Ground colour
- pure silver-white, or warm golden, shaded and shell in the recognised orange and non-orange colour varieties.
No breeder is on record here yet. Portugal’s FIFe member club does not list this breed in its breeder directory at all, so an absence here says nothing about whether anyone breeds it in Portugal.
Medium-sized elegant cat with a sparkling silver-shaded or tipped coat. Combines Burmese personality with Chinchilla Persian coloring.
Created accidentally in 1981 in the UK when a Chinchilla Persian escaped and mated with a lilac Burmese. The resulting kittens were so attractive that a breeding program was established.
Generally described as easy going, friendly, intelligent, lively, playful, social and affectionate.
That is the breed in general, not a promise about one animal. Ask the breeder what their own line is like, and meet the parents before you decide.
Breed reference from The Cat API.
Drawn from sources, not opinion: FIFe breed standard; The Cat API; UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory. An empty column means we hold nothing for that side, not that there is nothing to say.
The Burmilla standard is published by the FIFe (Fédération Internationale Féline), the international federation of pedigree-cat clubs, and it is what show judges apply. This section sums up what it says about coat and colour. It does not assess any one animal: use it to know what to ask the breeder.
Short and dense with a silky texture, smooth lying with sufficient undercoat to give a slight lift.
Shortened from FIFe standard BML — each label is the standard’s own wording with the verdict lifted into the tag beside it. Read the full clause at source. FIFe lists this standard’s last modification as 2019. Text read on 31 Aug 2026.
The colour varieties FIFe recognises for this breed are listed, with their EMS codes, in the table at the end of its standard. FIFe describes each colour group in the General Part of its standards.
The colours and patterns the standard admits, and what it prefers, discourages or disqualifies in each. An accepted colour says nothing about health. Quotations from the FIFe are in English, as the standard publishes them; the headings are ours.
Known hereditary risks for the Burmilla breed, and the specific documentation to request from any breeder before paying a deposit. A responsible breeder will have these readily available; deflection is a red flag.
1 condition documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Documented in this breed, but no source says how many of its dogs carry or have them. That is a gap in the evidence, not a sign they are rare.
Breed-level information from The Cat API. It describes the Burmilla in general; any individual animal can differ.
An autosomal dominant mutation causes fluid-filled cysts in the kidneys that enlarge over time and can progress to kidney failure. The Burmilla descends partly from Chinchilla Persians. In an Australian ultrasound study published in 2001, before the PKD1 DNA test existed, 2 of 14 Burmillas had kidney cysts; a 2022 screen of over 11,000 cats found the PKD1 mutation in none of 31 Burmillas, so how common it is now is not known.
What to ask for
PKD1 DNA test result for both parents (UC Davis VGL or an equivalent laboratory), or a normal renal ultrasound from a veterinary specialist
An autosomal dominant mutation causes fluid-filled cysts in the kidneys that enlarge over time and can progress to kidney failure. The Burmilla descends partly from Chinchilla Persians. In an Australian ultrasound study published in 2001, before the PKD1 DNA test existed, 2 of 14 Burmillas had kidney cysts; a 2022 screen of over 11,000 cats found the PKD1 mutation in none of 31 Burmillas, so how common it is now is not known.
What to ask for
PKD1 DNA test result for both parents (UC Davis VGL or an equivalent laboratory), or a normal renal ultrasound from a veterinary specialist