luck! I can't wait to see your new kitten.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11

bagels'mommy

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 7, 2006
Messages
19
Purraise
0
Definitely. I'm not in any rush, I'm going to wait until I find two kittens that really stand out to me. If that means waiting for quite a while, then so be it.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #13

bagels'mommy

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 7, 2006
Messages
19
Purraise
0
Cool
Could you tell me a little about him?
 

godiva

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 10, 2006
Messages
2,219
Purraise
14
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Could you link me to the breeders you found? I'm just curious... they seem to be hard to find, and I am thinking of getting a Burmese for an aunt who's cat just passed (we finally found homes for all the kittens
).

There is one breeder in Indiana, but she breeds the comtemporary American style, and I don't want to have to deal with eye surgery and breathing problems again, so I want a more traditional look or a breeder that can show me her cats don't have those problems.


Muchas gracias!
 

godiva

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 10, 2006
Messages
2,219
Purraise
14
Location
Indianapolis, IN
I'm partial to the sable coloring since I can get the other dilute colors in Tonkinese, if I so desire. I hear Tonks are more active than Burms and not quite as loyal. I like the idea of having a chocolate cat... but that first breeder seems top-notch! When are you planning on picking a kitten?
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #17

bagels'mommy

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 7, 2006
Messages
19
Purraise
0
Yes, I really like that first breeder and the second one seems good too. If I was picking on website alone, I'd pick the first one, she seems really excellent, but the second one is actively involved in shows, and what she mentions on her website is all good too. If something doesn't work out with #1 we always have breeder #2.

I plan on getting two kittens, for several reasons, mainly to keep eachother company. I would definitely like 1 sable, and one champagne or platinum (I really don't like not being able to tell them apart LOL, and I also think that they're gorgeous too). My dog is actually chocolate, so yes, I'm biased! :p

We plan on getting kittens pretty much whenever the time is right. We're ready now, but I don't think that any kittens in our criteria are available and we're in absolutely no rush. I'll have to e-mail her.



Godiva, did you see this page? Both of the breeders are in Indiana. I know Codicat breeds traditional Burmese from their website...

http://www.burmesecat.org/breeders_d...index.html#ind
 

godiva

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 10, 2006
Messages
2,219
Purraise
14
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Yeah, I met the Codicat breeder at an Indy show. She was really nice, and her kitties were gorgeous!


The breeder I got mine from was in KY.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #19

bagels'mommy

TCS Member
Thread starter
Kitten
Joined
Sep 7, 2006
Messages
19
Purraise
0
Neat! I saw some Mouse Island cat's at a cat show recently, adorable, but they were very sleepy!


Was she shipped or did you go pck her up?
 

godiva

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
May 10, 2006
Messages
2,219
Purraise
14
Location
Indianapolis, IN
I picked her up, of course!
I'm afraid to ship cats or have them shipped, unless it's a cool season and a short flight. I can't imagine how stressful it would be for them! But, a lot of people do it that way, and apart from taking a little longer to adjust, everything ends up just fine from what I hear.


Are you considering having your kitten shipped? Or do you want to go to the cattery yourself?
 
Top