How to Identify a Burmese Cat

The easiest way to identify a Burmese cat is to take stock of its physical features. Burmese cats have short, silky fur, a medium build, and round, golden eyes. Their behavior might also give them away. Burmese cats are friendly and outgoing creatures. If you’re still struggling to determine whether a cat is Burmese, have your vet do a genetic test.

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Observing Physical Attributes

  1. Image titled Identify a Burmese Cat Step 1
    1
    Look for golden eyes. Burmese cats have golden eyes. They are set far apart and should be in line with the base of the cat’s ears. Their rounded shape gives them a large appearance. The brow above the eyes is also rounded, tapering back toward the ears.
  2. Image titled Identify a Burmese Cat Step 2
    2
    Look at the cat’s legs. Burmese cats vary in the type of legs they have. Some have four short legs that are proportional to the rest of the body. Other Burmese cats have long legs, with their two front legs slightly longer than the two rear legs. Burmese paws are ovular in shape.[1]
    Advertisement
  3. Image titled Identify a Burmese Cat Step 3
    3
    Weigh the cat. Despite their trim build, Burmese are quite muscular, and can therefore weigh a good deal.[2] Males usually weigh about eight to 12 pounds (3.6 to 5.4 kg). Females usually weigh six to 10 pounds (2.7 to 4.5 kg).
  4. Image titled Identify a Burmese Cat Step 4
    4
    Look for a wedge-shaped head. Burmese cats have a wedge-shaped head, with a wide skull tapering toward a narrower snout.[3] Seen from the side, you’ll notice the end stopping at a blunt point, rather than tapering down in a rounded way. The end of the nose will be parallel with the chin. Their heads are proportional to the size of their bodies and sit atop a well-developed medium neck.[4]
  5. Image titled Identify a Burmese Cat Step 5
    5
    Look for flaring ears. Burmese cats have two medium-sized ears. They are set apart but not flaring out. Viewed from the side, you should be able to identify a slight forward tilt to the ears.
  6. Image titled Identify a Burmese Cat Step 6
    6
    Check for a muscular and heavier cat. Burmese cats are muscular and solidly built. They are a medium-sized cat, larger than their Siamese ancestors but smaller than the British Shorthair.[5] They have rounded chests, and their backs should be level and end in a medium-length tail with a rounded tip.
  7. Image titled Identify a Burmese Cat Step 7
    7
    Look at the color of the cat’s fur. Burmese cats typically have dark brown sepia (sable) fur. But you might also find a Burmese with champagne, beige, light brown or tan, medium-blue, gray, silver, lilac, tabby (multicolored), tangerine, or light golden fur.[6]
    • Burmese cats’ coats will darken as they mature. If your cat’s coat is getting darker as it ages, it might be a Burmese.
  8. Image titled Identify a Burmese Cat Step 8
    8
    Look for a short, silky coat. Burmese cats have short coats. The short length means they are easy to groom and do not shed much.[7] The coats feel silky or satin-like to the touch, and you might find it pleasurable to pet the cat.[8]
    9. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Using Other Evidence to Identify the Cat

  1. Image titled Identify a Burmese Cat Step 9
    1
    Monitor the cat’s health. Burmese cats are generally healthy, though they might be prone to gingivitis. They might also be predisposed to an inheritable condition known as hypokalemia, or low potassium. This condition causes weakness in the skeleton. It could cause localized weakness or fragility (for instance, weakness in the cat’s back or limbs), or it might be throughout the whole skeleton.[9]
    • Cats with hypokalemia will require potassium supplements.
    • Your breeder should screen for this test before you obtain the cat from them.
  2. Image titled Identify a Burmese Cat Step 10
    2
    Observe the cat’s behavior. Burmese cats are energetic, playful, and friendly. They tend to seek out attention and affection, and readily make friends with both people and other pets. If your cat enjoys being stroked and held, it might be a Burmese cat.[10]
  3. Image titled Identify a Burmese Cat Step 11
    3
    Listen to the cat. Burmese cats tend to vocalize somewhat more than most other cats.[11] Their meows are soft and sweet.[12]
  4. Image titled Identify a Burmese Cat Step 12
    4
    Get a genetic test. If you still cannot identify your cat as a Burmese after careful observation of its appearance and behavior, you could get a DNA test to discover it is, in fact, a Burmese. To perform a genetic test, a vet will have to swab the inside of your cat’s cheek to get some cells. The genes in the cells will then be compared against a known Burmese genome for similarities.[13]
    • If you’re interested in getting a DNA test, contact your vet.
    • Genetic tests are not 100% accurate.[14]
    5. Advertisement

