Ground colour
- pure silver-white, or warm golden, shaded and shell in the recognised orange and non-orange colour varieties.
About the Burmilla
Origin: United Kingdom
View Burmilla breedersSee Burmilla kittens
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.
- Typical life span
- 10-15 years
- Size
- Medium — from its typical weight
- Weight
- 3.6-6.4 kg
- Height
- 25-30 cm
- Registry status
- Recognised by TICA
- Breed group
- Short-haired
- Origin
- United Kingdom
- Known hereditary risks
- 3 documented conditions, with the test for each
About
What is a Burmilla?
Medium-sized elegant cat with a sparkling silver-shaded or tipped coat. Combines Burmese personality with Chinchilla Persian coloring.
Burmilla history and origins
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.
Burmilla appearance and size
Typically 3.6-6.4 kg and 25-30 cm at the shoulder — published as one range rather than separately for males and females.
Burmilla temperament and personality
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.
Characteristics
- Size
- Medium
- Exercise needs
- —
- Easy to train
- —
- Amount of shedding
- 3 of 5
- Grooming needs
- 2 of 5
- Good with children
- —
- Cost to keep
- —
- Tolerates being alone
- —
- Intelligence
- —
- Health of breed
- 3 conditions documented
Pros & cons
Pros & cons for the Burmilla
What you get with the Burmilla
- Low grooming needs, fitting for a busy owner — the coat is “Short and dense with a silky texture, smooth lying with sufficient undercoat to give a…”
- Commonly described as: “Easy Going, Friendly, Intelligent, Lively”
What you are taking on
- 2 serious inherited conditions are documented, mainly in brain & nerves and kidneys & urinary. The health guide tab has the test to ask for on each.
Drawn from sources rather than written as an opinion — cited health research, the registry’s own standard, and peer-reviewed longevity. FIFe breed standard; The Cat API; UC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratory. One breeder’s animals can differ from any of it, and an empty column means we hold nothing for that side rather than that there is nothing to say.
Characteristics
FIFe standard · Burmilla
Coat and colour
As the FIFe standard sets it out. Every line below is the standard’s own wording.
Coat
Short and dense with a silky texture, smooth lying with sufficient undercoat to give a slight lift.
Colour
- Preferred
- Permissible
- Undesirable
- Disqualifying
Preferred, permissible, undesirable and disqualifying are FIFe’s own words about the breed. They describe what the standard asks for — not an assessment of any individual dog, and not ours.
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.
TICA divisions
TICA lists the Burmilla in these divisions. They are the registry's own groupings — usually hair length — not a list of colours: no registry we hold publishes one. Ask a breeder what colours their line produces.
- Longhair
Temperament
Easy GoingFriendlyIntelligentLivelyPlayfulSocialAffectionate
Breed-level information from The Cat API. It describes the Burmilla in general; any individual animal can differ.
Health guide
Health & screening guide for the Burmilla
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.
3 conditions documentedThis is breed-level literature, not veterinary advice about an individual animal — your vet knows the animal.
Health checklist (PDF)Brain & nerves
Burmese head defect (craniofacial / central nervous system malformation)
Serious
Burmilla is named on the same ALX1 breed list as Burmese, reflecting its Burmese ancestry. Two copies of the mutation cause a severe, typically lethal craniofacial and CNS malformation.
What to ask for
ALX1 DNA test, UC Davis VGL, explicitly validated for Burmilla. Testing lets breeders avoid pairing two carriers.
Hormones & metabolism
Hypokalaemia
Monitor
Burmilla carries Burmese ancestry and is named on the same WNK4 hypokalaemia test's breed list; the mutation causes episodic muscle weakness from low blood potassium.
What to ask for
WNK4 DNA test, UC Davis VGL, explicitly validated for Burmilla. Usually managed with oral potassium supplementation once identified.
Kidneys & urinary
Polycystic kidney disease (PKD1)
Serious
Burmilla is named on VGL's PKD1 breed list, consistent with its part-Chinchilla Persian ancestry. An autosomal dominant mutation causes fluid-filled cysts in the kidneys that enlarge over time and can progress to kidney failure.
What to ask for
PKD1 DNA test, UC Davis VGL, explicitly validated for Burmilla.
Gallery
No photographs yet
This is where Burmilla owners’ own photographs will go, from the pet profiles they keep here. Nobody has added one to a public page yet.
A photograph in a pet profile stays private to its owner. We will not put one here unless they ask us to.
Kittens
No kittens listed right now
No Burmilla breeder has a record on this platform yet, so there is nothing to list. That is a gap in our coverage, not a fact about the breed.