DrKatrina.com

MILLY THE BURMILLA

My gorgeous cat Milly has been an absolutely delightful pet.  I must admit I was concerned that she may have had a tough time following in the shoes of my beloved dog, Toby but she is definitely the boss of the house and controls who gets what attention and when. I am often asked about her breed because she is so striking to look at and has a great outgoing personality too.

Milly is a  Burmilla which is a relatively new breed of cat that resulted from the accidental mating of a female lilac coloured Burmese to a male silver Chinchilla (a type of Persian) in England in 1981.These cats were owned by the Baroness Miranda von Kirchberg- her Burmese and Chinchilla were awaiting mates of their own breeds- however, one night a cleaner left the door open, the cats got together and the rest is history. The kittens were so adorable that the baroness saw the potential for a new breed- it had the conformation of the Burmese but the silver tipped colouring of the chinchilla. The Burmilla Cat club was launched in England in 1984 and in1994 a breeding programme was established in Australia using only the highest quality Australian cats.

The Burmilla has a luminous coat which is its crowning glory. The coat is slightly longer than that of the Burmese but softer and glossy. It consists of a pure white undercoat with the colour restricted to the tips of the hair which gives the appearance that the coat has been sprinkled with colour.

There are two colour variations- shaded and tipped. The shaded variety has darker colouring on the end of the hair, which gives the cat a smoky look. The tipped variety only has colour on the very tip of the hair. There is also a distinctive ‘M’ ma k on the forehead. My Milly is a black tipped variety and people often comment that she looks like a white cat that has rolled in soot.

Burmilla’s have the lithe and muscular body of the Burmese with beautiful eyes outlined in a dark colour which looks like eyeliner.

There is also a long haired version of the Burmilla called the Tiffany which has a luxurious long coat that does not matt as easily  as most long haired cats.

Burmilla’s are affectionate and easy going and generally non-demanding, making them an ideal companion for any age group. They quite happily adapt to an indoor life provided that have plenty of toys and lots of stimulation from you to prevent then getting bored. I do find that Milly really likes to be the centre of attention when it suits her and sometimes she would rather be alone doing her own thing- but this is a very common cat trait.

Burmilla’s require minimal grooming although Tiffanies should be brushed twice a week.

The do shed twice a year and it is important that you groom thoroughly to remove loose hair not just for the cats benefit but otherwise you will end up with hair everywhere. Milly does shed some hair all year round and being predominantly white, it is a constant battle to keep it off my furniture and clothes. That is the only downside of Milly and it is a very small price to pay for all the lovely company and fun she brings to me.

Milly was bred by Tina Teasdale who owns Shantinga Cattery. For more information about Burmilla’s and Tiffany’s go to Tina’s website - Shantinga Cattery