You Might Also Like

Identify a Russian BlueHow to Spot a Russian Blue Cat: An Easy Step-By-Step Guide
Identify a Maine Coon
How to
Identify a Maine Coon
Identify a Bombay CatEasy Ways to Tell If a Cat Is a Bombay (Plus How to Care for One)
Identify a Persian Cat
How to
Identify a Persian Cat
Identify a British Shorthair Cat
How to
Identify a British Shorthair Cat
Identify a Siberian Cat
How to
Identify a Siberian Cat
Identify a Turkish Van
How to
Identify a Turkish Van
Groom a Persian Cat
How to
Groom a Persian Cat
Care for Persian Cats
How to
Care for Persian Cats
Identify a Savannah Cat
How to
Identify a Savannah Cat
Identify a Ragdoll Cat
How to
Identify a Ragdoll Cat
Identify an Egyptian Mau
How to
Identify an Egyptian Mau
Identify a Siamese Cat
How to
Identify a Siamese Cat
Identify a Manx
How to
Identify a Manx
Advertisement

References

  1. ↑ http://www.burmesecat.co.nz/Mainwebpages/new_page_4.htm
  2. ↑ http://www.purina.com.au/owning-a-cat/cat-breeds/burmese#ancDescription
  3. ↑ http://www.cat-world.com.au/burmese-cat-breed-profile#Appearance_of_the_Burmese
  4. ↑ http://www.purina.com.au/owning-a-cat/cat-breeds/burmese#ancDescription
  5. ↑ http://www.purina.com.au/owning-a-cat/cat-breeds/burmese#ancDescription
  6. ↑ http://cattime.com/cat-breeds/burmese-cats#/slide/1
  7. ↑ http://www.vetstreet.com/cats/burmese#1_ugw20zmq
  8. ↑ http://www.tica.org/fr/cat-breeds/item/195-burmese-introduction
  9. ↑ http://www.gccfcats.org/Cat-Breeds/Burmese
  1. ↑ http://cattime.com/cat-breeds/burmese-cats#/slide/1
  2. ↑ http://www.mnn.com/family/pets/stories/cat-sounds-and-what-they-mean
  3. ↑ http://cattime.com/cat-breeds/burmese-cats#/slide/1
  4. ↑ https://icatcare.org/advice/cat-breeds/inherited-disorders-cats
  5. ↑ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3541004/

About This Article

Deanne Pawlisch, CVT, MA
Co-authored by:
Deanne Pawlisch, CVT, MA
Certified Veterinary Technician
This article was co-authored by Deanne Pawlisch, CVT, MA. Deanne Pawlisch is a Certified Veterinary Technician, who does corporate training for veterinary practices and has taught at the NAVTA-approved Veterinary Assistant Program at the Harper College in Illinois and in 2011 was elected to the board of the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Foundation. Deanne has been a Board Member of the Veterinary Emergency and Critical Care Foundation in San Antonio, Texas since 2011. She holds a BS in Anthropology from Loyola University and an MA in Anthropology from Northern Illinois University. This article has been viewed 38,780 times.
33 votes - 94%
Co-authors: 6
Updated: May 31, 2020
Views: 38,780
Categories: Cat Breeds
Article SummaryX

To identify a Burmese cat, look for a cat with large, round, golden eyes, which is a defining characteristic of the breed. Also, take a look at the cat's coat. If it's short, silky, and dark brown, it might be a Burmese cat. However, keep in mind that Burmese cats sometimes have coats in other colors. You should also look at the cat's head to see if it's wedge-shaped, with a wide skull and narrow snout, which could be a sign that it's a Burmese. For more tips from our Veterinary co-author, like how to identify a Burmese cat based on its personality, scroll down!

Did this summary help you?
Advertisement